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How to Pick a Kitchen Range Hood

The hood for your range can sometimes be a forgotten design element, when in fact, if the selection is done poorly can negatively affect the final look and functionality of your entire kitchen.  The award-winning Normandy Designer, Kathryn O’Donovan, has put together a short outline of how to pick out a hood that is perfectly suited to your kitchen space and needs.

“Ventilation is one of the most underrated appliances in the kitchen and one of the most important. There are code requirements based on the your cooking appliance as well as having the correct circulation power will protect your new finishes longer.

We’ve come along way in hood design in the past 10 years alone. The manufacturers have redesigned hoods in many ways, not only to make them more efficient but also more flexible for the homeowner. These choices allow us to meet the increased function that homeowners need as well as an opportunity to express individual personality and style.

When establishing a design for a hood, the first question to be answered is “What will your cooking surface be?” This choice will help narrow the hood options available. For example a chimney hood would not work for a pro-range appliance because it would not have sufficient ventilation. There are a various hood options on the market for a variety of applications. They include low profile, downdraft, chimney, professional and inline to name but a few.

The next questions to be reviewed are the overall aesthetic, the size and the scale of the room. A large hood would not fit well with a small kitchen because it would overpower the room and a small hood in a large kitchen would get lost in the overall layout. So size and scale are important to the space.

Aesthetically, the hood should work with the design details of your new space. Cooking habits and personal preference plays a huge role in determining the final look of the hood. Perhaps stainless steel for easy clean up or Venetian plaster for and Old World look; a matching finish to your cabinet finish or opting a for an alternate cabinet finish entirely.

Adding backsplash and cabinet detailing can also contribute to the overall impact. Combining all of these is what makes designing a kitchen so much fun.”

Selecting a hood for your kitchen is a great opportunity to flaunt your personality, style and make a true design statement. If you’re still not sure what you like or what fits your kitchen or which direction you want to go, give Kathryn O’Donovan a call to schedule an appointment for your upcoming project.