Samantha B I just completed my kitchen Reno in Perth. My pantry was also bricked up like yours. Literally doubled the space by getting rid of it but we found out after that the pantry was structural & we had to put an extra support beam in the roof instead ($800) so be careful of that! We completely moved the plumbing, gas & electrics & it only cost a few hundred! So don't be afraid to do that as long as u know decent priced tradies! We ended up doing nearly everything ourselves & went with a masters flat packed kitchen & sourced our own stone benchtops dirt cheap ($2500 installed for a 2m bench & a 1.5m island each with one waterfall edge.). Heres before & after pics.

loose laid vinyl to cover the floor and a steel fabricator will be able to polish the kickboards and several catches (like on an old cupboard door) could be fixed to the steel to secure it to the framing..check with the steel fabricator and a kitchen cabinet maker for suitable options

Hi Caroline, i know what you mean, I'm not a fan of white tiles either because I have young kids but sometimes a room needs them to add light, the following photos all have a wood look feature tile but they all have white/cream somewhere. If you could imagine all of the floor and walls in your dark tile and then a lovely bright white background on just one wall and your wood look vanity I really think it would be fabulous! I think subway tiles may be too busy. A simple white tile would bring so much light into the room! you can add pendants , towels, decor to bring in more colour. Often when looking at tiles In showrooms they look like they will all go, but try and find a photo of the tile you've chosen laid as a whole wall, it often looks much different. I think you should go with what you love though!

You can buy the caboodle bamboo kitchen bench top from Bunnings wood section and cut it to any size you want. If you just wax it, it is quite rustic and would save you the cost of getting a benchtop made. It comes in two thicknesses and is 600mm deep. The piece that I bought was 2.4m long. Have a look at it, at least. Then if you have some other rustic pieces or even units with steel tops, it can tie the rest together. My vote is to keep the stove and get some rustic or industrial cup'd handles. A real farmhouse kitchen is a mix and match thing. My vote is for trying to keep the bench you bought as an island if you can. I would go for open shelves along the wall where the stove and fridge are and put the microwave on one of them. Maybe you could find some different tiles for behind the sink. I would rip those shiny ones off the wall and choose something that will fit in with your mix'n match rustic style, or just something quirky - even old wood. It all depends on how much money you want to spend and kitchens add up very quickly. If it functional and pleases your eye, then you are a winner. If the carcasses are still usable, it is much cheaper to just get new doors for them, when you can afford it. I wouldn't bother with window covering in the kitchen. I would just leave it for the light. Maybe a glass shelf across it with some herbs on it. It already sounds good to me.