I dont have pictures that would show this, but ... My Kitchen has polished nickel faucets, and polished nickels pulls on one run of cabs. I have another area that looks like a built in hutch, and it has aged brass. My island has ORB. My range has PN and brass. My breakfast room has wrought iron and mercury. My fridge has old fridge hardware, i think it looks like brushed nickel? Maybe it will look terrible, lol. But my color scheme is very neutral and there is no pattern anywhere and I want an unfitted look. So I think it will work. Whether it will work for you depends on the style of your kitchen. Do you want unfitted, or sleek? Do you want it to feel old? I think mismatch is always more interesting if you can pull it off.

I'm not a fan of the 3" matching granite strip as a backsplash. It's been discussed here before, and many think it's dated. In looking at your photos and plans, I can see why you'd do that. Do you have enough storage that you can go without the uppers? Even if you'd need to get a step stool, you might consider putting them in for items you don't need to reach often. Without cabs, were you planning some art work or the like in those spots? Maybe frame one of those cool wall drawings to hang there? ;)

Just extend the soffit above the rest. There’s no real functional gain for what you are proposing with that many cabinets in the kitchen. Additional storage at must have a step stool to access is outweighed by the mess and expense, when there’s already plenty of storage.

The vast number of options can get any of us in a tizzy. Keep in mind the “comfort” factor of different styles. Old fashioned cup pulls are adorable and give the “farmhouse” feel. However, if you have long nails or anyone in the family has large hands, they might be annoying. If you use knobs, the “projection” of the stem matters if someone has big hands. Those two features alone will help eliminate some ideas. As for color, do you want something that stands out from your neutral palette (brushed brass or gold) or something that complements the veins in your stone (polished or brushed nickel)? A farmhouse kitchen could be upper knobs and lower cup handles and look wonderful.