#lisagranthamdpt, these 2 columns at the end of the bar were added for aesthetic reasons only. They are non-bearing.
This kitchen was originally walled off completely from the other rooms; one 30" x 80" smallish interior door connected it to the dining room. So the clients and I were thrilled when we found out that both interior walls were non-bearing and could be removed.
But then we were faced with the "empty box" problem. When you have a series of small rooms, and you take out all the interior walls, the newly empty space can paradoxically feel smaller rather than larger. An unobstructed view of the back wall from the entry lacks mystery. With no doors opening up to half-way visible other rooms, with no archways to peak through (or columns to look around), the room's elements are just too easily seen. (If you've ever landscaped a house from scratch, you may have noticed the same irony: a well-designed lot full of trees, walkways, fences, flower beds, and gates looks bigger than the same lot when it is empty.)
In this case, we convinced the clients to add the (completely unnecessary) end pillars as well as a 6" dropped soffit box above the bar, and we felt that the new structures did a good job of framing the new kitchen and adding definition.

The soffit box really frames the space. I'm not a decorator, but reading your remarks, I think you were spot-on! :)