I'll chime in as a fan of contemporary myself, and a not-so-much fan of country. Your kitchen definitely has a country look to it for reasons already posted. The natural color oak cabs unfortunately don't fall into any description of contemporary, but I would expect touching the cabs to be off the table. If you need canisters for practical reasons (e.g. storage), then consider stainless steel. I got a nice set from Costco for not much money, and Crate & Barrel also have nice ones. Your family room has a contemporary look to it (with the exception of the table lamp). If you look at the elements there in comparison to your kitchen, what you see are solid colors, clean lines, and a lack of nicknacks. Look at the window treatments in particular. Solid color valence, and solid color drapes. Also look at the artwork over the fireplace. Dramatic dark frame that matches the color of the fireplace below, complementary colors in the matting, and a repeating dark brown mat towards the inside. So ask yourself, "how do I bring these design themes to my kitchen?" Well, replace the window treatment with a solid color. I would recommend a dramatic color that matches some other elements in the room such as your counters. Vertical pleating such as you have now is more country. No pleating (like your window valence in the family room) or horizontal pleating (like in roman shades) are more contemporary. Although roman shades always have a summer beach house feel for me, but that's probably just me. For the stuff on top of the cabinets, you should replace them with repeating items in solid or repeating colors. For example you could use a dozen clear/colored art glass plates that again match the counters. The key here is to use multiples of the same item in the same or similar colors, whereas currently you have a mix of disparate items (plate, jug, basket, bottle, etc). Anyway you get the idea - repeating elements, repeating colors, simple lines, no clutter. Those things say "contemporary" to me. Good luck and I hope that helps a little.

Ugh. That's what I am afraid of and DH is so excited about it. I did see one pic when searching glass staircases that had an iron railing with a scrolled end at the beginning of the railing and glass panels. It was very pretty. Because the long railing section is so prominent in the living room, I think he's trying to make it more invisible and not block the windows. I understand that cause it is an eyesore. I actually was thinking about the acid etching. Perhaps with a minimal design. That could tie in to what I'm considering for the window over our sink cause the house next door is literally 12 feet away and I've always got the shade closed. I was thinking something like this that I found here on site.

I think the grey wash will be a mistake. The floor is the biggest issue and IMO in the most need of an update. Painting the stairs ( or at least the risers and columns) white will help make the room feel more coastal. Really though you'll achieve the coastal design through furniture and decor.

The best resource to answer your question is the contractor selected to build the project. They'll be familiar with local codes, alternatives, and costs. By choosing the contractor early in the process and getting them involved during design they can provide value engineering solutions concurrent with design. This streamlines the process, reduces costs and provides better outcomes for the client. To be sure it's a different approach from the traditional deign-bid-build process most architects promote. However, the AIA has endorsed and labeled the process "Integrated Project Delivery."