We had a bar height table in our former condo and no one wanted to sit there, especially since it faced the wall. I like the idea of a small round table with four chairs for casual meals, cocktails, homework, board games. Maybe some colorful and fun chairs?

The kitchen would annoy me as there seem to be no upper cabinets.....and a small u shape kitchen....you seem to want to change it out a bit, so would you consider removing the peninsula and converting those cabinets into an island that covers some of both spaces. Also changing out the window so you can add open shelving for storage might be a good idea.

Something like this; island that is long, storage space on both sides of window......

Just something to consider to make the kitchen more functional?

You should post a floor plan of this room and the surrounding rooms. This space/layout is really quite odd, and there is almost undoubtedly a better solution if we can see it in the context.

How much money do you want to throw at this?

We are not looking to remodel the entire kitchen actually. We are basically looking for economical ideas to repurpose this area. I'd say we wouldn't spend more than $5K tops.

Just adding couple more photos of the kitchen and its surroundings. There is a structure wall (with the oven) that sits between the family room and the kitchen. And, there is a pocket door just by the fridge which leads to the dinning room with vaulted ceiling.

The issues with this are WAY more than 5K worth of work. Amateur design has its consequences, and they are not cheap to fix.

If your goal is to use the space then accommodate it to what the family enjoys the most. Game station, Homework area, craft supplies and work table, large TV for the cook to enjoy, easy chairs for morning coffee or cocoa for the end of the day, play area for tiny tots.

That's odd how they divided the room right in half with that peninsula.

If you are not using the cabinets often on the other side everyday, you can get a long narrow table the same wood color of island same height of peninsula & put against the other side of the peninsula to create a sitting area facing towards kitchen. When you have guests slide it out to seat all around.

I agree with some kind of table against a wall. Always nice to have that kind of space in a kitchen. I wouldn't get rid of the "excess" cabinets unless you've already lived there a year or two and know that you don't need them for storing less-used serving ware and/or the top for a buffet ("make your own sandwiches, kids!"). It's not an ideal layout, but I think you can find a way to work with it.

Its a quirky remodel for sure. And Sophie is right about any real fix being way over $5K. Even if cost weren't an issue, I'm not sure how to fix these spaces without popping out the dining area window wall.

why didn't they 'push' that back against the wall? all that room that's wasted, smh. Save your money until you get enough to rectify the problem. Do what Sophie said and stick a table over there. call in a kitchen designer and see if they have some ideas on how to rework the space and how much it would cost.

Do you have kids? If you do, what are their ages? Any ideas depend on answers to those two questions.

cost of a new counter is about 80/square ft installed. Anything you do will be some new counters. 40-50 square feet in total, but you might be able to get away without replacing the entire countertop depending on where the seams are and the sizes of the pieces you have.

Turn the peninsula 90 degrees and place it touching the empty side wall, 41-42 inches away from the countertop against the back wall and long side facing towards the living room.

You would have to repair your floor where the downdraft, gas and electric come in through the slab. Looks like there is no downdraft? Maybe gas and electric come through the exterior wall instead of the slab.

Remove the big window, close up that part of the wall, Install a venthood, electric, and gas from the exterior and reuse the existing cooktop.

you might be able to rescue the counter above the peninsula by installing butcher block or something where the stove cutout was. If you are lucky you might be able to move the counter on the peninsula to the right side of the back wall.

Eat your meals in the dining room

This will be more than 5K (maybe less than 10k?)

You would have a good work zone, a peninsula facing the living room that people can eat at and be served from close to the stove.

I would use a a play area or put a small love seat or couple of comfortable chairs on the blank wall until you could get someone to remodel. You need a complete revamping of the space. Put your $5000 in a savings account and wait until you can do it right.

I looks like you have nice appliances and cabinets. I've heard that countertops can even be reused sometimes.

Put in a round table with dark wood top and modern white chairs:

Thanks for all your inputs...

Looks like someone wanted two separate prep areas; incompatible working styles maybe? I wouldn't hate a space like that - I could be cooking my way in the main part and my "helpers" could be in the other part...lots of counter space to spread out on. I'd hang a bar on the wall with some swivel stools so people could sit there and chat while I was cooking and for informal service of snacks or breakfast. You could even hang some uppers on part of the wall if you need the storage. This would leave the countertop areas open/free for use when you need them.

That's definitely an odd area. Here is a way in which we can think of to use that area in your kitchen:

Chelsea Built-in Casual Dining · More Info