I was thinking about porting out the middle - but I get your concern about added stress points.
But loosing the grub screws on brake levers is a start.
I got a set of motocross handlebars with 100mm rise - they require a 22.2 mm stem clamp though.
I'd say you would be better off getting a stem with more rise, like +10-20 degrees, depending on stem length.
I'm actually looking at used restaurant backup ovens at the moment. They don't need to be built in and some of them go quite cheap on local classifieds.
I sort of figured -it must be really useful!
I live in a rented apartment and it didn't come with a built-in oven, so I bought the biggest portable oven I could find. Sadly it doesn't get much hotter than 180-200 degrees.
Imo it will look much better when you've tarnished the white tape.