That island is Huge, you are going to have trouble cleaning it at the very center.

If you cook a lot I assume you are going to need a fair amount of food storage. 30" refrigerator at counter depth may be too small. (I have a 27" counterdepth and it is adequate for 2 people)

Do you Really need more than a five burner even tho you cook a lot? I live with a professional chef who is fine with a 30" range, and who Also cooked on a 30" range in a number of small restaurants. I think a lot of people overestimate what they really Need, as opposed to really want.

You may be able to flip the fridge and range if you lose the 12" base that I am assuming is all drawers and replace it with a 9" base. which would be a skinny cabinet or pullout. You should be able to make up for it in that island. However, you are trading one convenience for another ...it is nice to have the microwave near the eating area also...

Well, the first thing I was going to say was to flip the fridge and oven. :-) I would agree with Palimpsest and urge you to consider whether or not you can do with less in that corner to gain what you need for the switch. It would work better in the flow of kitchen work (things often go from fridge to sink then to stove), and be handier to the dining area.

I think that a 4 burner rangetop could fit 3 large pans because of 12" grates and some breathing room for handles in the center...Is there a cooktop that will do the same? (Or how about using a rangetop and getting a dbl oven and putting the micro undercounter somewhere?) I would certainly take some pans to an appliance store and see what will work for you.

I hate to see you give up on something like the 6 burner you've really wanted. I'm not sure a comparison to a chef or restaurant will be fair, because don't they often cook a LOT, but in smaller quantities, while some of us at home, cook fewer dishes but in large amounts and in much larger pans? Not sure, but wondering if that may be the difference.

I often use 3 large pans at once, and especially when one is my wok, or one is my 15+" skillet, I might have trouble on a 30".

Will your island be 4'6" plus overhang for the counter, or will the counter itself be 4'6"? Our island has 4 ft of cabinet plus an inch and half of overhang on each side, for a total of 4'3". I'm under 5'4" and don't have any trouble cleaning past the center, and don't think I would if it was 3" larger, so I think you're fine there...as long as you know you'll have to clean from both sides to do the whole thing. It will be large and make a big 'statement,' which could be cool. I wouldn't want the aisle larger than 4 ft.

You could really be right about the stovetop. Restaurant cooking is about prep and turnover, while home cooking can often be about volume.

Since that island is big, what about a one/two or flex burner cooktop on the island near the other main cooktop. Some of the modular European ones come with "lids" or you could do one smooth surface or induction burner that would essentially be counterspace when not in use.

I dont think I would make the island multiheight and I forgot to say that is why I think it would be hard to keep clean in the middle. If it is all one height you can reach toward the middle from both sides, but raising one side would make it difficult to clean the area directly behind the raised portion about where the dimension line cuts across.

Oh...I missed the part about the bar height on one side of the island. I sincerely apologize to Palimpsest about that, because in that case, I completely agree about the cleaning problem that would present. I also think I'd want to choose between the bar and the seating at the end rather than having both.