I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

This reminds me of my kitchen in Hyderbad, India. As others said, go with open shelves. Both wood (contrast) and stainless (brightness) would work well for upper shelves. I would also do shelves in the lower cabinets. If you want to minimize cleaning, add heavy, easily washable curtains to the lower shelves. You can add some battery operated lighting so you can see into those darker spaces. As for the walls, I would use a white subway tile and go as high on the wall as you can afford. The glaze will reflect more light and the surface will be relatively able to keep clean. Paint the other walls in a high-quality white paint (use a ceramic one if you can find it, as they are a lot more durable). Keep the appliances to a minimum. Kitchen gadgets might be handy, but lost of them will make the space seem small. For the ones you do buy, go with white or stainless steel. Finally, hang pots, pans and utensils on the walls to free shelf space and get them off the counter. Make sure what you use frequently is within easy reach, while "occasional" tools can be higher up, where you might need a stool to reach them.

You need a different type of wm or dw for mounting on top of each other. You cannot do that with a regular machine. Both of the machines produce a lot of vibration. Please enquire with the manufacturer before deciding to do that. My opinion is not to have a wash basin in the dining room. Can you do something like a powder room near the dining area?

this is looking good. finally someone on houzz has listened! Thank you. I would leave it as it is since any items you place up there needs to be maintained and that is one more task we would be adding to the lady of the houzz. but if you are still wanting to add something for that first client impression may be few large glass pickle jars or just two of three colourful glass sculptures. as would perhaps know - less is more in modern design.