I agree with the way you're leaning. Even if you can afford to rip it all out and replace it, do you really want to design a new kitchen in a hurry? Better to live with it awhile and think about the layout. A few thoughts I've had that I didn't see mentioned above: Backspash--I would see if the short granite backsplash can be pried off, so the new BS can go clear down to the counter. That would remove some of the darkness. Appliances--stainless steel (or look-alike) will help brighten up the space. Cabinets--I second the idea of putting glass in a few of the doors (it can be fairly obscured glass if you don't want to show the cabinet contents). That would get rid of some of the red-orange. You might also look into removing the upper cabinets above the range and putting in a nice stainless hood. You'd probably have to get some extra crown molding from the cabinet manufacturer and maybe side panels for the flanking cabinets. Paint color--sometimes in these situations a complementary color, in this case a muted blue or blue-green, can salvage the cabinet color. I'm not sure this will work here though; I think it might end up making the light floor stand out even more than it does already. I would consider actually using the floor color, but a couple of shades darker, for the the walls. I would also keep the backsplash in this color family, but maybe with scattered darker bits in it to tie into the counter. (Maybe one of those "Fire and Ice" type mosaics?) Decor--see if you can find a shade of blue or blue-green that would look good as decorative touches in the kitchen (window treatments, towels, utensil jar, etc.). Then, in the rooms that are open to the kitchen, use some touches of orange or orange-red. Sometimes using more of the color actually makes it stand out less.

Califreckles, here is our Stages & Karbon feedback: Stages: the sink size really works well for us, both width and depth. My wife, who does a lot of cooking, was very psyched when she saw the Kohler video on Youtube, but is still figuring out how to maximize it's utility. She doesn't really have a routine yet for using the trays, cutting board, and bowls that come with it. One observation is that the purpose of all that stuff is make the sink space less of a black hole and more of a productive space, but with the counterspace that we have, that becomes less important. A WORD OF WARNING -- the two trays and the cutting board are meant to slide back and forth along the top of the sink. For us, the cutting board and the smaller tray do, but the larger tray stops about midway, as the countertop is not wide enough to accommodate it (by a millimeter of so, I am sure). thinking that the tray was at fault, I asked for a replacement tray from Kohler, which they provided, still no dice. Our fabricators actually took the physical sink with them after they templated to make sure that the hole they cut was adequate, but in retrospect I would have had them take the accessories to make sure that they fit as well. For us, a minor annoyance, not a big deal. Karbon -- We like the fact that you can place the faucet in any direction and it "holds" there. We have well water, and the water pressure in the house is acceptable but not strong. We would like the water to have some more pressure coming out normally (spray is ok), so we bought and installed some "high flow" adapter that Kohler sells, which did not make a noticeable difference. I think that says more about our water pressure than the faucet. One mishap we had was that our 8 yr old nephew was not familiar with the tap and pulled it toward him (as opposed to push it away), and pulled so hard that it snapped off. Kohler replaced it at no cost, but we paid for the install. Hope this is useful.

If you are using GFI outlets the face plates usually are screwed in above and below the outlet. But your fabricator might just cut the backsplash enough for the outlet itself, so there will be no place for you to screw in the face plates. My face plates have no screws holding them on. Not a problem, they stay on. fyi

Somewhere, I think it was here on Houzz, I saw recently a new design for outlets, that didn't require a faceplate. I'm googling it now, but haven't found it yet. However, in my mind, the biggest issue you have is a contractor who wants to charge you hundreds of dollars per outlet to move them. Now, I'm no contractor nor electrician, but I just had an outlet moved, in my very HCOLA area, and I think the licensed electrican charged me $75, which included his service call. And that was only one outlet. In a new build, I'm sure the general can get the electrician back in there and move things around without it costing hundreds of dollars per outlet. That is a signal your builder doesn't care and doesn't want to help you. What I would do in your situation, is let the contractor know you aren't going to need a backsplash at this time, and let him finish the work. A backsplash can be done later, when you have time to explore your options. Take care of your family situation first, before you put in expensive tile, and then find out later it was inelegantly done. I'd want that tile to be a showpiece in the kitchen. It's the first thing people would notice in your space, and deserves more attention.