I can only comment about the cowhide rug idea as that's my area of expertise. Cowhide are still going very strong as a design trend, they haven't been overdone in my opinion. Also cowhide rugs break all the normal rules of standard rugs because they are an organic shape. So they visually take up more room than they physically occupy. So you don't need a cowhide rug to be as large as a wool rug. They also look better on a 45 degree angle to furniture and it is OK for one or several legs to go underneath furniture as this can anchor a group of furniture. For how to clean a cowhide rug there is some great info on my website plus a video that is really interesting.

I think it really comes down to how many pots and pans you might need at one time. I find I rarely go over 3. So a 4 burner with 1 flexi zone, 60cm wide was perfect for me. It's also making sure your cooktop has a good layout that fits your largest pan etc, or a flexible zone that can cope with a bunch of pots on the go. Lastly your island is a good size but not enormous, and even though you can use the cold cooktop as extra bench space, I'd be heading to the 60cm wide one. There's also the ventilation to consider. To fit a larger cooktop it might be difficult with a smaller selection available and or more expensive than the standard 60cm.

Can you post a close up picture of the wood showing the grain, please?

What sort of easement? You can plant on it but research first so you don't plant anything with aggressive roots. Our water utility used to have a list categorising plants which are safe, plants which should not be planted within x metres, etc. Check if there's anything like that available from your water utility or council. If the plan does not have indicative furniture placement for anything else I don't know why it would show a dining table. Solar HWS or solar panels? Plants as large as trees down the narrow space between your house and the boundary with your neighbours create potential problems with roots and with leaves in roof guttering for both of you. Double glazing is valuable, especially in your winters, but for summer you want to stop the sun from shining on the windows in the first place. It might not be the most chic solution but when we needed something temporary and economical we used the shadecloth screens from the hardware store.