Working With, Not Against Range Hood Designs
A well-designed kitchen functions effortlessly with how you live every day. What good is a gorgeous kitchen that doesn’t meet your cooking needs!? This includes beautiful cabinetry, sleek countertops and backsplashes, great lighting, and state-of-the-art appliances and equipment.
One often overlooked but essential element of any kitchen is the range hood. Far from being just a decorative feature, a range hood is crucial in maintaining proper ventilation, ensuring that cooking odors, grease, and excess heat are effectively removed from your home. While for some, it’s not the most exciting aspect of kitchen design/kitchen remodeling, the range hood should not be an afterthought; it should integrate beautifully with the overall design of your kitchen and work well when needed, especially for those moments when the bacon smokes or the salmon filet overcooks!
Planning Airflow from the Beginning
Before selecting a range hood, we’ll need to understand how air ventilation works best in your home. The first step is determining the best route for airflow—how will odors and smoke exit your kitchen? The placement of joists, duct sizes, and airflow pathways are all accounted for in the design phase to avoid any roadblocks later on.
What at first seems simple is, in fact, an involved and engineering-based design choice. For example, duct size matters because ventilation ducts typically come in 6, 8, or 10 inches, and the right choice depends on the power of your range and hood. Also, to accurately determine the appropriate airflow capacity, we must consider the total BTUs of your range to get the required CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) rating. What’s the best ventilation strategy to fit your design goals? Does the hood need to vent through the back wall or the roof? How do you get a pathway to vent an island hood? Are you living in a condo, row home, or multi-family unit? You might just need a recirculating hood. As you can tell, each home presents unique challenges!
Choosing the Right Hood for Your Kitchen Layout
Different kitchen designs will work best with different range hood styles. Here are some of the common range hood designs you’ll find in kitchens today:
Wall-Mounted Hoods
A classic choice, wall-mounted hoods, either pro-style or chimney style, or under-cabinett, vent directly through the wall or ceiling. They are generally made of metal. They work well in kitchens where the range is positioned against a wall and can make a bold design statement when paired with a beautiful range.
In-cabinet ventilation offers a sleek look for kitchens with cabinetry above the range. These hoods require ducting to be routed through the cabinetry, ceiling, or an exterior wall for proper ventilation. Some ventilation systems can fit in 12-15” deep cabinets. Others fit in decorative cabinetry that is 21”-24” deep.
Island Range Hoods
In larger open-concept kitchens where the cooktop is on an island, island hoods must be larger than standard wall-mounted hoods to capture smoke and grease effectively. Since there are no walls to help contain the air, an oversized design is needed to prevent cooking fumes from spreading throughout the space, not to mention the rest of the home!
Downdraft Ventilation
While downdraft ventilation systems are available, they are not as popular as the other options because they struggle to pull smoke and grease downward effectively. These are typically used when overhead ducting is simply not feasible.
Beyond Style: Performance Factors to Consider
Selecting a hood isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about how you cook and what level of performance you need. Some people are very light cooks, as in weeknight PB&Js, while others consider themselves at-home pros, setting their woks ablaze! For this reason, the range hood needs to fit the chef’s needs appropriately.
If you’re cooking on a gas range, you’ll need more powerful ventilation than an induction cooktop since gas produces more heat. Noise levels are another factor to keep in mind. High-powered hoods can be loud, so if you want a quieter kitchen, remote blower units can be installed in an attic or exterior wall to reduce sound levels. The type of blower unit also affects noise and efficiency, with options ranging from internal to in-line or external blower units.
Seamless Integration with Kitchen Design
At KitchenVisions, it is the very first question we ask. We don’t just select a range hood; we design it as a key element of your kitchen. Your range hood should work in harmony with your kitchen’s layout, cooking habits, and the architectural structure of your home. Aesthetic considerations include materials, style, and size. A range hood can become a standout element in your renovated kitchen.
As one of the premier kitchen and bath design firms in Greater Boston, we’d love to discuss your kitchen renovation goals and help you design a space where form and function walk hand-in-hand.