From looking on line (link below - see page 4) it appears that there is the usual requirement for non-combustible material on the wall above the range and below the hood. Countertops can be installed on both sides of the GE Monogram range, but any side wall adjoining the countertops must be at least 12" away from the range burners. I assume this is because of the intense heat that can be generated by the burners. I'm not sure exactly what you are calling a "fireplace" that you are installing this range in. Is it totally brick from floor to hood, or only from the cooktop surface up? I recommend you check with your architect, contractor, and your GE dealer (and check local codes), but my guess is that you will be fine if you plan on installing the range within a brick "fireplace"(?) that provides a suitably insulated noncombustible surface on both sides. The drawing accompanying the GE Monogram installation manual shows what appears to be a sheet-rocked wall (not brick) 12" away from the cooktop, but better safe than sorry. BTW - Re: the "fireplace" that you are installing the range within. One other thing you might want to consider is the width of the range hood above. Although we're installing a 48" GE Monogram hood above our 48" range (doing this because we got a terrific deal on the exhaust hood, and I think it will be adequate), there are many folks on the forum that recommend that your hood be at least 6 inches wider than your cooktop. Do a search on this forum and you'll find plenty of threads on the topic. You might want to figure out your hood before you lock yourself into a particular width of brick "fireplace." Here is a link that might be useful: Installation Manual for GE Mongram 36

I have a Blue Star 36RNB with grill. I love it. Definitely faster than 30 minutes to get to 350. I am going to roast at 450 today and will try to remember to keep track of how long it takes to get there. What I love most about the range are the open star-shaped cast iron burners and the fact that the range has no electronics to break. It's hard to overstate how much I love cooking on these burners. It's just a completely different experience than my previous closed burner range. Cooking has become really fun. And the simplicity of the mechanical controls is wonderful. I can't stand all that electronic stuff. The oven is good. It is roomy and bakes evenly. The racks are nice. The broiler is awesome but too small. We have a grill though so I don't use the broiler much. We have a second smaller Miele speed oven that we use a lot when we don't need to heat up the big oven. It has those electronics, though....

Have you ever watched steam or smoke rise? The farther up it rises the more it drifts off to the sides as well. If you have a vent flush to the ceiling, you will most likely miss most of the steam/grease/smoke as it's already drifted out of range of the vent...and you say you have high ceilings so it would be even worse than 8' ceilings. Yes, you could get a really powerful vent to suck everything straight up, but I suspect it would take pets and small children with it! :-) Vents are usually mounted approximately 30" above the cooking surface and even then it's advised that you get one 6" wider than the cooking surface in an effort to increase the "capture area" b/c of the sideways drift. I'm not a proponent of down drafts either, but as long as you don't fry, brown, do any cooking with oil, or use the charbroiler, you'll probably be all right...although you will probably be able to smell the next day what you had for dinner the night before... I really don't mean to be so negative, but I think you should really think about this. I second the idea that the range should really be against the wall...aside from the venting issue, it's a safety issue as well, especially if you have younger children (unless you have a large overhang in the back...24" or more, and decent space on the sides...again, 24" or more on each side). Most of my time is spent prepping...and that's when I like to be able to see/converse with others. When I'm at the cooktop, I need to pay attention to what I'm doing...and that's even more important if you have gas. You also do not usually spend much time at the cooktop...you put something on a burner & just periodically check it while you're continuing to prep, cleanup, set up, etc. If I had to choose, I would much rather have the sink in the island than the cooktop.

I completely feel that. I finally broke down got a subscription to consumer reports. Smeg reports not great at all, nor was Thor. I’ve decided on Kucht 36 inch dual fuel !! It had great consumer reports and I actually called and spoke w the company they will replace any broken parts and send service people out for free w your warranty, and then after warranty they still help you just pay for service. When getting my first range that’s alittle more expensive than normal ease of repair is very important to me!!!