Great job! Your house looks very interesting and you look to have done a fine quality paint job. I can only see one picture too. Would love to see more of your home. Isn't it funny how a job can morph into YEARS? Many of our projects seem to have done so. "Good on you" - to finally be done with painting!

I looked again at the entire room, last comment I was focusing on the fireplace, as I had never seen a black fireplace before and it was so bold. I love it. You did an amazing job with the light colour flooring, the black window blind, black couch, light walls, pillows match your flooring, everything gels beautifully. You really changed the look of the room completely. It is very upscale and modern in comparison to the before pic. It is budget friendly too. Also love your kitty, lol!

I hate painted brick. Heres what i do to make brick a different color yet look like real brick that isnt painted..I used a color wash on mine. Buy 2 different shades of flat paint, close in color to each other. Use equal parts of each to make a 3rd shade halfway between the other 2 colors. Then dilute each by mixing 1/part water to 2/3 part paint. Using a cheap brush or rag apply either lightest or darkest color to all bricks, and wipe off immediately as you are applying. Ie do about 3 brick and blot. Do whole fireplace with one color, then use 2nd color and apply to random individual bricks and wipe each brick after applying. Then do random bricks with 3rd color. Blot each brick immediately after applying. The water in the paint will be absorbed, with the color, so your brick will still look natural and not painted, yet be a different color. It is quick to do because you don't have to be neat. Just blot as you go so you don't get runs. I can do a whole fireplace in under 2 hrs.

There are some articles online about removing permanent marker from wood. Try to remove it and do simple things first as you may change your mind about what you want to do as you progress. See what you think after the walls are cleaned up / painted. I would next paint the backsplash. I would look into cladding the island in beadboard - not sure if that can be done - there are some construction adhesives that stick to about anything. I have oak cabinets and am fine with them - but I am not living with all the other surfaces. I might remove all the uppers on the sink wall. My kitchen has about half the cabinets yours does and I get along fine - with 4 kids:) This is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and older refreshed wood kitchens. It might give you some ideas as to paint or working with the older cabinets - especially if a few years turns into 10 years and a new kitchen is still not in the budget. https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens Sometimes a new house has unexpected expensive cost - new roof or furnace and the more cosmetic projects have to wait. I live happily with my oak cabinets, but I agree that there are surfaces in your kitchen which would drive me batty, and if nothing else I would attack with paint those areas before the cabinets.