Im'e glad that you ran as fast as you can. That is unreal and he should have his licence removed.
Have a good trip and i hope you meet a lot of wonderfull people.
I don't know what you mean by wall up space. Is it Open? You could use room dividers that you could put quilt batting on and cover in a fabric of your choice pretty cheap.(like a bifold door).
How hideous are the cabinets? Maybe you could sand and paint them and do fabric inserts.
JAK
You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when, you can only decide how you're going to live now. ~Joan Baez