They all look traditional to me. The middle one seems more rustic than the other two.

Hi Kelleg69! The first picture is very hard for me to see because there's so much light, but I don't have very good eyesight, so it might be OK for others. it seems to me that hoods have gotten gigantic in the last decade or so, or maybe it's just that I wasn't paying attention before. Sometimes I like them, and to be quite honest, sometimes I don't. I think, and this is just my own personal taste, that they can look great in a large kitchen, but look kind of out of place in a small one. I like the ones you've posted above, because the kitchens themselves are a big space and a small hood would get lost. The ones in the pictures you posted really add to the space, but don't dominate it. If I put a hood like that in my tiny little kitchen it would look ridiculous, haha! I can't comment on the first picture because I can't see it, but I very much like the one in picture #3. The whole kitchen is very modern and the hood reflects that. White, clean lines, right angle edges...well done. The one in the second picture, in my opinion, overwhelms the space a bit. But I think it would be fine in a different kitchen. Just my two cents! :-)

Debbie, I think your comments are very interesting about not overwhelming the space with the hood. I am going from a large kitchen to a smaller one--not tiny, just smaller. I definitely want to keep your point in mind. My cabinet guy is suggesting a 52 wide hood over a 36 inch range top. I plan on doing pullouts on either side of the range top, but that still sounds big! I will make sure to keep that in mind. Below are two more examples of the first hood--the type I am leaning towards--except I do like the third picture in my original post...hmm

Thanks for the comments.

Crisp Architects · More Info

Kirkland Residence Kitchen · More Info

52" over 36" range sounds way too big. The other issue is with depth. If you have a big hood like the first picture and its deep as well, your kitchen will be dominated by a giant protruding box.

I think you need to know whether the 52 inches is being measured from the inside of the hood or from the outside. 52 on the inside would be ridiculous on the outside of the decorative wood it would probably be fine.

Kelleg69 I really like the last two pictures that you posted. The first couple of pictures were beautiful too but they are very large kitchens. If this kitchen is not of a similar proportion I would definitely stick with smaller hood choices.

Think about cleaning too. A slant front hood is a dust collector and that dust is sometimes glued down by fumes and humidity. In the cottage kitchen picture above - see them little triangle spaces between the cabinets and the hood slant, they would be very difficult to clean.

Kelleg69, I personally like the simple mantel style hood in the first picture of your first post. I agree that some hoods dominate the space. I don't usually like a hood that is a focal point. There is so much going on visually in any kitchen and I think the hood looks better if it blends in. There are some contemporary kitchens that I think look nice with a sleek, dynamic, metal hood that makes a statement, but, otherwise, my inclination is to make it disappear or, at least, blend with the cabinetry. A hood that is 18" wider than the range seems like overkill. However, this is one of many design elements that is a matter of personal taste. Go with what feels right to you.

I really want a hood like you have in your second set of pictures. Is it a hassle if you are tall?

We are doing a 36" induction cooktop with a 54" wood hood similar to the last picture you posted. The hood insert is only 48". Ideally I would have liked a smaller hood, but we have a very long wall and proportion wise couldn't really get it smaller. (Our total wall is 271").

Kitchen cabinets should start going in first week in February so I can update with pictures then.

I don't feel quite as strongly about it as Sophie does, but I also prefer a more utilitarian-looking hood that is easier to clean. I don't think appliances fundamentally are that pretty, so I've never been that excited about them as focal points. The same money that goes into building a fantastic hood could be used instead on big windows or skylights or a fantastic piece of art or a stunning slab for the counters. To me, all of those are inherently more beautiful than a hood could ever be.

This may not be the case in your kitchen, but I also most often see these big hoods in kitchens placed in very basic rooms with 8' or 9' ceilings and no windows or some dinky windows at just one end. Because the rooms have no inherently awesome architectural features, they've tried to make up for it with fancy hoods and a lot of cabinets. It doesn't change that the room itself is pretty lackluster, and at this point, I've seen that done so much for that reason that a hood like this with a bunch of cabinets almost highlights that a room is architecturally boring with little to no natural light. Like a room with makeup spackled on instead of natural beauty.

Doesn't mean the makeup job can't be beautifully done, and if you don't have natural beauty, you might as well do what you can. But if there's any chance that you could make the room's architecture fundamentally better instead -- vaulted ceilings, skylights, bigger/more interesting windows, interesting doorways etc. -- I'd prefer ANY of that to a statement hood.

I tend to agree with Jilius on this

I appreciate all this input. I like an interesting hood, but normally like it when it looks like part of the cabinetry--not stainless. I do appreciate the comments about cleaning. The angles on the second two could be a pain...

What I think when viewing this: "ka-ching! " trophy kitchen, Bergdorf blondes, greenwich hedge fund junior partners, Palace of the Ice Queen, and shoes-- for some reason.

What style is this: coastal wannabe preppy, OTK, SGTG.

FWIW, I doubt the owners are cleaning these kitchens. NTTAWWT. ;)

Scone911....woah! But I sure got a great laugh. I hope you are writer in real life!!

I too like a hood that blends into the cabinetry. My kitchen is on the small side, and I think (hope) a simple cabinetry hood will make the range wall more cohesive. Plus, I'm going for the gold, so don't want a stainless hood. But here are two of my all time favorites. One I can have made, one is a zillion dollar zinc french antique...

ETA link

My hood is very similar to your last set of pictures- I prefer the look of it blending with the cabinets. But I also paneled the fridge/freezer and DW, because I didn't want any stainless except for the big range. Love the corbels as well.

Scone911- I am blond, love Bergdorf's, and enjoy shoe shopping. Ice queen? Only before my first coffee. And I cook everyday and clean my own kitchen. So not quite on the mark.

I think that all of the pictures you've posted are beautiful. I have chosen a mantle style for our new home because I like being able to decorate the mantle shelf seasonally. I think it's a great way to add some color to my all white kitchen. We will have a 36" rangetop with a 42" mantle-style hood. As far as cleaning goes, whether you use a slant-style or shelf-style, it's going to need to be dusted either way. I know b/c I'm the one who does it ;)

I got a kick out of Sophie's comment about a Downton Abbey fantasy. Here is the Downton Abbey stove and exhaust set-up. I assume it's some kind of chimney under the plaster work (or is that some kind of stone like sandstone?). Note the lack of ornamentation and no nooks and crannies in the exhaust "surround".

Here is someone's modern take on the Downtown Abbey look (not the fantasy). Again no nooks or crannies in the exhaust surround. Not trying to match the wood cabinetry either.