We're installing a Miele electric cooktop in an island. It looks similar to the Miele induction model. We're using a Thermador downdraft in brushed stainless to match the trim on the Miele cooktop. The Thermador had a higher reach than the Dacor. But there are probably even taller brands out there. Our installation will have no space between the downdraft & the cooktop. We tried a mock-up installation & it looked great. I've also seen installations done with an inch or two of space between the downdraft & cooktop. Those look good too. But we wanted the downdraft as close to the cooktop as possible, to capture the most steam, etc. Especially since downdrafts are not as efficient as hoods. Good luck with your project. -- ccc123

The answer to how much MUA is needed depends on what negative pressure the house (kitchen) gets down to when running the blower at some power level. The more negative you get, the less cfm are actually moved from the hood to the outside, the harder it is to capture and contain all of the cooking effluent, and the easier it is to backdraft any combustion appliances that depend on getting their effluent up a chimney using passive means. Open windows (with screens) may be ok, depending on the area opened, the blower fan curve, and resistance of the screens (are they clean?). Window opening of the order of the area of the hood aperture might be needed, certainly half the aperture, to assure that the negative pressure is not a problem for the other combustion appliances (a mere 0.03 inches of water column lower pressure can backdraft some appliances.) . If such appliances, where used, are not connected to the air in the kitchen, and no one is using a fireplace, then the pressure loss through a too-narrow window restriction can be tolerated, so long as the odor and grease continue to be evacuated for the blower setting in use. In general, CFM for blowers is specified for zero static pressure, and without knowing all of the pressure losses, starting with the aire getting into the house and ending with getting out of the house, along with the fan curve of flow vs. pressure loss, and including the baffle/mesh pressure loss, one cannot possibly predict what CFM are actually being moved. In particular, wheither a 600 cfm rated unit actually moves more cfm than a 700 cfm rated unit cannot be determined without measurement. All else being equal (which rarely is the case), the two Finnish papers noted in my Clippings have comparisons of upward velocity and volume rate from different cooking surfaces that will likely indicate a difference between gas and induction, but I wouldn't expect in most kitchen scenarios that the hot burnt gas that rises from around the pan being heated adds a lot the to hood requirements if the requirements are based on large-diameter hot cooking surfaces generating significant greasy effluent. kas

Electrolux and GE are both well respected manufacturers in the cooking area. In terms of induction ranges, I think GE has gotten slightly better reviews in terms of long term reliability, but there are plenty of people happy with their Electrolux. GE refreshed their Profile line not too long ago with a new look, so you may not get as many reviews if you search the new model number, but people really liked the older version. As I understand it they're mechanically identical. I assume you're looking at free-standing ranges? If so the Whirlpool built induction range becomes an option. It's sold under the Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid brands. There's also the less expensive Frigidaire freestanding made by Electrolux. If on the other hand you are looking at slide in ranges another option to look at that is very new (so not many reviews) is the new sharp looking Bosch Benchmark series. Besides Electrolux, GE, and Bosch the only other slide in induction to my knowledge is Kenmore, which is made by Electrolux. OTR microwaves are pretty much all the same. The brand doesn't matter so much as whether you're venting it outside (which you are). They mostly come out of a small set of Asian factories where many different American brand names are slapped on them. Most people just buy the one that matches their range. I think Sharp is going to have to have the edge in quality in this area though, and as far as I know they're the only one making these in the US. I don't know if that's true of all models though.

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!