How does one enter into the current kitchen? I am not quite understanding the current design.

My initial response to the "to be" is that you have not added any counter space to the kitchen work area at all. just made your island too deep to be of use when in the kitchen.

Better and simpler would be to swap out sink and DW location in current kitchen, thus providing a long uninterrupted length of counter for working or plating food.

Not an improvement in function at all. Much worse, actually. You've taken a sink with working space on two sides and made it less functional and moved that counter space somewhere it's not useful at all.

My suggestion to you would be leave the layout alone and go to a smaller single sink with an 18" DW as well as possibly looking at a 24" range and maybe even a 24" fridge. Don't try to reinvent the wheel here. Galley kitchens provide the most utility in the smallest footprint of any shape of kitchen. Tweak what exists.

BTW, a homeowner is not allowed to DIY any systems work in a multi family dwelling for safety's sake. You MUST use licensed contractors and have the condo board approve any alterations to the building systems. Take this into account when planning your budget.

@juliekcmo - Sorry for the confusion, I only included the kitchen side of the living room's layout. Entry into the current kitchen is from the side where the refrigerator is. The walkway between refrigerator and dishwasher is the entrance.

@GreenDesigns - Attached the HoA terms reg alteration in units, and I felt it does not state any DIY requisites - thoughts? Moreover, I do not plan to engage in any electrical/plumbing work myself. Cabinets and countertop kind of work is what I was hoping to accomplish myself. However, thank you for calling it out, I am going to call the HoA to make sure of the possibilities.

Current layout does not make it very evident, but cabinet space in the current layout is very minimal, so the remodel project. But given the feedback, will think of variants. My SO is a big fan of island though, so any ideas on incorporating an island into the mix?

Is that a passageway into the living/dining area to the right of the island? If so, is it really only 18" wide?

There are specialty cabinets pre-made that are for the island. Stop by an home improvement store and go to the kitchen design area and they will show you. If you have Costco; they will come out and explain and sell it to you. You do not have to do a thing other then to decide which of their offers is the best! Good luck!

Post up a graphical drawing of your whole surrounding space.
As well, consider posting in Kitchens forum.
But, as GreenDesigns stated, Galley IS the most efficient in a small space.

Islands only make sense for larger kitchens. Yours is not improved by hacking at the current layout. It's at least a workable kitchen as is.

Not every kitchen is "improved" by cramming in an island.

Thank you all for the feedback. We are now reconsidering the island idea, and figuring out a more meaningful tweak to existing galley layout

The prohibition against a non licensed individual working on a a multi family dwelling isn't a part of your homeowner's agreement. It's contained in your local building codes. Some places are more restrictive than others, but most do allow homeowners to work on their own single family home but all prohibit unlicensed homeowners doing any type of structural or systems work on multi family homes. The logic is that if you've got someone clueless working on their own home, if it burns down, they only have themselves to injure. If they do work on a multi family dwelling, there are a whole lot more people at risk from incorrect work. Thus only professionals are allowed to work on multi family dwellings.

As far as the layout goes, I agree with the suggestions to look into a smaller sink and smaller appliances in order to gain counter space. If the room has soffits, those might perhaps be removed in favor of taller cabinets if there is no plumbing or HVAC contained in them. Sometimes, even then they can be removed. I'd also suggest posting the entire floor plan to see if looking outside of the kitchen for additional storage can be done. Many times, non load bearing partition walls can be replaced with storage cabinetry that can serve the same space dividing function. An island based on the current sized configuration doesn't make sense, but if you look outside the box and use smaller appliances, you might still be able to get a more useful kitchen that can still have two people in it at the same time.

Take a look at Brooklyngalley's kitchen. It is one of my favorites and that thread has a ton of great ideas for smallish galley kitchens, making the most of space, and how to find appliances to fit the space best. It's over in the kitchen forum. The before and after is very dramatic, and it is the most functional kitchen I think I have seen yet!