Going aerial...

Please look up (rather than the sorry state of affairs the kitchen is in at the moment...).  The small rectangle above the opening is the outlet for our TV.  The plan is to hang it, securely of course, up there so it will be out of the way.  The wider shelf (a 16" board from an old cabinet we once had) is also up top in the right hand corner.  This will hold the satellite receiver.  In truth we may not like it when we get done but we had to give it a try.  Oh yes, the photo is to show we got the trim in place above the opening between the two rooms.

P2 is another old board we salvaged.  Like the soon to be stair treads, it also formed the wall of a shallow closet in our upstairs and is probably 200 years old.  The first coat of many coats of varnish went on it today.