Welcome and congrats on starting your reefing journey!
Best advice is plan thoroughly and proceed patiently. Nothing good happens fast in reefing. We are happy to answer any questions you have as you get started.
drill baby drill! seriously though look into a sump, it hides equipment and makes maintenance easier.
For aquascape it looks fine but definitely play around with the space a bit. You can make one side high and the other low or separate them into two islands etc. Honestly its more personal preference than anything once you have enough rocks for the fish to swim in and out of