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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.

It totally depends upon your cooking pattern. Indian cooking is more oily and tadka wala, so if its the same in your kitchen then i wouldn't suggest you to go for it. But if its not then its quiet easy and handy. Or you can have a powerful chimney and keep the shelves a little away from the cooktop.

Had another question - I have been told that any granite that’s non-black is not suitable for kitchen platform usage. Is this true? Are lighter shade of granite prone to discolouration or other issues?