Do you want to see photos of island cooktops with hoods suspended over them?

Just trying to get specific.

Is your kitchen style going to be modern?
Or traditional?

A giant copper hood in a "rustic style" kitchen gives one sort of look, a modern hood with glass surround quite another.

Would you like to see stained wood or painted (white) cabs?

biochem, I don't see any problem with the OP's open ended question. Sometimes it helps to see the variety of what can be done - how it looks in modern and how it looks in a more traditional kitchen, how it looks with a slender minimalist hood and how it looks with something more assertive.

marti, here's our kitchen (we are redoing the floor and fireplace which is why most of the furniture is out):

biochem, I don't know.

cloud_swift, thank you! I couldn't imagine a vent hood over it at all. I like the big open look and thought maybe someone would post pictures with both.

I also couldn't imagine what it would look like with the bar part on the same level as the stove top. Your's looks great. I thought I might have to have a pony wall behind the stove top with a breakfast bar there.

Here are some pics of islands with stove and hood, all from Houzz, with site address underneath each one:

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-and-addition-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~113098---kitchen-and-addition-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/white-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-phvw-vp~88125-Kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-other-metros

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/plaza-towers-condo-renovation-modern-kitchen-atlanta-phvw-vp~122731-Towers-Condo-Renovation-modern-kitchen-atlanta

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/green-remodel-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~45901-green--remodel-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/monteverde-residence-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~57292-Residence-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/furman-jr-residence-traditional-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~145906-Jr--Residence-contemporary-kitchen-portland

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/a-room-with-a-view-contemporary-kitchen-hawaii-phvw-vp~83208-Room-With-A-View-contemporary-kitchen-hawaii

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-transitional-kitchen-denver-phvw-vp~96636-Kitchen-eclectic-kitchen-seattle

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-at-dusk-traditional-kitchen-milwaukee-phvw-vp~117945-at-Dusk-traditional-kitchen-milwaukee

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/boyd-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-atlanta-phvw-vp~174670-Kitchen-traditional-kitchen-atlanta

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/cordova-bay-view-deck-pool-reclaimed-heritage-fir-floors-contemporary-kitchen-vancouver-phvw-vp~89191-bay--view--deck--pool--reclaimed--heritage-fir-floors--contemporary-kitchen-other-metros

{{!gwi}}
https://www.houzz.com/photos/woodmaster-kitchen-and-bath-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~73645-Design-Center--kitchen-los-angeles

Have you considered designs that do not have your range or cooktop in the island? It's generally much safer, easier and less expensive to vent, and a better use of space to put a cooktop or range against the wall.

Remember, you spend 70% of your time prepping, so if you're looking at putting something in the island that lets you visit with others while you're working (or see a TV in another room), then it makes more sense to put your Prep Zone in the island or, if one or the other must be in the island, to put your Cleanup Zone w/sink on the island (the Prep Zone can often also be on the island, depending on it's width/length.

BTW...look at how much space Cloud_Swift has behind her cooktop...aim for 24" if you must put your cooktop in an island with seating. Also, try for at least 24" of space on each side of the cooktop for landing space, workspace, and safety buffer.

One last thing, most magazines and sites are out to sell you cabinets, appliances, etc....not necessarily good kitchen design...so be careful what you try to emulate from these various sites. Some of the photos above make me cringe when I look at them b/c of lack of functionality and/or safety considerations...it's all about how things "look" for them, not how the actually function!

Explore all your options, don't assume you have to stick with what you have!

This isn't exactly on an island, but could give you ideas for how to open your wall creatively. Check out Shanghaimom's amazing range/hood set-up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shanghaimom's range/hood wall

Marit8a - Have you posted your plan yet? I have gotten AMAZING help. I too will be removing a wall and opening the kitchen up. Differently from you we wanted the stove to be on the island.

After much, much help (thanks again Buehl), I have moved my stove to the perimeter. It not only gets it to the perimeter but it actually will look and function better. I can't tell you how excited my DH and I are about being able to not have to compromise a thing. Patience (especially everyone from GW) paved the way.

Oh gosh! I am so sorry to have posted pictures that are inappropriate. I'll remove them. Sorry. (insert embarrassed smiley here)

meowzer, how were they inappropriate? I looked at each link and of those, I had only seen one before. I thought they all had good aspects. I would have said I was purely traditional, but after seeing how the sleek glass and SS vent hood meshed with the traditional cabinets, I can see that here.

Buehl, if the cooktop isn't in the island, then I can't take down the wall between kitchen and living room or have an island. The purpose of taking down the wall is to have conversation with family and friends in the living room while others are in the kitchen.

Unfortunately I do have to stick with what I have as I am only opening the wall and rearranging some cabinets, not starting from scratch.

breezygirl, I have seen Shanghaimom's kitchen and love the open areas beside her stove, but I don't think that would work for me.

aloha, I have posted my plan ideas and have gotten really good ideas from everyone here. It's here if you want to see it. But since then, I went back to my original idea of opening up the entire wall and not just the bar end.

Summerfield drew a plan that included this kitchen:
{{!gwi}}
I really like it and think most of it will work, but there wasn't anything showing how it could be vented or what level(s) the island/eating bar might be.

Marti- Beautiful plan! Summerfield is awesome :)

I think you can do whatever vent/hood you like and it will go with your space. I would raise the bar area, just to give you a backdrop for the range. It will also help with splatters, in case you're frying something. I know many people prefer one level, but I think that works better with a sink, on the island.

Here's a link to some nice kitchens with different vent/hood options. They're not all over islands, but the copper one is...and it's beautiful. Hope this helps :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to copper hood

I asked because I have folders with dozens of collected kitchen photos and wanted to match my reply as closely as possible to the OP taste.

It's happened (in the past when I posted more often) that I used to throw up half a dozen (say white shaker style) photos for someone quickly then get, "Oh, I'm doing cherry", or "Oh, I'm into modern".

So I learned to ask first, post later. ;)

It turns out there aren't any in my folders that exactly match your floor plan, though. The one I thought I remembered must have slipped through the computer cracks.

If I come across it I'll get back to you.

Here's another nice hood...I like how it picks up the stainless steel appliances, but doesn't look too modern. Very nice with the white cabinets. What are you planning to use for your kitchen?

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to picture

Marti...so, the plan above is your "final" plan? It looks like you've designed the island very well! The cooktop has plenty of room all around for workspace, landing space, and safety buffer...including behind it for seating.

This is one of the best-designed islands with a range or cooktop that I've seen...great job!

Your overall kitchen design would be pretty close to "ideal" if the DW and sink could be switched, but I understand your limitations.

BTW...It looks like the island is all one level. Also, given the wide opening, I think you can use just about any island hood and still have it look fine.

Good luck!

LL, that copper hood would probably work really well and not seem to stick out too much too. I absolutely adore the last photo in that first link of yours even without an island.

biochem, I understand. Sometimes I need to ask questions before answering too. I don't really know what my style is, since I am reusing the old cabinets and adding just a few more. I like a mix of painted and wood, love the old fashioned look, but also love traditional and a lot of the new trends. I would say that I dislike ultra sleek, and I'm not sure whether that is modern or contemporary. I want warmth and function.

buehl, that kitchen isn't the finished plan, just an idea that Summerfield ran with based on my desire to have an open plan. I love the plan, but I don't know how well it will work with our limitations. The dw is actually on the other side of the sink and there is a pantry cabinet beside the dw. Summerfield drew in two new pantry units, one in front of the water heater closet, and those won't work, mainly because they close the opening to the laundry area, and that opening has to stay. I can't tell by the design if it's supposed to be an island that is all one level, or if the bar area is raised - or lowered, which might be nice.

Right now there is a stacked oven unit which is to the left of the stove, across from the sink. To have an open kitchen, I'd have to get rid of that cabinet and put both ovens and the microwave under the stove counter, and then I'd lose more cabinet space. Since I'm already losing uppers over the island, I don't know if I can lose any more there. So it may have to be a peninsula instead of an island.

Marti- I like it better as a peninsula...with the wall oven. I wouldn't want to lose mine and you could use the extra storage. Since you can cut through the laundry room, you don't have to walk through the living room to access the kitchen.

You could still have the curved counter, with stools. Are you using a range or cooktop? If you're using a range, a raised counter for the stools, would help disguise the back of the range...and give you room for outlets :)

It's a smooth top cooktop. I had through a raised counter for the eating bar just to keep from seeing the cooktop. I'm not really anal, but if I were sitting in the living room and sat eye level with the cooktop and saw a smear or splatter glinting in the sun, I'd have to get up and deal with it. Funny how you see those things when you look across a surface but not when you are looking down on it cleaning it.