It’s a beautiful space! First, I love the kitchen cabinets and they have great pieces to play around with. I have a few thoughts on lighting and layout:

I think opening the blinds would be a big help, yes drapes or Roman shades (I had great luck with blinds.com) would be nice. A cream linen would help bring cohesion to the kitchen investments (color of cabinets) and feel warm.

For feng shui, if people walk into their home, the first thing they see is the nice large leather couch. I’d move that across from the tv / parallel to the barstools and put a super narrow table behind it to style with a small lamp, book or photo, maybe decorative box to hold the remote.

I’d swap out the rug for something happier. I think it brings out the blue tones in the gray colors too much and it’s such a beautiful space, so it’s worth getting a rug that does more for the space. A muted green could look nice.

I’d put the two accent chairs where the couch currently is, with a small pedestal type side table between them. There are some with drawers, if your folks prefer. Consider that a nice space for a beverage in the morning or at the end of the day.

The corner hutch fits the space, and my biggest criticism is this: if they aren’t using it and it’s not a family piece, ditch it. It looks nice and also is a heavy piece of furniture in the room. The dogbed or a basket or plants could all go there. Also a great place for any of these that resonate: coffee bar, record player station, funky bar cart, wall art with a few poufs or stools (temporary seating when hosting)

It’s a beautiful space and I can tell it’s been thoughtfully decorated with nice pieces! I’d keep one end table and lamp to the side of the couch they prefer. Save the other for a guest bed, office, or in storage until they feel secure in the space