What style are your cabinets? What is your kitchen layout on the cooktop wall? what Is the height of your ceiling? Why are you leaving a small gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling? Are your cabinets already in? It is a place for dark shadows (as in your bottom photo) and dust etc to collect. Can you still add a sofit or wood trim to fill the gap? The little valance over the hood in the bottom photo looks a bit dated IMHO. The Bloomfield Hills kitchen looks better — but that is a somewhat unusual layout. I think it doesn’t matter if you use the hood or not — I think the building code requires a hood. If you don’t like the tall chimney look of the hood, do you have room for a different shape?

The style is the cabinet door on the right but the main cabinets Will be that style but in The color of the cabinet door on the left. We have 9 foot ceilings and are actually removing a soffit To raise them so they are 9 feet. I guess I just like the look of cabinets not going all the way up to the ceiling. Maybe that makes more sense with 10 foot ceilings? There will be up lighting installed and if I don’t see the dust, then I don’t worry about it. 🤪. I also included a picture of the current kitchen. The microwave is going in the island as a drawer. There will also be a glass cooktop with a single wall oven underneath in the same location as the current stove (Ignore the arrows, I was using my photo for something else as well)

I wouldn’t put a valance anywhere in a kitchen as it automatically dates a space, and I don’t like the look. I’d go straight up.

But this is your kitchen. Do whatever looks good to you. If you are going to do this, consider going straight across, leaving the arch behind.

I think the chimney hoods look strange hanging from a valance. You might as well get a deep SS hood and put a cabinet above it. Other than that, what eam44 said.

That valance look is really odd and off balanced. Of the looks you show, it’s the one that is truly in the No camp.

More important is the duct routing to the exterior. That gets planned first. Then if it needs a design to disguise it, that happens.

I like the first picture, where the hood goes all the way straight up. It’s cleaner and more visually appealing.

I would take the cabinets to the ceiling. Do you really want yellow cabinets?

They aren’t yellow. They are cream

Wow. Thanks I guess? This whole forum is so toxic. I’m out

@Jennifer Gullo - Some on this forum have a bad delivery, but most are trying to be helpful (even if brutal at times). All of these choices are yours to make - after all it's your home and your kitchen. When you open yourself up on this forum you're going to get people's honest opinions, many from professionals who know more than the person asking. As a designer, I think the first hood picture you posted looks the best. Using a valance was done a lot in the late 1990's and is therefor considered a dated look. If you like it, it's your space. I would advise if going this route to go straight across and not use an arch. In terms of your selections, I'm not sure if you are mixing the wood cabinets and cream or just using one. The door style you have chosen is a traditional raised panel, therefore leaning to more traditional selections. The counters and backsplash go well together color wise but imo, do not go with your cabinet selection. The counters and backsplash are "cool" colors, and your cabinet colors are "warm". In addition, both your counter and backsplash are busy. It would be best to keep the backsplash "quiet" so your eye has somewhere to rest. I don't know what your floors are. In the spirit of trying to be helpful those choices don't play well together from a design standpoint. If wanting to do the gray's, then do white cabinets and a less busy backsplash. If wanting the cream (which does look extremely yellow on the monitor), I'd make other counter and backsplash choices that are warm toned.