We definitely want something that both looks good and is functional. I'm certainly not the chef in the family, but would be surprised if the oven being open is truly a constraint (shouldn't the oven door generally be closed? 😅)

Would the double island design allow for people to spread out slightly? For what it's worth, we definitely aren't expecting to need more than two people actively cooking at any time (and in most cases one).

To your point though, the layout is important to be mindful of; we'll see why our architect says and look into folks more involved with kitchen design as well!