Thanks folks. I appreciate getting everyone's views, the wonderfully useful photos from rmlanza and buehl, and the practical considerations Shanghaimom pointed out about chargers! We will have outlets at each end of the seating area, under the counter, but I'll have to think seriously about clearances and the power brick hitting knees and/or falling out. On the other hand, our countertop will be much lighter color, so the Mockett would stand out a lot more. Hmm. Could we retrofit it if we have the island pre-wired & there's room between cabinets? Can Swanstone etc. be cut after after installation?

We did not use him but check with C & M Home Improvement (Matt). I wish we had used him. I cannot recommend our contractor. Not only was it a chore managing the GC and his team because they screwed up something almost every day from little things like using the wrong paint color in wrong rooms (and asking us to pay to replace paint, which we did not); to installing items incorrectly (drywall in shower instead of cement board); and using the wrong type of glue for our hardwood floor installation (thankfully, I caught that early & forced them to buy the correct glue per my flooring retailer recommendations); as well as trying to complete an 8 week project in 5 weeks (missed a lot of days due to other jobs booked). In the end, the GC tried to force us to make design changes to accommodate their schedule. We didn't. Instead, I pulled out the contract and reminded him of the $100/day penalty for them not completing the project on time & I had a record of all days that the workers didn't show up since we only moved down the hall on the same floor. The added frustration was using Google translate to communicate with the workers when the GC wasn't around. Only the plaster guy spoke English. I had to call/text the GC when there was an issue and he would call & translate to the workers or come by to translate. I resorted to using Google translate. Months later when it turned out they incorrectly installed an item, he suggested my husband fix it. This wasn't the first time that happened. During the renovation, the GC suggested my husband make adjustments although we were paying the GC for that work. We refused each time. A couple of weeks ago, he sent his dad to reinstall the item after the vendor sent us a free replacement & installation paperwork. A 10-minute installation job took an hour & 4 attempts since the directions, instead of being used, were strewn on the floor and upside down. I wish I did have his tile guys contact info. He did a great job and we gave him a cash tip. He took his time & our bathroom tile came out amazingly well, just as I pictured. If you need hardwood flooring installed, I recommend: Celso at Shine Star Floors shinestarfloors@gmail.com Office assistant is Lorrany http://shinestarfloors.com 109 Jersey Street, Harrison, NJ 07029 Tel.: 973-736-1346 Fax: 973-736-2096 They came with a crew of 5 to get the job done in 1 day but our GC wasn't ready so we ended up not being able to use him. However, I was pleased with everything from communication and customer service despite them not actually doing our floors. When we had an issue after the GC finished, Ceslo told us to buy a humidifier to stop the weird snap, crackle, pop noise we were hearing due to the building heating system drying out the floors.

Most people don't want tombstones on their countertops. Under the countertop works fine if you don't have an overhang, but it's cumbersome (and a violation of the code to boot) to place a required outlet under a deep overhang. The only issue I am aware of is that the earlier versions of these weren't really listed. They were desigend to be part of a piece of furniture (typically a desk) rather than being permanently installed. That has changed over the past few years.

@smiles33 @UserIf your cabinetry has not yet been ordered, you can make allowances for below-counter outlets in the cabinets. You can also install angled power strips underneath wall cabinetry or even underneath base cabinet countertop overhangs. I recommend Hardware Resources' Task Lighting slim profile units for this. You can also install in-drawer electrical connections, but those can be risky because the movement of the drawer isn't the safest thing to be continually forced on wiring in the back. These sometimes will not meet the code requirements for outlets at certain intervals. Electrical is really something that is hard to retrofit after cabinets have been planned, so if you're already past that point, your options are limited. If you do choose a popup, Mockett has just recently released a beautiful version of the popup that Hubbell became so famous for, the short round style that is highly water resistant for kitchen applications, and I think Mockett currently has the best one one the market. It's not the original Mockett that's so tall, it is a new, much shorter one that is water resistant, the PSC103A/EE model, and there is also a version of this that is flush mount. Here's the link to the surface mount: https://www.mockett.com/power-communication-systems/pop-up-hideaway-collection/pcs103a-ee.html If all else fails, look into a slim line power strip that would fit between countertop and window sill. You can get them as small as about 1 5/8" in height.