Pick a reputable fabricator (talk to friends and relatives for recommendations). Contact the fabricator and have discussions about materials and pick your material. I ordered "tealeaf" pattern Silestone which is a resin/quartz composite which, at least in my mind is not as brittle as Marble or other '"stone" products mined out of quarries. Ask your fabricator to describe what kind of quality you can expect - ie. what will the seams look like (flat with invisible hair line seams sounds like a good description) and make sure that you agree with the planned seam locations; will the countertops be level and flat? to what degree? What will they do if you are not satisfied? (final acceptance should be up to you) Do they work to comply with any industry standards? ("A Homeowner's Guide to Natural Stone Countertop Installation" by the Marble Institute of America is good and most composite manufacturers also have their own. Get everything in writing and read the documentation. Most of these home improvement contracts (Like Home Depot's) are written by lawyers with language designed to protect them - not you. I can't speak for other agreements but Home Depot's warranty language is worthless because it's designed protect them and to mislead you into believing that you are getting a warranty - in reality, the warranty reserves the definition of "workmanship" to Home Depot exclusively - you do not have any rights. Their "warranty" is actually designed only to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. I fell for it and got burned because I trusted Home Depot to be professional and honest but that turned out to be a costly error. When it comes to the installation - watch everything that they do - take photographs - ask questions. Don't sign any document at the site accepting the installation - if you find an error after they leave they will use your signature against you. The best protection would be to have someone on hand that you trust who is knowledgeable about construction to observe the installation. If you see them making a mistake - stop them and ask for a supervisor. Remember the contractor's credo regarding their mistakes, "you can't see it from my house". Good luck.

Granite in a kitchen in a house valued at $100,000? NOPE, that's a waste of money. You won't begin to recoup what you spend for it. And everyone is changing out their tile countertops, at least from what I see on this site. (It's that grout, who wants to clean the cooking dreck out of the grout?) I would consider NOT buying a house with tiled countertops in the kitchen, all other things being equal. Some people really prefer stained cabinets over painted. I can like the look of either, but unless you get a true pro to do the job ($$$), it's going to look cheapened. Those cabinets look fine to me, and would not dissuade me from making an offer. It's the curb appeal (driveway) you may want to be focusing on. Oh, and see if you can bleach the floor tile grout in the shower as white as possible - or see if there is a way to make it all look like it's supposed to be one light sand or gray color of grout...

Check out this company https://www.amisco.com/en_us/. I purchased swivel stools and selected the seat fabric and frame color. The product is well made. Below is a picture of the stool with a back and one without back which is useful when I working at the island. Fabric is a leather looking vinyl that is easy to keep clean. I like the swivel for easy entry and exit of the stool. I also prefer the lower back so when standing at the island I don’t have to remove the stools. Good luck in your search.

That is not a particularly traditional kitchen. And in my opinion, not necessarily so elegant. It also looks like that kitchen has white cabinetry. There is a ton of contrast in that space you show above, and a lot of ”shine” - on the ceiling alone. The light blue tones of the ceiling may evoke some degree of calmness in the space, though; light/pastel blues on a ceiling can do that, and they can also make the room appear more spacious/ the ceiling appears higher. But the main thing that is saving that space from seeming completely chaotic is the lighting. Notice the lighting in that space. If that space had your fluorescent lighting, it would be a nightmare. Look - there is nothing wrong with your kitchen. Really. Wood for cabinetry is very much en vogue right now - plus is classic. All types of wood are trending, including yours. And the slab front type styling on your cabinetry is also trending. There is also nothing wrong with the finish (shine) on the current granite. It is classic stone, and is not out of date. Would a piece of marble with some shine be considered out of date now? No. These are all personal preferences, at this point - not mandates for what is in style or not. The lighting in your space is the MAIN ISSUE. And if the lighting has not yet been settled, you are not even seeing the space accurately. Your space is really MUCH MORE cohesive and ”calm” than the kitchen in the pic you are showing above. Nothing wrong with your black appliances, either. They worked well with the counters and cabinets. But the stainless is fine, too - and will help to integrate your floor.