Dear Emily,
At the end of the day if you love the kitchen that’s what matters. Now this is what I love about your kitchen:

1. The counter top on the island is absolutely stunning.
2. Appliances look great especially that stove.
3. Range hood design is nice
   The kitchen you have is unique and the kitchen brings value. Off the bat you can tell there was a lot of thought and hard work behind it. now hypothetically if I purchase a home with the same kitchen will i do some changes yes i will. The issue i see and again people have different taste is the contrast if the colors. This is what i would do:
4. Change all the counter tops to match the island counter top. 2.Change the kitchen cabinets Handles to gold to match the gas range.
5. Paint all the cabinets the same color.
   To bring those ideas closer to reality this is what it will look like
   Will presented in the photos.

Best regards,
Argyle Construction

Changing small items like handles and lighting won’t make a difference overall. Don’t be disappointed that your level of enthusiasm isn’t expressed by some of your friends. Tastes are so different and also your expectations for their enthusiasm may be too high. It has a lot going on (stain, dark blue, black, ivory, different counters), so that might affect their responses, as it feels chopped up

If interested (and possible), suggest stripping the navy and stain to match the rest. Even add wood trim on the hood to help tie in a bit better. I’d replace the island pendant and hardware to the same brass finish as the faucet. The art of mixing well is created with cohesiveness.

They are so similar so I think the outcome will have the same effect.

Have you considered going a bit darker/more vibrant for more impact and a window film could be really cute.

I’d keep the landscaping simple and closer to the house, so that’s where the eye is lead to. The portion of asphalt in front of garage could be removed and changed to pavers bordered by a brick color similar to the brick on the house.

Here I added pavers to the same image I posted before. I added a garage trellis and an awning over the front door as options.

To answer your other question, I like the house without shutters and window boxes. It's a stately house and does not need cottage elements.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Regency-Hill-Traditional-Table-Lamp-26-High-Antique-Brass-Candlestick-White-Fabric-Drum-Shade-for-Living-Room-Family-Bedroom-Bedside/232188739

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/c/lamps/table-lamps?t=31332&featuredproduct=38230910&featuredoption=76786320&ci_sku=41983320-000-000&cnc=US&cid=323883&type=pla&targetid=&track=pspla&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pspla&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18578901115&gbraid=0AAAAAD_EGx_npFKJX4wf2QTqotoFSVh2l&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-MDTBhCgARIsAKAkdlR3Qv2qjCQSA9lw8ns03tU-sOwOGf2rfqmbkAwFONHaIB393F3Sdp4aAlXcEALw_wcB

Or these (mid-20th-century vintage), if you don't mind spending $2600 for the pair (bases only, no shades)!

Is there room to spread the seating and tables apart a bit? This rendering does that.

If it turns out there’s not enough height space to modify the room height, perhaps consider doing a trim embellishment on the ceiling to give the illusion of height. I understand this is common with Georgian homes. Yours is just lovely!

Agree with leaving the lovely home alone on this - sometimes a room with a lower ceiling can feel especially cozy and inviting, I’d lean into that

Personally I don't think 8 foot ceilings are a problem unless you play in the NBA. They are normal sized ceilings for normal sized people.

I don't feel the crown is the issue really, because on the right the crown looks to be similar distance from the window too. It looks chopped up because they did a crown return each side of the vent making it look like it's supposed to be a feature, and it isn't. Perhaps carry the crown to the vent on each side for a seamless look.

It looks fine to me. Once it is done and you live there for a month, you won’t even notice!

id ditch all the crown moulding along ceilings and extend cabinets to ceiling by boxing in open space and adding simple, narrow 90degree moulding where cabs meet ceiling. this type of moulding matches the shaker cabinets much better than the large curved moulding which imo is passe.

I might lean more to neutrals for the walls, curtains and rug with statement lighting and let the chairs stand out instead of matching. I love the idea of grasscloth in this room.

This is an AI approximation of Evergreen Fog and brown not tan trim.

I think Im going to replace the tile behind the toilet to be the same as the floor and vanity wall, as per the advice above. And then decide on a paint/wallpaper.

This is as a could get the pic to show the idea of hanging the mirror from the ceiling. It would hang in front of the window, which I would change the trim around window so the mirror can be as close to wall as possible. Like others have said add a cat door onto the side. I wouldn’t leave a door off as that makes the bathroom look unfinished.