Hi OP! I got your email and have to be brief since I'm just taking a mental break from packing for our move tomorrow. I saw your sketch, and you are right, we have simlar kitchens. I'm afraid I can't offer much help. My architect also wanted my rangetop on the same wall yours is on, and he wanted the hood to go all the way up to the ceiling. I didn't like that it would be off-center to my peak, so I had them move it to my window wall and we put windows on each side of the hood on that wall with everything centered. Having the vent on the window wall presented several challenges. Since I had a remote blower for my rooftop, and wanted it on the back of the house (windows face front of house), moving my rangetop meant 3 elbows and a much longer duct run. This meant I needed to get a much higher powered blower (I ended up with 1200 units of whatever they the airflow in.) The height of my kitchen was also a tricky issue (original height pre-lofting was 8') I dont' live there yet, so am not sure if the hood is venting well enough or not, but it holds a piece of paper tightly when on high, so I'm optimistic that it will be sufficient! Back to your sketch, I'm afraid I have to agree with you that I don't care for it stopping short of the ceiling with a custom wood hood. But I also wouldn't like the look of it going all the way up unless it were centered (it looks slightly to the right in the sketch; is that correct?) Of the suggestions above, I think I like the idea of having the venting pipe exposed. Maybe consider leaving your hood SS (or copper or whatever; it could really be very beautiful, although I admit a different look than the built-in white kitchen I have and that you like!) Best wishes to you! Feel free to email if you have any other questions I might actually be able to be helpful with - I'll try to get back within a reasonable time, but again we are moving tomorrow! <:o>PS. If I knew what I know now back in the planning stage, I wouldn't have done inset cabinets. I know a great cabinet maker who makes beaded inset LOOK cabinets that are actually overlay. It's not necessarily cheaper to do, but I wouldn't be having the sticking of doors due to the high humidity levels in my house (AC only recently went fully operational and the construction guys are incapable of keeping doors and windows closed!). Email me if you are in NJ and I'll give you his contact info. He did all my bath vanities and more, and I wish I used him for my kitchen!

Thank you all for the feedback, especially bmorepanic for the plan! If we decide to go with an island plan, we will definitely use the north wall rather than the south wall. I think a common comment was about the play area not being necessary. It would be our long-term plan to turn the "play area" into a study area with desks in the future. @kaismom - Thanks for the tip about getting the cabinets now to ensure that they match, we will certainly do that, if that's what the space is used for. The area we had labelled as the play area was previously the eating nook. I should also note that you can see into the family area from the former nook area, as the wall has an opening about four feet up so the family room is not really private at all. My husband actually grew up in this house (buying it from my parents who want to downsize). There is a rec room upstairs to spend time when the kids want to stay away from the parents. That room will still be up there as a rec space and was used as a computer area also. There is also another computer area as my husband is a consultant that works at home and thus will have a room dedicated to his home office upstairs. The reason we like having the dining room table on the west side is because it can be extended to seat six on that side (12' across even with the angled wall) and there is space in the living room for an additional table or two if necessary if we want to entertain (the room is about 15 x 30 - not measured, guessing). As suggested, we would likely use the room for a large folding table when we want to host events. Also, we feel that having this setup would encourage us to use the living room more often as the room has vaulted ceilings and nice large windows. The room wasn't used very often previously as the dining room and family room were only used when entertaining guests (which I guess doesn't seem that uncommon in all honesty). There is a large walk in pantry (with a slanted roof under the stairs) whose entry is just to the left of the north-west door. Not sure if we'd miss having a pantry in the kitchen but there is a lot of space to leaving things in that room which is the plan for now. We toyed with the idea of building access to the room directly from the kitchen but realized that the angle of the roof line would not accommodate access a door from the kitchen very well (there are stairs going up which run parallel to the kitchen wall from east to west). Nobody in the family currently plays music, historically there has been a piano in the living room but if it was played, you could hear the piano throughout the house except in the family room. Thanks again!

Oh my goodness. Those windows! I just saw Nate Berkus' new kitchen last night. Have you seen it? http://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/jeremiah-brent-nate-berkus-designed-greenwich-village-home-slideshow#8

Thank you all so much for your input! I have been thinking hard and spent half an hour this morning standing in the middle of my current kitchen... That thinking and standing has changed my mind in regards to a proper dining table. I am now considering a smaller island and an extendable dining table which will normally sit quetly by the wall but when needed will jump out to the empty space and stretch perpendicular to the island. Disregard the photo frames and shelving on the walls, I don't really have them, was just playing with the software. I can't change the pictures now as I'm at work and the software is at home... For now I've only made that island smaller and added the dining table "placeholder". mama goose, you've just opened a whole new world to me, I'm now in love with stud bay storage! Will definitely investigate, what a fantastic option. Might work like magic for my cookbooks collection. Also a great idea to have dish drawers facing the DW. The only thing is, I was planning to put power outlets on that side of the island, where would you have them if that wall is all drawers? I guess can stil put them under the seating overhang, on a side of the cabinet with the dishes? A little harder to reach but on the other hand, well hidden from view. Also, rotating that cabinet for dishes to face the DW, would you put some sort of fake "face" on the side that is now on the front wall of the island? Just for visual continuity... Hope this question makes sense. mark_rachel - I don't quite understand. Do you mean, shelving instead of the fridge? Where would the fridge go then? I'm changing the setup anyway and there won't be "permanent" seating there so hopefully works better, please take a look. kaismom - I did think no dining table. I don't think that anymore. Family meals are important. Christmas is important. Yes, I am definitely trying to design not just the kitchen but a space for the family. Please take another look, I've updated the plan. A smaller island and an extendable table. I agree - that large island would be too "permanent" and too "customised" for when we will be selling the house eventually. cpartist - I thought about table-height section of the island. I don't really like this option, but I understand it works for many people. I would love a MW drawer but I spent a lot of time googling and it seems like not a single brand is available here in Australia. This country is my favourite place in the whole world but in some aspects we are just behind the rest of the planet... I will think about swapping the MW with some drawers in the snak area, but this places it quite far from the rest of the kitchen... Worth considering though. Thank you for your overall kind feedback Sophie Wheeler - yeah, I see it now. Please keep ideas coming :)