You can get colour change LEDs to create any colour and change to create different moods. Alternatively you can have more than one set of lights. For instance you might prefer warm white under your cabinets and plinths but put coloured LED strips above your cabinets. In a former house I had amber coloured lights above the cabinets which I loved. In my current dining room I have spotlights set into the floor with orange lights on a dimmer- they spill light into the wall and everyone seems to like the atmosphere they create.

Option 3 is the best one. If you have the tall cupboards at the back of the room it won‘t affect the amount of light into the room. The peninsula works better as it keeps the kitchen space together (i.e work triangle). When you enter the room you won’t need to go through the kitchen to get to the dining/living area. just because you have enough room for an island doesn’t mean it’s the best option!! You could have a ceiling mounted extractor fan like the ones from Luxair so it doesn’t block your sight lines into the dining room/garden/living area. I would definitely keep the stools as they are always used. The ideas for the pillar are brilliant for extra storage. I would only have base units as adding wall mounted units will make the area appear smaller. Perhaps you could put a larder cupboard in the utility room for extra food storage. Definitely have as much lighting as possible. You could have the lighting set out into zones (i.e kitchen/dining/living) so that you don’t have to have the kitchen lights on when you are all in the living area etc.

Are you having 2 tone? If so what colours are you planning? Option 1: drawer pack ridicously small. Open shelving pointless. Option 2: just doesn’t gel well. Option 3: cramped sink area. What’s the sole wall unit for? Option 4: this is the best IMO. Have an oven in a tower if you can like you have planned in this option. Get rid of that sole wall unit and the open units Aim for 900 L shaped corner unit so both doors open and will give you full access into the corner. Straight corner bases will have you on your knees to gain corner access.

Quartz if you can afford it. No sealing, no heat sensitivity although I use trivets just a quick wipe and it looks new. I've had white Silestone in three houses. Can't fault it. It always looks clean and bright.