There is no way in hell I would even consider painting walls in a house I had never lived in.....and even without my furniture in place. The sun in the morning and the sun in the evening....what reflects off a garage a fence or a neighbor's house how your beloved hutch looks all affect the colors and tones of the paint and finishes I would consider. Colors look very different at night then they do on a sunny day and walls look different in an empty room than in the same room with furniture. Tell your friend to move in before he begins to select paints and finishes. I know it's a pain to move out of a room to refinish it....but I believe he will be happier in the long run. I have seen too many people who had to choose the colors and finishings in a new house, repainting in 3 months because the color was too dark or looked like white in the day time or because with the tile the walls look wrong and it's easier to paint than re-tile. It's fun to plan new finishes....but don't do more than fix a leaky faucet until you have been in the house for a while. Our first house was brand new plaster on lathe and we were told not to paint for at least 6 months to allow the plaster to fully cure. By the time the 6 months was over, I was so sick of all the white walls, I painted the living/dining area something like harvest wheat.....which was like dark mustard when all the walls were that color! I could hardly wait until the paint was dry to re do it!...But I was over reacting to 6 months without color!

Take a look at the shelf you're removing...that's what happens when the grease/steam/smoke isn't vented outside. Do yourself a big favor and vent it outside now. It will be very easy to extend it past the new addition later on...you shouldn't have to move it elsewhere. Definitely get full extension, pullout shelves (a.k.a., roll out trays (ROTS)) for the bottom cabinet. As to the top cabinet, that's a different matter. You could probably get ROTS for the bottom part, but I would get 24"D adjustable shelves for the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the top cabinet. Do you have tray storage elsewhere? If not, you could adapt the top shelf to tray storage. Or, store light-weight items such as paper towel rolls, etc. in the top. Rev-A-Shelf Tray Dividers Thread: Cool cabinet 'insides' ideas... Thread: Efficient pantry in 22-inch space? HTH!

Some crops that will grow in less than 8 hours sun are leafy and salad greens, root crops like radishes and onions, and most herbs. Peas and beans also, but will produce a smaller crop than in full sun. Consider planting the cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket so you can move it to a sunnier location if it is not doing well in the partial sun. Another crop you might consider is garlic; each clove will produce a whole new bulb. It is best planted in fall (September or October, though I've planted as late as early December with success), and will be harvested in May or June, depending on variety and your weather. It will send up some shoots that persist through winter - love seeing those! - then really take off in early spring.

I'm going to join in on the "warming" trend. Do you actually work from home? There is a difference from actually WORKING and working. If your work depends on it, then the room needs to be productive and comfortable. If it's not a full time job, then you have more options based on your preferences. It looks like a nice sized space. If you are going to be doing Zoom meetings or anything where the wall behind you is in view, consider the color and decor for THAT wall to be especially important. Maybe a focal color as a good backdrop to shelves, artwork, or credentials. Where did you get the sofa? I really like it and it looks to be about the right size and color for MY home office, lol so anything you can tell me about it would be appreciated!