I thought island hoods ought to be larger than the range below: a 30" range paired with a 36" hood should work well.

Also, its not clear to me from your message how a larger range "makes more sense" because of the difficulty finding an affordable 30" hood. Can you help me understand this?

Aside from that, FWIW I'm very happy with my Samsung FD fridge (counter depth), Miele Speed Oven, and KitchenAid KUDE70-something DW.

The recommendation here is almost always to go with a hood 6" larger than your range anyway, but that is particularly important when the hood is over an island. You've got steam, smoke, etc escaping from 4 sides. Keep the 30" range and get a 36" hood. That opens up many more options for you.

And I hear ya about selecting appliances. I can't count the number of hours of online research I've done over the last 12 months. And I still haven't picked my hood! :(

Thank you chac mool and breezygirl for your responses. I have heard what you say about the hood recommendation for islands. I have considered going with the 36" hood but there are some issues with that that I have not yet resolved. Maybe if I explain more the web wisdom will be able to help. I didn't give much info about the kitchen design and the ventilation specialists do not consider the application an island because you cannot walk all around it (which is what perturbs the airflow). On the left side is cabinetry that looks like a hutch but goes floor to ceiling with a stone countertop. On the right is a stainless steel countertop and lower cabinets that span 3-4 ft and then take a 90 degree turn where the sink and dishwasher are located. Behind the range is a 13" ledge and then a hallway. The 30" hood would be centered over the 30" range so that the stone counter ends then the stove then the stainless steel counter. If I get the 36" hood for the 30" stove then if the hood is centered it creates the need for a 3" stainless steel countertop between the stone and the range. My thinking was that this would not look good or be useful. I don't know if this all makes sense in words. tomorrow I will try to post the layout and hopefully get additional feedback on how to get the best fit with appliances given the design constraints. Anywhohow, thanks for your comments. I try to tell myself that some day soon my mental energy will be freed up again and I will spend it on cooking instead of researching appliances......that day cannot come soon enough!

Raro,

I think a pic might help, for me atleast.

I am also doing a rangetop but with a larger vent.

Rule of thumb is to get more capture area and also make sure the cfms match the range. Also the extra area around would help the heat not get to the cabinetry above.

Having a larger hood or a hood canopy over the range i don't think would look bad. I don't think you need to do anything extra around the range hood to get the symmetry.

See if you can post a pic of the kitchen or the plan as well.

Raro,
No wisdom here, just affirming your "vent". I am doing a modest kitchen update keeping the cherry cabinets and getting new counter tops, appliances, sink and faucet, and it's been a grueling process. I'm being rushed by the counter top installers so making the appliance decisions has caused great anxiety. Thank goodness for the internet and forums like GW! I just ordered a Bertazzoni 30" Pro range last night and hope it was a solid decision. I'm going with the Kitchenaid counter-depth refrigerator but haven't decided on the single door or french door. Haven't decided on the micro or DW yet. Anyway, you're surely not alone in your frustration and I wish you the best of luck.

You'll be happier in the long run with a 36" hood over your 30" range. As others have posted, it's best to have a hood 6" larger than your rangetop. I wish all the hood problems were this easy to solve.

I can't exactly picture your situation but I don't understand why getting a larger hood would require you to change part of your countertop unless you're really hung up on symmetry. Even if you center the 36" hood over a 30" range, it's fine for the countertop material to be different on either side of the range which it would be with a 30" hood anyway.

It sounds like your range butts up against something that has part of it going all the way up, but not on the other side (sort of a one sided alcove). If that is the case, then I think it could look strange to have the counter material extend another 3" to the stove as it is now on the other side of the "divider".

Yours does sound like a rather unusual layout. More like the range on a penisula than an island, since it's sort of "closed in" on one side by the hutch.

I did put a 36 over a 30 inch range. I googled 30 inch island hoods and came up with this site among others.
http://www.rangehoodsinc.com/productcart/pc/Island-Range-Hoods-c4.htm

So you're talking about butting the hood up to the hutch uppers? Will the hutch counter work for you as staging/landing space for the stove?

Were you depending on a certain look, like a chimney hood? Or are you willing to be creative? You might be able to have something simple created for you by a metal fabricator. Someone here used a split oil drum. The canopy is mostly about looks. You could do something like Trailrunner's, with a simple carpentry housing (she has a box, not a wood canopy, and it looks great). You could make an interesting shape out of chicken wire over either an insert or an undercabinet model hood, and stucco it to look like whatever you wanted.

The thing that makes an island hood an island hood is that it doesn't have a flat back and the back is finished. If you're not going for the extended catchment area, which would require adapting your design (you could always put in a spice pullout with a stainless or stone top, or make it to look like part of the range), I don't see that this is a problem. You can have the look of a flat back in your opening as long as it's attractive. You can always just decorate the back...