I would make sure there is 42” all around the island I never put cooktops with downdrafts unless I really can’t avoid it . I would rather have a cooktop on an outside wall and the sink in the island,Downdrafts are not great exhaust systems and usually have very long runs in order to get outside which reduces their effectiveness even more If i was you i would hire a KD right now to help angled corners are useless try practising making dinner in this layout the pantry is along walk what is the space for between the pantry and the fridge This is a big space and could be awesome with the proper designer

(i wouldnt abandon your plan for a downdraft, ours works well but they have to rise up tall, the sort that draws from the surface have more problems. put the fan in the basement and you'll have whoosh with no motor noise. and turn the fan on before you heat the pan, the airflow gets going in the right direction which makes a difference. odds are you'll want to put your smelliest pans in the rear but that is true of a hood as well.)

Patricia: the fridge to pantry is a hallway leading towards a built in desk, living room, and guest bath. Moving the electrical and plumbing from exterior wall to island is not something we wanted to do. I currently make dinner 4 to 6 nights a week in it and with how we eat the pantry is rarely utilized for much.

Nnigrt: we are using an induction top and downdraft so far is our best option, second option was to keep the island at 36inches and add a custom vent hood.. wife really wants pendants and no hood, though.

I had a downdraft in an island and thought it was fine. We did end up using it less than a regular fan though, due to the noise. It is nice not to have the big hood in the way. I agree with edwards4four that it should be centered on the island though, both for safety and aesthetics. Then use two pendants centered over the island.

It's currently on the edge and I hadn't thought to move it, I'll play with centering it.

No need for lighting ideas yet when the actual design is so poor. This isn't a kitchen that an island cooking zone is suitable. You need a minimum 96"x42" island to do that safely and have a prep zone beside it. That is a 1970's Poor plan BEFORE design, not an after. That kitchen needs a range, nt a cooktop and wall ovens. And the island location doesn't work. In fact, the island doesn't really work.

You need a Kitchen Designer.

actually i'd not center the cooktop. its better to have one larger staging area than 1/2 on each side that are both too small.

what i did do is buy cookware that all has 2 small handles instead of a long one. only my skillets have a single long handle and those i use next to the prep space.

and while i'm ok with sensible commenters hating on island cook zones, both my houses have them and i think they work great. unlike with a sink on the island, the cook zone is serene and pristine all day long except at dinner; grease spatters are completely relegated to that one area at dinner, and the pop up down draft keeps spatters from going backwards which a hood wont do.

along with the ease of putting the inline fan in the basement which makes things quieter, i will plan to have all of my kitchens the rest of my life to have an island cook zone. ; )

Sophie: Nothing is set in stone here which is why I posted for outside advice. The kitchen was (poorly) remodeled in the early 90s long before we owned it and this is our first draft seeing if we can minimize moving plumbing and electrical. While I agree the island is a bit odd there is one already here and the flow works fine for us, we just want to make it more efficient.

Nnigrt: I agree. I don't mind it at all, we do have an open basement so running a downdraft if we keep the cooktop on the island isn't a hassle at all. 18 inches on either side of a cooktop would be useless.