It's going to be near impossible to demo the components out and leave the shell that remains, and have it look good to boot. In this particular situation I would remove the non-structural brick portions to reclaim floor space as best as possible, and then frame with 2x & clad in drywall to create a good solid wall upon which to build upon (don't forget the electrical permit if necessary to rewire).

Thank you Rusty. I'm sure you're right...it's going to be interesting to see how this turns out. I'll post a picture when we're done! There is actually wiring on the far left interior of the vent hood and a light switch...its an interesting little piece of mid-century madness.

i have something similar in my mid-mod home. can you take some closeups of the inserts on the left - top and bottom. also, what was int he empty insert on the right? the previous owner of my home passed away and the family was no help with questions....

This is what it looked like when I bought it. Not sure what goes in the empty spot on the left.....