@ sally wastie....Would have loved those pine kitchen cupboards....before they were painted. Had I a strong yen for :a bit of colour"...(and I do love colour), I would have had a new glossy multi coloured counter top, probably something very striking and then oiled the pine cupboard doors There were no work benches in the kitchen of my 1920s all pine cottage ( always say that the kitchen was an afterthought since it is positioned just of a hallway and consisted only of a sink and a wood burning stove.) I built a small bench/table using VJ pine slats I'd removed from elsewhere and then put a thick pine top that curved out from the small straight bench to form a little round kitchen table..Then came the fun, I painted the benchtop and table a datk teale colour, gave it a flecked faux marble finish and a couple of coats of high gloss waterproof varnish. Nothing terribly amazing but it did give the old...'kitchen space' a bit of a lift. Had a larger round kitchen table with a formica top and timber legs...so gave the table-top the same teale treatment as the bench and it now lives on the veranda that came a few years later. Yes! Teale of any shade always looks good with timber. The only pity was that the kitchen walls and ceiling here were terribly smoke stained and had been painted a really horrible pre WWII green. Begrudgingly, I repainted the walls but used a bright orange/yellow to complement the dark teale colour ( this particular yellow is a good colour to keep the flies out) and, in keeping with the era of the house, I installed a built in dark timber kitchen hutch found at the dump shop. The kitchen is the only room to have been painted and repainted....but still have the dark timber parquetry floors. If you get tired of all timber a few splashes of bright colour in well-thought-out places do not go astray. If you have vertical timber panelled walls and you are feeling hemmed in... a good trick is to stain a small section of panels a darker wood colour or with a coloured stain to shift the focus from all the timber. or you can bleach the timber panels lighter. This idea can create interest extending ceilngward from behind a furniture piece...say low display cabinet...or just in a section of wall. You enhance the all timber 'look' with an eye -catching timber panel of another timber hue...like having a mahogany panel set in a light timber wall... Just a few ideas for those feeling a bit claustrphobic in an all timber house....understandable, not all of us aspire to live in a log cabin...but if carefully accented, an all timber interior can be extremely impressive and will not date. This is a pre-digital shot of the glass panels I had installed in the wall around my bed head...its really faded PIC but you can get the idea. Looks better today since the glass has been decoratively frosted with patterns. The sunroom behind the bedroomThis is also a pre-digital PIC showing the little timber kitchen bench with the teale table top. The end and other side of the bench is stained timber. This little table seats 3 or 4. Pity you can't see the old parquetry floor here. Old formica table given a lift with a Teale coloured painted top...there's no room for it in the ' kitchen space'. Amazing what a little lick of the right colour can do in an all timber house.

EXAMPLE #1: L-shape, Table & Chairs, Remove Bench for Fridge and More Counter * Your Back Door: where they have large ceiling to floor window. * 1st Counter Along Window Wall: counter top with sink under window, and upper cabinets over counter on either side of the window. * Turn to Right Side and Create 2nd counter: put your full stove where this picture has a cook top. * Removed closed wall so your kitchen is open to the hall. * With this expanded "wider" space that combines with the hall, you can put a round table with four chairs. (Almost where they have their "counter island". * In your diagram, to the left of the door is your bench. If you have a table & chairs in the "wider" space, could you remove the bench? * On the wall where the bench was: a. put a fridge, b. build a counter with cupboards overhead. ********************************************************************************************************************* Example #2: U-shaped Kitchen In this photograph, beginning from the left-side corner: * Back door. * Fridge (theirs is built-in / too expensive for me / just put a fridge with freezer). * 1st Counter: Your sink under window. * Right turn: 2nd Counter: Stove (they have stove-top and built-in own below). * Since a full fridge & freezer is beside the door, you can use a longer counter to the right of the stove. * (Ignore their sink in this picture.) * 3rd Counter with cupboards below and above. * Remove bench. Along the "removed bench" wall: a. buy an "island" on wheels with chairs; b. when you are alone you can use this table-top for large cooking projects; c. use the island and chairs for eating; d. use a chair to change your shoes coming/going into the backyard. ******************************************************************************************************************** EXAMPLE 3: L - SHAPE * Remove lift-top freezer. * Keep sink under window. Have counter on both sides of the sink. * Counter on the right. * On this second counter, put stove (they have a stove-top and built-in oven). * Remove the wall so the kitchen and hallway are combined. * Move the fridge against the Bedroom #1 wall (on the kitchen side). * On the bench wall. Make the bench smaller so it will fit under a kitchen table. Use the table top for food preparation. When you have company, pull the table away from the bench so you can sit on the bench and use the table. With a small bench, you can put a table on this wall. Build the bench in a U-shape. Put baskets or wood boxes underneath to keep your boots and shoes. This table costs $99 at Ikea. When it is folded in, it can be used as a counter-top. So you don't obstruct the back door from opening, you can push this table over the bench. When you have company, you can pull-out the table's sides to make a larger table top. www.ikea.com Table Name: BJURSTA Table Description: Extendable table, birch veneer Size: 19 5/8" wide x 27 1/2" deep (when table is folded) x 35 3/8" height x 35 3/8 " (when table is unfolded). ******************************************************************************************************************** EXAMPLE #4 If you remove: * the lift-top freezer, and * the wall between the kitchen and hallway. * Will you have room to build a counter from where the freezer was into the space that was the hallway? * Move the fridge to the wall against the 1st Bedroom * In this photograph, there are many "fancy extra" to ignore (i.e. built-in ovens). I think your stove would be on the counter where this picture shows just a built-in range top. Hope something from these suggestions is a help to you! - K

Emily, with being a renter, I'd definitely check Pinterest for temporary solutions. I've seen DIYs where you can starch fabric to walls with an iron. Also try temporary wall paper/decals, but I'd test a small area first. Cabinet makers or even yourself would be able to create a flush vanity without attaching it to the wall. Plywood, especially hoop pine, has received a lot of traction. It really gives a clean, organic look that you could have custom cut to fit in the area. You could also use it on the wall – it could be stained, left natural, or painted for a feature. Have a look at EchoPanel. It is a decorative, acoustic pinboard that would add a splash of color/design. If it is above your vanity, you could pin pictures, inspirations, etc.

Just Beautiful! We are about to undergo a renovation, including kitchen and I think I have the exact same pine kitchen as you and orange hoop pine floor boards. I was wanting to stain the floor boards too but was unsure. Your kitchen style is very similar to what I had in mind (white shaker cabinets, butler sink, subway tile splash back and I even currently have the same fridge as you) and I'm excited because now I can show my husband the transformation including the stained floor. Are you able to give any details e.g. colour of stain for floor/ floor treatment, where you bought your sink, and island bench dimensions please. Many thanks!!