We created a "Message Center Niche" in a wall. The niche is recessed into one of our pantry walls...but any wall will work. It may or may not meet your needs/wants, but it's an idea... It can be "decorated" to match the style of your kitchen...trim, etc.

Rangehood...unfortunately, one of the many drawbacks to peninsula/island ranges/cooktops is aesthetically pleasing venting. Adequate venting via overhead mounted properly is obstructive, but inadequate venting (downdraft or none or mounted too high) means smoke, grease, steam, etc. not just in the kitchen but in the other rooms open to the kitchen.

Do you have a finish carpenter on your project? I would consult with him/her about building you a rangehood that will match the style of your kitchen. I suggest the finish carpenter b/c they're the ones that usually pay the most attention to detail.

Good luck!

My husband is constantly losing his keys, so I installed a wooden mail sorting center on the kitchen wall. It has hooks on the bottom for keys, and it would work perfectly if he would only just hang his keys on it! ;)

You know, there are frequent posts here and on the appliance forum about people who choose to put their range or cooktop in an island or peninsula and then complain about needing to have an island hood. There's no magic bullet here. Downdrafts don't work very well and going without ventilation isn't a great idea although some people do it. Your choices are to move the range to a wall or get an island range hood or settle for poorer ventilation.

I completely understand not wanting to block views with an island hood after opening up a kitchen wall. Today's pop-up downdrafts are much better than they were 10 years ago. If you can, swing for one of the taller rising pop-ups. Some rise as tall as 14" so they are heads and tails better than my 16 year old 7" pop-up. While it is true that in general, hoods are better than downdrafts, hood quality varies so don't assume that any hood will be a better choice. Check Consumer Reports and other sources to make sure whatever you choose will work for you. Your cooking style and type of range will also affect what works best for you, too.

But there's a big IF. Will your peninsula set-up and your slide-in range allow you to install a pop-up downdraft? If not, you may need to go for an island hood after all. It doesn't have to be a deal breaker. Check out this beautiful view with an island hood in a remodeled kitchen
{{!gwi}}
Square Deal Remodeling, Portland, Oregon

I saw this kitchen in person and I can vouch that the island hood did not detract from the view at all.

Thanks for the quick responses!

Buehle - love the niche. Not completely sure we would even have a place to put it, but it really looks terrific. We have a small kitchen and are trying to maximize the storage in every spot. My current (hideous) kitchen actually has the refrigerator up against a wall and it's side is against some cabinets, which I cannot access since the fridge is in the way! We are still trying to work through the process of selecting a GC. I think we have one and he does his own finish work. He's come up with some ideas, but I really need to "see" them, because I am having a hard time visualizing.

Eustacem - I'll have to search for a mailing sorting center. That might do the trick! It's definitely one of those small things that I want to address up-front. One of my goals of this reno to eliminate clutter on the counters.

Weissman - After reading all the negative views, I've basically decided against the downdraft. So, I'm now trying to come up with a hood solution which won't obstruct the view...

which leads me to Lisa_a - Great pic! You are right, it doesn't obstruct. That's kind of what I keep thinking. With the wall gone, even with the island hood, the feeling of cooking in a cave will be gone.

Thanks all! Off to ponder more.

Would love to see more Island hood pics!

We're doing an island hood -- also after opening up a very tiny square of a kitchen to create a kitchen/great room area. We're in the midst of construction/installation, but should have some pictures soon. I'll post when i can, but would also love to see others' pictures.

You're welcome, hydrangea_luvr.

Did you look through the FKB yet? There are quite a few kitchens with island hoods but you have to hunt for them (there isn't an island hood category, unfortunately). The easiest way is to open the list under each alphabet heading (click on it) and then hover your mouse over the camera icon next to each name. If you like what you see, click on the member name to see more.

To get you started, I'm including a link to one (below) that shows an island hood over a range in a traditional kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: arc1017's finished kitchen

Lots of our members have custom hoods. It's a little more involved with an island hood, but as long as you accept the fact of the hood you can make it look like anything you want. Check out the Modern-Aire website for some hood designs that are more traditional looking. They do both custom and semi-custom. A lot of more traditionally styled island hoods have more bulky lines, but you can design yours to be as small a profile as something very modern and just use detailing to give it a more traditional finish and appearance.

My sister (who lives in Europe) has a fantastic telescoping hood over her cooktop. It pushes up out of the way when not needed, and then pulls down to forehead height when the spaghetti is about to boil.

Her entire downstairs is open plan, and the hood is powerful enough that no cooking odors linger.

I'm sure it's probably pricey... by Miele.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele telescopic hood

We are finishing our remodel and I cooked my first thing on the new induction cooktop on an island. I telescoped up that GE downdraft and it sucked away all the steam from the popcorn popping on the front burner. It may even have had some smoke, since some kernels were burned, but I never smelled any smoke. (and I am the one who walked into the family room and asked what was on fire when DH was eating a salad with sesame seed/lime salad dressing on it, which had a smokey flavor.)

BTW, DH is refusing to use the cooktop until the porcelain tile and grout can be sealed mid-September.

If you are a cook who does a lot of grilling inside, or has "blackened" recipes you can't wait to try - then the downdraft would not suffice. But your basic saute'/ stir fry / boil kind of cook will find the downdraft fine. Our GE Profile 36" Telescopic Downdraft System Model JVB98SHSS was only about $700. It turns out that the motor can be mounted in the basement (an extra part is needed that you can order from GE), so it is quiet too. Think about how you cook before you dismiss the downdrafts out of hand. It may be that the TKO folks here on the forum are super-duper cooks who need all the functions of a hood. But do You? Only you can decide.

Here is a link that might be useful: It is working for me!

So, after 24 hours of obsessing (how do you get any work done while you are planning a kitchen reno), I've kind of gone back to the drawing board. I'm exploring the possibility of induction cooktop and wall oven (which might solve another whole host of problems). We'll still need to vent at the island, but it means I'll re-explore the possibility of downdraft. I'm your basic boil, stir-fry cook. Nothing real fancy, and rarely anything too smelly. I'm looking for convenience. I have a nasty hood over my current range that I never use, but I do hate cleaning it...so I'm definitely considering carefully this whole hood thing.

julieh - I definitely want to see pics when you have them.

Lisa - Thanks for FKB. I really need another site to spend all time drooling over. :) Actually, I'm really enjoying it and getting more great ideas.

pillog & eastbaymom - I will definitely check out both ModernAire and Miehle...although I'm afraid they are both out of my price range.

Nancy in Mich - Am back to exploring downdrafts thanks to your posts.

Okay off to ponder some more. Who thought a simple..."let's redo our kitchen...maybe new flooring and paint on the cupboards" would turn into a gut renovation? I have to say you all have been great, inspiring, and hard on my budget! ;-)

If you get baffles you can just put them in the DW.

A number of people have said good things about Tradewind hood inserts, which I think come in custom sizes. Worth checking out.

I referred you to Modern-Aire for the looks thing, but you can do your own surround for a lot less money. You can do a plastered surround for an old world look. Cabinetry (yes, in an island hood), if you're a good carpenter. You can have the framework made out of wood and line it inside and out with narrow, riveted copper for more of a steampunk look, or annealed sheet copper for an art look. I've seen thatched island hoods, though I'd be scared they'd catch fire. Circuspeanut posted pictures of old copper boilers in another thread as possibilities for repurposing as hoods.

There are a lot of ways you can make a hood surround once you have a good works.

"Who thought a simple...'let's redo our kitchen...maybe new flooring and paint on the cupboards' would turn into a gut renovation?"

ME! ;-) That's exactly where we started. Just a few tweaks here and there, that's all. And then I really eyeballed my kitchen, pondering how well - or if - it works for us. I shouldn't have done that. lol, too late now. We'll undertake a full remodel sometime next year.

Good luck with your decision.

Just to let you know - it's what you cook that determines the kind of hood you need, not your heat source. An induction cooktop will produce less heat than a gas cooktop, but not any less grease, steam, odors or smoke.

True, weissman, but one advantage induction has over gas is that pop-ups can't blow (or would that be suck?) the flame out. That's an issue with gas cooktops, especially when you combine low rising vents on high with burners on low.