From your pictures, I think you might want to insulate the roofing ( not the attic floor, but the attic ceiling ) and then cover it over.
You put in insulation with the vapor barrier towards the living area and then pick a tongue & grove board to cover the ceiling ( I would use this because it will last and take a beating and is a LOT less messy to put up).
Those look to be 2 x 6 boards, but if the house is as old as it appears ( the porcelain insulators ) than they may be rough saw. Nothing wrong with that, but new materials may take some fitting.
BOROSCOPE, you can use one to look into the walls.
Hope this helps. Our first house was an 1840 'guest' house for the farm next door. Seen all of this.
BTW, Like your kitchen.
