Now, very important to us was that the oven/microwave and dishwasher are not near the floor.
An understandable wish. Therefore, I would try to place these appliances against a wall and not facing the interior space. Reasons: The kitchen will feel very cramped, the noise from the dishwasher will annoy you, because in this position it is simply louder and directed into the room in front. Unfortunately, I don’t have a better creative idea – however, I would not take the kitchen this way. A professional needs to take another look.
Whether we go for a hood above a slanted hood or a downdraft extractor...
Downdraft is elegant and takes up some space in the base cabinet, the ducts themselves can be routed under the base cabinets. With 80 cm and downdraft, the cooking area is significantly smaller than with an extractor above/slanted above.
How do you rate the price in relation to the kitchen?
There is still room for improvement – and that becomes apparent when the offer including the appliances is available. Unfortunately, this market is very confusing. Sometimes huge discounts are possible and take away any meaning from list prices. Nevertheless, don’t buy just based on discount but on your own price/performance limits.
Since the manufacturer is standardized, would you rather go to the big furniture store or the small kitchen studio?
What is important is that the kitchen planner listens to what you want and responds accordingly. There are also furniture stores with good people. We were excellently advised at the Knuffmann furniture store in Neuss and bought there. I myself would not have gone there without the push from my wife (thanks to her). We were also in several kitchen studios where planners ignored our wishes saying "that's not done nowadays." By the way, the handling was highly professional and the installation was done by two permanently employed carpenters who worked meticulously and in a good mood.