I don't have to use it as a nook, I'm very open to incorporating it as part of the kitchen. My dilemmas is how to put in an island that extends into the nook area without blocking the entrance from the garage.

It looks like a lovely space. Are you planning a full gut and remodel or would you just like to work with the cabinets that you already have? In order to get solid suggestions, it is best to provide a measured wall layout with the placement of all doors and windows. Do you have a photo of the wall that is opposite the range wall? In my own remodel, we had a set of 48" French doors that cut into the middle of our longest kitchen wall. I was able to move the doorway to get a longer run of cabinetry and turned it into a 36" single opening. In our case that was the linchpin to creating a new and functional layout.

We think you might need to rework the entire layout and move the sink/dishwasher. That might be one of the best options. If you really looked into what your options are in the house maybe look into where you can move the fridge, sink/dishwasher, and stove to make it function well. You might end up having to gut the entire thing and then expand into the nook area. We would most likely think taking out the section where the sink/dishwasher is and just leaving that entire section out would be a best option. Maybe look into getting a local designer to work with to help you with this project if you are going to do a full gut job.

Thank you, Randy. Yes, my thought was also to remove the sink/dishwasher area, it really cramps the kitchen. Maybe we could relocate both of those to a center island. Not sure yet, will start reaching out to local designers. Thanks again!

First thing you need is a measured 2d drawing of the kitchen space and a second drawing showing how the kitchen relates to the rest of the house.

What is more important to you, the kitchen or having a formal dining area? And what is your budget? It's hard to be 100% sure this would work without a layout of your floorplan, but if the formal dining isn't imperative you could swap the kitchen and the formal dining area. I assume your formal dining room has 3 walls? This would make the dining space less formal, but would still allow for a good sized table.

crystalpea, yes, that is what my initial thought was also. It would not be ideal to lose the formal dining area, but a workable, large kitchen is more useful to me.