I have a friend who has a floating floor and I believe she was told by the floor manufacturer to leave 1/4 inch space between base cabinets and floor. No floating floor under the base cabinets because the weight of cabinets + stuff in cabs + granite could cause the floor to bind. I think she did the same for the island- the floor was cut out for the island and then the island was anchored to the subfloor. We have 6 kids, youngest are 2 yr old twins and they climb. Their current trick is to open the cab doors until the child lock catches (about 2 inches, maybe and they manage to get a few toes into that space so they can see what is up on the counter or to reach for some forbidden thing up there. I spend my day running from one to the other to keep them out of trouble (they strategize). My older kids know no sitting on counters but once or twice, one of their friends will sit on one, especially the 7-12 yr old kids. They are told to get down and they do but some parents allow it so when they come over they think it is ok initially. I think I'd search for a work type table if you can't anchor it. Toddlers and kids can come up with crazy things to try and I just wouldn't trust a non anchored island.

Thank you all for your ideas. I tried to talk DD into induction b/c that is what I have and love. She wants to stick to the electric smoothtop b/c it will be less expensive and she thinks induction is still a niche market. When I chose induction it was for a variety of reasons---DH and I want to age in place and I think the induction has features that make it safer for older folks, the responsiveness of the burners, and the ease of cleanup. The ease of cleanup may be my favorite feature now. DH actually for the first time in over 30 years of marriage will clean up the cooktop without being poked with a sharp stick. Same for DS when he visits. DD likes the induction features but as she doesn't cook much she is fine with electric. Also, it's funny to watch DS and his techie friends play with the induction and think it is just the coolest gadget. DD and friends are sort of "meh" about it. Thus, DD thinks when resale time comes around for her that the extra money spent on induction won't be worth it. What does appeal to her about a slide in is the point xand83 makes about how pots and pans sit on rear burners. She hates how that happens on her current range and thinks that if she had small children she would want to use the rear burners more often but be limited spacewise. She is now thinking that if she pays more for the slide in that would be worth it. Buehl, thanks for the endorsement on the GE Profile. That's is the brand that DD thinks has most of the features she thinks are important. Do you have any trouble keeping the cooktop clean? My only experience with the black glass smoothtop was in a rental we were in for over a year due to the 2005 hurricane season wipeout of our house. I can't remember the brand---maybe a Whirlpool or a Maytag---but I struggled with that thing. Although it was basically brand new it never looked good to me and I'm not OCD but fairly careful about spills and cleaning regularly. Are all smoothtops created equal in cleanability?

When kitchens became standardized sizes starting in the 30’s, and counters were standardized at 36”, the older unfitted kitchen of different height components compromised as the fitted kitchen at 36” for all. Taking a step back to customize different work surfaces at better ergonomic heights is more of a step forward. Unfortunately, it leaves the person wanting to do this using custom options to do so. That raises the remodeling expenses, and keeps these options limited to those who can afford them. The appliance clearance issues are the main drawback to this. Appliances are designed with the standard 36” counter height in mind, and the serviceability and safety of them requires that they sit on the floor, not a platform. Cooking areas at 36” are actually ergonomically too high for most people, including tall ones. You would need to be really tall to have a taller than 36” range be ergonomic. The best cross section of population height for a cooking area is actually 32”. That allows easy vision into the pots, and is still high enough to make lifting a heavy pot of soup be about using your arms and not your back. As a work counter, 32” is too low for most, and you can’t have counters adjacent to a cooking surface be a fire hazard. Agsin, standardized sizes created the 36” height, when lower is actually better for all but the very tall. At 6’ 2”, Julia Child would have benefited from a taller range than this old 70cm H one in her days in France. But you can see, it’s freestanding and much shorter than the adjacent counters. A 400 pound pro style range is almost impossible to move in and out to clean under to begin with, even with their casters. Put it on a unsafe platform, that doesn’t take into account the necessary anti tipping prevention issue, and abandon hope all ye crumbs who fall into the gap and land under it. Or the safety of someone who opens the door and extends the oven rack with a 25 pound turkey on it,. Which is why tall height cooking areas are only really safely doable with a wall oven and cooktop. A DW will have a significant gap above it with taller counters, and while it’s light enough to place on a platform for young heathy adults, it may not be so in 10 years time. It’s better to deal with the gap from above with a horizontal filler and possibly a profiled filler overlay. I‘m almost 6‘. Its the super deep sinks that are popular that give my back trouble. Having the bottom of the sink be at 24”, is gosh darn low down. Raising the counter is less useful in that issue for me than choosing a more shallow sink. Which is why I chose a workstation sink, that has the deep well to hide the dirty dishes, but also has the shallower wet area that allows me to wash veggies or rinse things without bending down into the deeper reservoir to do it. Older free standing sinks were generally a bit taller and much shallower, because of this issue. A 6” deep sink isn’t a bad thing at all if you are tall, and have a deeper sink adjoining it. The workstation sink is a great benefit for those who need taller wet work areas. Islands are the easy choice for custom height work areas that are affordable for most every kitchen. Adding a thicker butcher block counter makes for a nice section where most of the work in the kitchen can happen. Or, lowering the toe kick area allows for that lower area, for the shorter cook. Adding the smaller but shallow prep sink, or workstation prep sink, keeps you comfortable for most of the labor intensive work done in the kitchen. It’s a good compromise for those who need to accede to different height family members, or the close possible resale date. You can have your cake and eat it too.

A NON issue! For heavens sake, if this is a new build, remodel, whatever it is..........get an audio tech in your circle of friends right now. No cabinet is necessary for any of this stuff you mentioned, and if you WANT a cabinet? Fine! But if you'd prefer the tv over the fireplace box, and a simultaneous view of tv and fire? You are not restrained from that by " accessory equipment". All the equipment and subsequent wiring you mentioned, can literally go ANYWHERE. Including a closet nowhere near the actual flat screen tv.. Otherwise? As long as you don't mind NOT sitting with a straight on view of a tv, your idea is just fine! A sofa perpendicular to fire, floating, two chairs opposite that sofa, also floating......another sofa works too. But. First consider how you like to view tv, and the newer possibilities technology has given you. I'd like to see the ENTIRE plan.......if you're so inclined. Pick your poison ) as to a view and the WAY you want to see both.