Don't know what the unused space is for, beyond the peninsula..[no furniture]...I'd spec out an island....more central in the "room" that you have. ...an island with seating and drawers so you can get storage that way. Might have to move the sink a bit..so first call is to a pro to see if that would work. You can see about improvements in your bath with the wall demolition you want to do as well. Lots of things can be done....I'm looking at this space....not just the little kitchen. I wouldn't just double the peninsula until I found out if an island would work.

Really neat place! Would a mini fridge/freezer (4-6 cu.ft) be too small? Most fit under the counter, but you could raise it, have a deep drawer underneath, and a MW above. This one from Lowe's, 5.6 cu.ft., is about the same width as a MW.

Since you won't have the pantry door on the bottom wall, what about shallow cabs all the way across, with the light switches on the side of the cabinet box? Would that meet safety code?

I'd make the sink counter all one height, with a standard 15-18" overhang. Then have a small table and chairs in the dining area. Use adjustable height counter stools [(this ad from Houzz)--[(https://www.houzz.com/products/matteo-bar-stool-gray-prvw-vr~11907825)in case you have an extra guest you can pull one up to the table. And maybe move the peninsula over to give a few more inches in the work aisle.

What an amazing place! I loved your "fortress of solitude" comment. I'm an introvert and I totally get it :-)

First, you're probably not locked in to having a stove on the brick wall. You can cap off the gas and go with an induction range--if you haven't read about induction, a lot of gas-range loyalists have switched to induction and sing it's praises. Secondly, you're probably not restricted to having the sink in that location either. In the quick drawing below, I made some assumptions about the location of the the water supply and thought you could just extend it through a pony wall.

Anyway. A lost of assumptions were made with this suggestion and I didn't think through details, but maybe it'll spark more ideas. I love the idea of you being able to stand at this island and see out your windows, your beautiful exposed brick wall and beyond.

@herbflavor - that unused space had a table that didn't fit well, so I got rid of it until I decide what I really want.

It's funny, I've been agitating about this for weeks, and the act of writing it up made me think "Wait, maybe I can make an island!" just as herbflavor says.

Trying something out, I ended up with everything perpendicular to how the peninsula was, and it kinda looks workable.

@mama_goose: thank you! I love it there; just a few things to tweak like this. I feel like a mini-fridge might be too small, but I should go and look at them; thank you for the links.

I was thinking shallow storage along that bottom wall for a pantry, yes. I hadn't thought about electrical stuff; I will have to consult with somebody for that. But frankly I don't need a ton of pantry space, so I can probably lose 4-5" of whatever might fill up that space.

That might be more storage than I could ever use!

The one problem if there's no wiggle room in moving the sink (which there might be some to be had there), is that you end up with not much room on the side of the island near the wall.

Unless it's a family heirloom, ;), I'd get rid of the behemoth masquerading as a range. Since you don't cook a lot, would a 24" stove work?

@benjesbride - I never thought of induction - that's a great idea!

And I bet the sink move that you did is close enough that it won't involve pain and suffering. I like the way you moved things around a lot.

This is awesome; I felt so trapped, but talking it over with people is really helping me with ideas.

@mama goose: heirloom? LOL. All the smallest appliances would probably work, yes. I have considered a smaller dishwasher too, but for some reason didn't think on the oven. (Which sticks out from the cabinets because of a badly-placed gas-line; the former owner of this condo is a very nice person, but...)

You know, I had spent money last fall with one of the big online IKEA KD companies, and I didn't get any of the ideas I've gotten here. I am glad I delurked on this forum; I just wish I had done it first.

Excellent pints, Jillius! I got all caught up in the fun of rearranging, but the essential problem I started with was whether I would have enough storage if I took down those uppers, so thank you for getting me back on point.

The table I removed was an old square 4-person table that I had brought from my last home; I agree that there's plenty of room for a different table in that open area.