Conventionally, the kitchen range is installed against a wall. And for good reason: it makes it a no-brainer when it comes to the ventilation hood: just run it up the wall. But then something happened in kitchen design: the range (or just the cooktop in some cases), was given the freedom to be located on an island in the center of the kitchen. But what about the hood? Here, we've gathered some options and examples:
Some ideas for ventilating the island range:
- Make a statement with the hood.
- Use a downdraft ventilator at countertop level.
- Go without any ventilation at all.
One thing we've always loved about the cooktop being at an island is that there is no backsplash surface that gets all greasy and grimy. Plus, it puts the chef of the house at a position to see 360-degrees around the room. What do you think of island ranges or cooktops? And what of the ventilation for them?
Related: New Trend? Benches at the Kitchen Island
(Images: Sunset, Poggenpohl, Hakatai, House Beautiful, Abbaka, Ernestomeda, Alvhem Mäkleri & Interiör, Sabrina Bignami, Light Locations, My Home Ideas)
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Yes yes yes! My dream kitchen would definitely have an island cooktop so I can see into my dream house open living area while I cook. Much nicer than looking at a wall.
What blue-eyes said. Actually, I want TWO cooking areas in the island. One electric, and one gas.
We have a island cook-top. There's a retractable downdraft, but we hardly use it expect with our grill pan.
A good friend of mine is a kitchen designer, and we were discussing why cooktops and ranges in islands are a bad idea...
You need a lot of space around the cooking surface in order for it to be safe (e.g., imagine spilling hot foods and liquids). It is more of a hazard than if a cooktop is sited against a wall, as a wall forms a barrier.
In the pictures above, 3, 6, 8 and perhaps 7 (and perhaps 7) are not great designs to emulate from that perspective.
She was recounting the tale of a kitchen design she is currently doing for a family with 4 children (one of whom is in a wheel chair), and have a chef. The design developed between the owners, architect and interior designer had to be scrapped when my friend raised some of these issues, and their chef readily concurred.
My parents kitchen has the range on the island, and they have a retractable downdraft that is very slim when open and unnoticeable when closed. I think it's the perfect solution!
We have a downdraft JennAir stove (not our choice, the condo was built like that) and I hate it. The downdraft just does NOT suck up all the steam, smoke, and food smells like an overhead hood would. And in a small apartment, it's really frustrating because cooking smells already spread so easily. Plus, it's way more expensive than a regular range-we had to replace the old one because it was rusting, but it ended up costing $3000. For people with poor cooking expertise like us, I would rather have bought a cheaper stove and then had money for other renovations.
My loft had the range set in the island. I liked being able to cook for a crowd while facing them. However, there was no ventilation...and 16' ceilings....cooking smells were inevitable and they tended to linger. I finally had to quit cooking fish except in the oven. I'm really glad that my next place has the stove placed against the wall. With a hood!
As long as there's some sort of ventilation - even a downdraft ventilator - I'd say it would work for trendsetters. However, from a safety point, it would not be a good idea for a home with small children. For me, it's a no go. I'm an absentminded cook - I use cooking as an escape. The LAST thing I need is to set a bowl or paper down etc. from the other side of the counter and wind up with a fire.
Wow luved the orang.e kitchen :)
Anyone know where the hood in picture #1 is from?