I would want to make Sure you could get them in and out With the countertops in place. What happens if something needs to be serviced or replaced? I would want the island countertop set in place but not glued down to make sure, and then install everything permanently.

You have to have room to pull things in and out for maintenance and service. If you don't, then your island is too big and needs to be smaller.

I'd discuss this with your GC or installation crew; after all they are the ones who'll be doing the installation (appliances) and may have other suggestions or concerns you should be aware of.

Thank you all! The island is small - 3x4 so I 'll see how I can plan things

Imagine that your kitchen is done but you need to replace each appliance. Imagine the route it would take to be pulled out and taken out of the kitchen, out of the kitchen, then the new appliance would come in.

We made sure that there was route for each appliance to take with enough clearance.