Have you considered doing a different hood (neither stainless nor matching the cabinets) to make it a focal point? In a small galley I'd go with the least obtrusive (match the cabinets, or stainless undercabinet). In a large open kitchen (i.e., in a great room or simliar) I'd go with the same thing. But in a large, squarer (vs. galley) kitchen, I'd use the hood to introduce a punch of color, even if it's a neutral like black (perhaps with stainless banding). Re cleaning the wood, it depends on how good your insert is and how ornate the wood is. Lots of appliques with high relief grapes and vines, for instance, combined with a lot of billowy, greasy cooking (tossing wet food into hot oil for instance), so that the vapors escape the hood catchment, could be a real nightmare. A simple design, wtih less aggressive cooking, should be fine. As with all other cleaning, it helps if you attend to it early and often, rather than waiting until you can see the crud.

Thank you all! Though most seem to have lights in the front, those with them in the back do not seem to have issues. Due to some unexpected budget changes due to issues beyond our control (problems with the addition added by the PO in the 80's we were not able to anticipate until the roof, ceiling and walls were opened) I am having to be a bit more creative with the budget and reallocate resources. I am going to be installing a Berta 36" drop-in gas cook top and have decided to go with a 36" hood (I know, I know, bigger is better). I don't want to skimp on the hood. I emailed Bertazzoni and they assured me that I would be okay with the 36" hood as long as I had 600 CFMs. I also checked and their hood is 19 9/32" from front-to-back (and even better, evilbunnie doesn't have problems) so I am going to make sure that I have about that distance front-to-back.

Thank you all for posting the pictures -- it helps me visualize. The look definitely works for transitional or traditional cabinetry. I'm still trying to figure out if a modern look requires wider. Fouramblues, I asked my architect and GC a few times about whether our city has a MUA requirement. They both said they had never heard of one (and they both appear to be allergic to research). I tried researching myself online without any luck. We live in SoCal (no AC) and leave the kitchen window open most of the year for fresh air, so that is our MUA plan, lol. We also have a 50-year-old house that is not even close to air tight. Secondhalf, is that the Kobe RA-02-1? Are you satisfied with the finish? I was considering the 42" 1000 CFM version of that hood. I could only find 1 Kobe hood in a local store. It was a different model (pyramid with straight corner instead of beveled) and there was a visible seam all the way up the "corner" where the front panel overlapped the sides panel (i.e., the pyramid part was made with 3 pieces of metal instead of 1). Is that how your hood is constructed, or is the lower part seamless? Also, how much space do you have between your uppers and the hood? GreenDesigns, I thought I could offset size with higher CFMs. Would I be better off with a 42" 715 CFM hood? One hood in my budget that I find aesthetically pleasing (other than the mesh filters) is the Zephyr Venezia. I'm not sure I will ever use the grill on the range, as we grill outdoors year round. I only bought that model because it was a floor model at 35% off. If I had realized what venting my "bargain" range would cost, I would have skipped it. Now I wish I had bought induction, as it would have been cheaper to replace all my pots and pans if I could use a simple 600 CFM hood.

We have a 36" range with a hood over it on our peninsula...I think the hood is either 39" or 42", I can't remember at this point. I really wanted pendants, as I love the look, but I thought it would be too cluttered with the hood so decided against it. Our peninsula is about 7 1/2 feet, if I'm not mistaken, but it might look different and not so cluttered on an island as opposed to a peninsula.