It's interesting, but not evidence of anything. It's a magazine readers' poll. People sent in returns to declare their intentions. Reminds me of The Literary Digest and their fatal mistakes in 1936. "Although it had polled 10 million individuals (about 2.4 million of these individuals responded, an astronomical sum for any survey),[3] it had surveyed firstly its own readers, a group with disposable incomes well above the national average of the time...." (wikipedia) . Their list of names was biased in favor of those with enough money for cars, phones and magazine subscriptions (during the 1930's!!). To show what a more scientific basis can produce: using a sample size of only 50,000 George Gallup accurately predicted the results of the 1936 Literary Digest poll. Goes to show that a more valid result is possible if the questions and methods are good to start with. A survey is more accurate than an assemblage of thousands who are self-interested and proud. And who put a stamp on it. Even a survey does not predict success in the real world: declared intentions never correspond to real reactions to new products.

this is a gorgeous kitchen! More on India ink as stain: I've used it on furniture a lot. Be SURE you get permanent India ink. It has some shellac in it to make it more waterproof. It has amazing coverage. I have done an entire armchair frame with only an ounce or two. It's also very messy if you drip it, so wear old clothes and get some disposable latex gloves. It may raise the grain on some woods. Sand the wood smooth before applying it, then do a very light sanding after it's completely dry, if it feels at all rough. Apply a second coat if the sanding removes any of the color. The color is a warm black. It's opaque but the grain of the wood will show through, unlike with paint. It's a pretty unique finish. I have never used Waterlox over my ink finishes, since they were furniture. I think you do need something though--the finish doesn't seem to be super permanent even though the ink is labeled permanent. (That's more for when it's used on paper, not furniture or counters that get a lot of wear and tear.) I used beeswax on the furniture which seemed to seal the ink pretty well. I don't think I would use it on wooden chair seats, though. Too much risk of rubbing off on clothing down the road.

If your bay window is cantilevered out and not holding up a second floor bay... Would you rather have island seating than a breakfast nook? It would be a much bigger project, of course. It looks like you may have the room for it. I've proposed this for other folks and this image is the first example I found. In your case, the range and the clean up sink would trade places, so you you might see the range flanked by windows from the front door instead of your pretty table and windows. Just thought I'd toss this out there...

The angled corner is noticeable in the plan view., but not so much in the elevation view rendering. However in real life, I think the angled corner will be unattractive and I would not do it. During our kitchen remodel, we cut down the peninsula bar to counter height, but could not move walls or cabinet footprint. At one point of the peninsula, the cabinet and countertop edge are 32” and 31” respectively from one point on a dividing wall at the passage lane from the dining area to the kitchen. It is just one point on the end of the wall and has never been an eyesore or issue. It is a trade off. The larger island is better than the smaller island for scale and your desired use. The island is prettier than the peninsula, if you can fit it. The wall corner is the exterior wall so it can’t be moved or torn down. So after reconsidering the pros and cons, I think the “narrower than ideal“ passage opening, at one point on the wall corner, will not be a big deal for you. The house plans show a window in the area where I thought a pantry should go, so I see that is not an option. What you may want to reconsider is if you can swap the fridge and stove wall. Moving the range hood to the exterior wall would facilitate venting, unless you already have a venting system in your wall I the location as shown.