I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

The red brick wall as a backdrop sounds very interesting. You can get quirky posters of various liquor brands like Jack Daniels, Chivas etc in black and white and get it framed and put them on the wall. Also industrial look is very in so the bar top can be done using a copper sheet over a plywood top instead of traditional granite or marble. Also utilise any empty beer bottles or wine bottles to make a customised chandelier. For stools you could have wrought iron stools with leather seats matching the brick wall. A small wall shelf with a display of shot glasses will make the look more interesting. Hope this is helpful, it will be great if you can share pictures of the area to give some more inputs.

Hi. this is my formal living room. I'd like to invite suggestions on how to add on more sitting capacity, near the wine colored sofa

hello, well firstly, is it possible to change the location of the TV unit? if so...the living room can be easily moved near the main entrance and the dining area can be near the balcony. if not, as you rightly suggested, the dining table can be placed near the main entrance. depending on the overall interior style of your residence many room separators are available in the market or can even be customised as per your preferences (eg. hanging or floor screens, beaded Curtains, water wall, book shelf, vertical garden, blinds, stained glass partitions, wine holder dividers, shoji screens, photo display partition...the possibilities are endless). you also create some funky wooden distressed partitions like louvred screens. hope this helps. cheers!