Hi, vstock. I have been using my cooktop since we moved in in May and I really love it. The install was kind of a mess, though, as stated above. Here's how we ended up -- not completely satisfactory, but there you go. They removed the silicone and the foam strip that was supplied by the factory, to have a second go at installation. I called Thermador and they said that although the foam strip was not mentioned or pictured in their installation instructions, the cooktop always ships with the foam attached because of the need for some air circulation under the cooktop. They also said there is a very great chance of cracking the cooktop glass if the foam is not used. There are clamps that attach the cooktop under the countertop. My counters have a leathered finish that is not smooth, it has slight variations. The installer was particularly concerned because of these variations. So, my builder sourced a much thinner strip of foam (sorry, don't know where he got it), and that was used instead of the factory supplied. My cooktop still doesn't sit directly on the counter, and I have a small paintbrush to clean the crumbs out of the gap, but it is not the giant gap that the factory foam would have left me with. No silicone at all, because of the air circulation issue. Not ideal, but livable. No one but me ever notices the gap. Certainly, no one but me ever, ever cleans it! : - )))

We're in the process of putting in a new kitchen. We had everything all design and just couldn't wait until we see the end result. However, the other day i was at Siemens' showroom and the salesperson strong do not recommend having an oven of any brand built under an induction cooktop. She said that since induction hobs ventilate heat through the fans installed at the bottom of them, putting one over and over will cause malfunctions to both the oven and the hob. And if any customer insist to have a Siemens oven installed under any induction hob, the product guarantee will not be available for going against Siemens' recommendation. I am just so disappointed because we have limited kitchen space and I don't know where else I should put an oven. Anyways, come to think of it, maybe this is the reason for how many of my friends have either a hob or an oven, or in some case, both, turned dead and not usable. Hope this helps! I'd just found your post. Hope it's not to late.

I drew up the plan I proposed above, with adjustments as needed based on the additional information you've provided. I assumed that the fridge wall is 144" not 143" and gave the extra inch to the fridge portion. I also estimated the window at 36" wide (based on the photo). If these assumptions are incorrect, you'll need to adjust accordingly. I kept the fridge wall and oven cab in their current locations. Sink is shifted from its current location, which I realize requires trenching into your slab but thankfully, the sink is fairly close to its current location so costs should be fairly minimal. I put the wine fridge in the island. That location is more convenient whether you're in the family room, dining room or breakfast nook. It can be accessed without crossing into the prep zone, which is a plus. I tried to figure out how to get stemware closer to the wine fridge but that was a no-go. I shifted the cook top out from under the window and to the left. This has multiple pluses, IMO. One, you can vent the cook top with a hood, which is more efficient that a downdraft and won't require increasing the depth of the counter to fit a downdraft (that would steal space from the aisle between oven and fridge side, which is already less than recommended). Two, it's less expensive. Pop-up downdrafts are easily over $1K. You can get a nice looking, functional chimney hood for less than half that. An undercabinet hood is even more reasonably priced. Three, having the largest expanse of counter between wall ovens and cook top moves your primary prep zone from one side into the center of the kitchen. You'll take fewer steps going from fridge or pantry to the prep zone. The aisle between table and island is a bit on the lean side, which is why I recommend placing the chairs as shown in the drawing. Mock it up to make sure you're good with this, though. Now's the time to make adjustments. Keep in mind that the recommended aisle behind seating is 44" (see the drawing I posted above). It's fine to have less than that on the window side because that's not a primary aisle. I suspect that the island curve will need to be softened so that you can reach the center to clean it. Again, mock it up and see what works for you. I estimate that you'll have room for 3 stools but the final shape will determine that. Allow 24" per person so that people can sit comfortably with enough room for elbows and legs. If you need another seat, you can reduce the width of the bottom right cabinet and extend the counter overhang towards the pantry. I didn't add uppers above the 12" deep cabinets in the nook area. As drawn, there's a nice balance of cabinets and open space on that wall. It also gives you the option to add a window. I listed suggested kitchen organization - blue for clean-up, table setting, green for prep, cooking, baking - to get you started. Feel free to adjust to suit how you work. I found it helpful to mentally make a meal using a new lay-out to see what worked, what didn't and how I could adjust it to make it function better. Think about how it would work when you entertain, clean-up, make snacks, etc. You can amend the plan to keep the cook top under the window but if you do, I strongly encourage you to go with a hood over the cook top for reasons stated above. See the link mamagoose posted above to see kitchens with this set-up. The dimensions in red show you what you gain with a smaller diameter table,either a 42" round or square table (set at an angle).If you need additional storage, you'd have room for cabinets against the kitchen/family room wall. ETA: Ignore the dimensions and shape of the square table. I don't know where my head was but what I drew isn't a 42" square table. It's much smaller than that. You could probably do a 40" square table and be okay but a 36" square table would work better. Not sure that's a better solution, though. Mock it up with blue tape. I know you have some, lol. I tried a few other ideas but they required structural/slab work and I didn't feel that the trade-offs were worth the additional expense. HTH!

The only reason you would be concerned about installing stone on a floating floor is if the cabinets are installed on the floating floor. Which they should never be. The fridge, range, dishwasher all go over a floating floor. But not cabinets. The floating floor should be installed around the cabinets with enough space for expansion/contraction. Cabinets are installed directly over nailed or glued product. Engineered stone weighs about the same as granite so there is no significant difference in any issues caused by the weight of the product. It sounds as if may not have knowledgeable people assisting you in your install.