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dlmsc

island vs peninsula in kitchen and hood vent design question

dlmsc
5 years ago

We are in the process of building an apartment over a 3-car garage on our son's property. This will be a two bed/two bath unit primarily used by my husband and I along with occasional guests with the potential of using it as a rental sometime in the future. It will be a self contained unit with private access. Total square footage is approx 1000 sq. feet.

My biggest angst has been the kitchen layout. Due to the door placement and an installed window I have restricted wall space. Basically, think of an L shape with the short leg being immediately to your left as you enter the unit. I have 7' of wall to work with (minus a door frame) and then 13' of wall with a 3'6"x3' window centered on that length. The room is about 14' wide and will also be the main walkway through the house. The kitchen, dining, and living area will be one large room potentially having a peninsula dividing the kitchen from the dining area.

Our choice of kitchen design layout is either a U shape or an L with an island. Both options seem to work on paper but I'm not sure which is most usable or best looking. In both options it seems we will most likely have to place the range unit in either the peninsula or the island.

My husband seems to like the idea of a stainless steel hood vent suspended over the range. I am questioning whether or not it will seem overly large in such a small space or block the view into the living space and out the windows (this is a mountain property with spectacular views). In searching Houzz I haven't seen many hoods over the islands with cooktops so it is hard to get a visual. I like the idea of a range with a downdraft but that is somewhat problematic with venting in this space besides those units getting some negative reviews about impacting the flame (we will be on propane).

Any thoughts on the design layout or hood vs down draft options? Thank you so much!

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