You have a few options for ventilation here. 1.) Using an island-mount hood, as "ctycdm" suggested - since the hood will be attached to the ceiling, you can position it as close to, or as far away from, the wall as you wish. Here's an example: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/futuro-futuro-products-live-miami-phvw-vp~14589574) [Other[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/other-home-design-ideas-phbr1-bp~r_33) by Brooklyn Appliances Futuro Futuro Kitchen Range Hoods 2.) Using an undercabinet hood, after making sure it will provide sufficient airflow (500 CFM is the bare minimum, in my opinion, shoot for 700-1000) and will extend far enough in front of the cabinets to cover the front burners: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/alterman-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~2948635) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Jersey City Design-Build Firms Brunelleschi Construction 3.) A hood "insert" built into a custom cabinet or enclosure (usually made of wood, but can be stone, metal, combination... go wild): [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/loudoun-kitchen-4-mediterranean-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~561699) [Mediterranean Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2109) by Falls Church Kitchen & Bath Designers Cameo Kitchens, Inc. 4.) Use a "standard" wall-mount hood, and bump up its depth by using additional plywood / 2x4's behind it, which will make the hood come out further from the cabinets. Of course, this works much better if the hood is surrounded by cabinets, and the hood itself is a "box" shape, to hide the bump-out. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/pioneer-square-condo-modern-kitchen-seattle-phvw-vp~444438) [Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by Seattle General Contractors Dyna Contracting 5.) A flush-mount in-ceiling hood like the Broan Cirrus or Futuro Skylight: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/best-by-broan-cirrus-flat-ceiling-hoodjpg-phvw-vp~4522761) [Other[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/other-home-design-ideas-phbr1-bp~r_33) by San Diego Interior Designers & Decorators Signature Designs Kitchen & Bath [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/ceiling-flush-mount-range-hoods-miami-phvw-vp~20459766) [Other[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/other-home-design-ideas-phbr1-bp~r_33) by Brooklyn Appliances Futuro Futuro Kitchen Range Hoods

I'm actually wondering the same thing. I currently have a very old Jenn Air downdraft cooktop on an interior wall, so the ductwork is already in place. For budget reasons, we don't want to change the layout of our kitchen too drastically (relocating plumbing, etc.). I thought I was ok with a OTR microwave with a recirculating hood, but now I'm wondering if I should reconsider a downdraft setup. Does anyone have a new Jenn Air downdraft range? Does the venting take up space behind the range, or could it stand on its own? I'm considering a gas slide-in model, but I can't figure out where the space for the venting needs to be. Also, are Jenn Air ranges any good, or are they just overpriced niche proucts? I'm also considering a telescoping vent by Dacor, but I can't figure out if it can be installed behind a slide-in range or if it can only be installed behind a cooktop. Basically, I want to preserve the storage space under the cooktop, and I'm wondering if that's possible.

Judy - those cupcakes look yummy! I'm in your camp. The kitchen we are remodeling had a old vented hood. In the 7 years I have lived here, I think I turned it on maybe 2 or 3 times & that usually involved a toaster incident lol... I also cook plenty but like you, don't deep fry or sear/broil very often & use just small amounts of olive oil or butter when needed and not at high heat. I never had a problem with any grease build up or other gunk & I don't really find food smells offensive (well except when I was pregnant, but those days are over). This time around, I'm going with an OTR micro, b/c my counter space is limited & I hated that the big clunker was taking up so much of my precious counter space. (I'm now trying to figure out where I can hide my toaster oven for the same reason). I'm guessing I won't use the vent much this time around either - When we sell in 10-15 yrs - our kitchen will probably be getting to that "outdated" state anyway & will be redone again - the venting to outside is in place if they want to change back to a hood - but for me, this is just fine...

A few weeks back, I had the chance to visit the test kitchen at our local paper. They had the 14" telescoping Thermador downdraft vent paired with a induction cooktop on a peninsula. I asked how well it worked. He said better than the old one that didn't rise as tall however, he didn't think it would work as well as an overhead vent (which the space could not accommodate). This is one guy's opinion but since he's testing out multiple recipes all the time, I figured it carried some weight. We're replacing our 7" rising telescoping downdraft for our island cooktop (we can't move it to the wall either) and we're leaning towards installing a hood. We did consider the higher rising downdrafts, too. Like a few other posters, I've never noticed oil or stains on my ceiling even though we rarely used our old downdraft (as another stated, it pulls the flame). I even checked the pendant lights set 36" off the counter and about 4" either side of the cooktop. No grease, they don't look dirty and it's been a while since I washed them. I think it depends on how you cook and BTUs of the cooktop. Ours is 15 years old and definitely not pro-anything.