I would "plan:" nothing until I got a good contractor in there with a good floor sub. When is the inspector the expert? Is it on a slab? Do you love the floor? No . Going over it with LVP? Not the best install method.........

Do you want to keep the half wall? I would not........

Get a contractor in there. It’s just tile, nothing hard about removing that.

Removing travertine is not that difficult. It crumbles right up. It is absolutely filthy and expensive though. You just need the right contractor and designer to plan the whole renovation, before you attempt to tackle anything.

You do not want to do that in the wrong order, and ruin any of the work that you have done. It comes first in any redo, while the home is uninhabited.

But you cannot do that removal without a whole home design plan, already in place. Good luck getting that fast tracked before a move in. Not going to happen. Instead, thr house needs to remain vacant while the designing is done, and contractors are lined up. Or you go ahead and move in, as is, and live there while planning the renovation. Then in a year, pile all your stuff in PODS, move into a mororhome in the driveway, and tear things ip.

I would invest in new flooring first since it disappoints you. Are you planning a complete renovation?

I have not found removing tile to be all that horrible but we need a bit more info as to the subfloor the tile in installed on. No to adding another flooring material on top for mant reasones but the big one ids how it affects doors and applaince placement. BTW as the kitchen is now there id no space for an island so that is a whole other issue of kitchen design.

Thanks for all your inputs! I kind of relented with hubby that floor tiles would stay with 4 kids as all those soils and crumbs would not be obvious. The inspection guy is a basement contractor and he said it’s costly to remove the tavertine as it’s thick and will require brute force.
But I want to replace the countertop with black quartz and thinking of having this c&b french island, size permitting!
Would it work? Will it be too dark? I’m not sure what should the color of the backsplash? I’m thinking it should be flexible enough that it can still work in terms of the color scheme down the road, that would match the current floor tile and would still work with this gray floor tile. Thank you!

if those are teal counters and in good shape I'd leave those...kind of intriguing looking....... change the backsplash to a creamy white. I dont see black in there at all. work with the light wood the interesting counters and go get some mats and a big area rug under a white table of some sort. you have lots of counter .why do you want an island. an Ikea butcher block top cart might work for just a little extra landing I guess. Long term you will have to figure out the floor but I wouldnt sress about it. there are rustoleum systems to paint tiles but I think you should just wait. thats going to be tough to figure out it doesnt seem urgent .....the best option will come to you after some time..

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can you restain the grout and go lighter with it - at least as light (or lighter) than the backsplash grout? Or would you totally have to regrout - and if so - how much? Also I wonder since it is a natural stone - can it be "sanded down" a bit which might reveal a less ambered tone? sorry - I am only asking questions as I am in a similar situation and wondering about such possiblities.

Id say no to black countertops but yes to a light neutral and a blue grey tile with warmth for the backsplash

For the counters

Thanks for all your comments! As for the island, thinking of removing that round table and instead put an island perpendicular to the patio door as the air fryer would need will more vertical clearance.

The travertine grout perhaps needs cleaning. Although I really like the C & B kitchen island, I think the 40 inch width is slightly too wide for your space (if the 13 ft wide for your kitchen includes the counters on both sides). If you look online, you'll find other models that are narrower, I'm showing 2 below found on Wayfair.

I don't know if the photos you show are from the listing of if it's your decor but everything seems nice and airy so I would go for a light colour counter top and backspash, something to tie in with the top of the island you'll buy, and I would change all the knobs on the cabinets to black ones.

Here's the problem with what you are proposing. I am assuming you haven't lived here yet so you have no idea if this kitchen layout even works for you or what quality the cabinets are ( it's one thing to look at them and another to actually be using them ) . You are going to spend money to change a countertop and backsplash only to throw that all away when you do go to remodel and want to change the layout or appliance sizes. Putting a vinyl over the tile will leave you with transition strips around the house that might be problematic for any older folks in the home. Sorry, but it doesn't look like you can fit an island in here.

Take a step back before doing anything.

Good luck and congrats on your new home.