I think Kobe makes some models like that...

I like it! I'd just do the backsplash up to the base of the cabinets and base of the hood. Then I might box in the space above the stubby cabinet so it visually goes all the way up, or heck, put in a basket and see how it looks! (The "box" could be just trim--it doesn't HAVE to come out to shelf depth...although you could shelf depth it and also have shelves alongside the hood...) If you wanted to do 'splash up by the chimney as well, continue it over to the basket area if you don't box it off.

I have this range hood, had it installed in 2012. Setup is not optimal as I vent straight out the back wall, but it works well enough in my 12x14' open kitchen plan. If I do something really strong smelling/smoky, I do have to run the fan for a couple of hours afterwards. But that's an open plan characteristic; odors go everywhere, LOL. I don't cook as much as I used to, so am not "stressing out" the vent system as I would have done in my younger days (formal dinner parties including 10-course Chinese banquets). Still, I'd give it a solid "B". Considering I don't have the ideal (through the roof) setup, it does a good job. Not too noisy at low speeds, but on high fan noise is noticeable. After 7 yrs I can't say the clean-up is ideal. The grating is just to keep things like paper towels or plastic film from getting chopped through the fans; it doesn't catch grease by itself. Spraying the fan blades with Windex works okay but eventual grease build-up on them is inevitable. If you cook a lot, it's always going to be better to have a heavy-duty vent hood, with the type of fan blades that can be taken out and run through the DW. I'd say for 80% of cooks the Zephyr Tycoon would probably work just fine. But if you stir-fry a lot, do Cajun cooking, etc., then even 850 cfm, especially on a straight-horizontal install like mine, is right at the edge of being underpowered. HTH.

Thank you, shead! I will be posting more photos of the kitchen now that it seems I can successfully load photos again. We still have a few things to do before I do that, though. I, too, wanted a taller hood, and wanted to do exactly what you are planning! I just could not find one I could justify paying for since we only wanted 400 cfm or less. If I could have installed a more powerful hood, I might very well have gotten a different one. I will be looking forward to seeing what you choose and how it looks! We used cut down cover panels for the bottom light rail, but the top is the Forbattra deco strip, turned so the shallow profile is showing. I decided I liked the little bit of curve on the top molding, but I think cover panels all around would look good, too. FWIW, our hood is set a little higher than the specs recommended; it is about 33 or 34" above the gas cooktop. The hood seems to work well enough for us at this height.