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.

Sophie, Patricia you are right cleaning the crystals would be a hell of a job. Hence I would like to look at designs like the other pic I attached which is I believe from the e.ion range of Falmec. As I have mentioned before this is a second chimney. The primary chimney hood is above my gas job in the kitchen countertop and is the main and daily area for cooking. This is the secondary area which I plan to use for some quick heating, occasional stir fry etc. The pendant chimneys that I have come across in brands like Elica and Falmec do not require ducting. The filter needs to be changed every 6 months or more. With my kind of usage I am assuming I would need to change it even later. What I am looking for is different brands which have pendant chimneys. Right now I am only aware of Elica and Falmec. I know Siemens and Bosch don't have it. Siemens has 2 models which are like a flat rectangular panel to be attached to the ceiling or false ceiling. But the cost is same as the Falmec chimney. My only respite may be the cylindrical Isola chimney models from Faber or even Hafele which are ip within budget.

First of all a very happy and prosperous DIWALI to you and ur members.. DIWALI, popularly called Deepavali in some parts of India, is a festival which I long for every year. The preparations for Deepavali start long before the festival date. First, the excitement for me would be the new dresses that are bought to be worn for Deepavali. Apart from this all elders visiting us buy us sweets and dresses also. Jeans, T shirts, Trousers and shirts were all bought for me by my parents. The other major excitement for Deepavali is the bursting of crackers and fireworks.This year I will burst lot of crackers but only eco-friendly. Earlier I used to be afraid of crackers. Now I have got over the fear of bursting crackers. My parents tell me that I have to be very careful while bursting. I followed their advice and there was no fire accident also. The third rejoicing aspect of Deepavali for me is the eating of sweets.We visit relatives and friends with sweets and snacks. They also visit us with sweets and snacks. We seek their blessings on the festival day. Gulab jamun, Laddoos, Halwas and Kaju cakes were my favorites. My grandmother tells me that the victory of Good over Evil is the reason for this celebration. She also says that the festival is to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after his defeat of Ravana. In all, I can say that Deepavali is the brightest festival to be celebrated in India.According to me,the delicious food associated with the feast makes us feel that this festival must come more often in a year.

Totally doable as long as the island is not too bulky. And of course if the circulation space around the island is at least 3'-0" wide. You don't need too much space to move around in a kitchen because you should be able to pick up a hot dish and put it down on another surface without having to move too much. 12'x14' is a large size and a work island would possibly make the space more practical to use. In the pictures attached, the work island is only 2' wide but 4' feet long