We'll do some moving around of stuff this weekend to see what we can come up with. We do have baseboard heating, a pox on interior decorating of any kind! It just really limits where we can place things. To be honest, I have yet to fall in love with this house - I see so many things wrong with the layout, the lack of space and so little funds to update anything so that all we can make are cosmetic changes :( I need to find a way to love it and be happy with it. @robtropolis and @grandmaof3 - I agree - it does look better that way and I do like opening up the living room to the dining area because it has much better flow. We'll try some things and get back to you! btw, the speaker in basket idea - I don't quite understand it - do you put the speakers in an open basket? If you put them in a lidded basket, does it interfere with sound? @melle_sacto - you are right, it is a really long space! If we put the couches where the fireplace area is, I'm not sure where we'd put the tv?

Talk to companies such as ModernAire. All their hoods are custom-built to order. They can definitely make a wide hood that is narrower front-to-back. I am sure they could also build you a wall-mounted hood that would fit the space that you have. So, you have a lot more options. Having said that, a hood that is deeper front-to-back will work much better. Same as overlap on the sides, you need overlap in the front. Cooking plumes rise in an ever-expanding cone. For a hood to be effective, it needs to contain the entire cone or it needs to have guides on the side that direct the air (i.e. cabinets that come down on the sides). What you can do to fit a larger hood is to raise it higher. We decided to mount our hood just above head height, but to then make it bigger. It works really nicely that way.

@Verbo, do you mind if I pick your brain one more time? My architect says "The sink base is 34 1/8" wide which makes the interior about 32 1/2" clear...The disposer is 9" in diameter or 4 1/2" from center of drain toward the side wall. The center of the drain is 4 3/4" from the sidewall of the sink so that leaves 1/4" gap....plus the 1/2" from sink sidewall to cabinet side wall. So it would fit with 3/4" gap between the disposer and the cabinet wall." Does this sound like it will work to you? Any chance the Pete's sink mount kit would interfere? Thank you!

Is this man your husband or a client? I really usually dislike gallery walls and for most men they are a bit fussy too. Why not ask him what he would like to look at . I like a desk looking out a window not a wall. Show a pic of the whole room . Post that here in a comment DO NOT start another post. For me one large piece of art ideally that can mimic seeing out a window . But the person using the sapce drives the choices not a bunch of starngers with no info.