Can't imagine my kitchen without a coffee machine. Morning coffee is the best start of the day, I can drink three cups a day. I have found one under 200$ and it's perfect for one cup (I am the only one who drinks coffee here): https://mykitchenadvisor.com/best-espresso-machine-under-300/ I prefer the ones that heat milk by themselves, without manual control.

I use my phone or iPad to check recipes, emails, banking or check out something that’s caught my eye on the internet. If they’re in the kitchen they live on the big windowsill which is safely out of the way of any spills. One good point is we are incorporating a “charging station” (as we are extending the kitchen).

Maybe contact a local professional sandblasted / restorer to ask their opinion / rough quote? I imagine paint or any other treatment is going to require a lot of product, so won’t be cheap. A quote for proper stripping might not be as bad as you think. (Maybe ask your local council’s conservation department for a recommended professional. My workplace is within a local council owned listed building, and we inherited a magic folder with all the approved local trades people!).

Move kitchen to dining room and have direct access to this from the hall, close up the door to the living room and outside door. It would be lovely if the back window in the current dining were bifolds opening out to the back garden. Move the dining into the now-kitchen and open up the entrance to this. Remove stores to make ample room for table and chairs. If the stores walls are structural and the budget does not stretch, opening up the entryway (removing current entry from dining to kitchen) will make this more usable as dining area.