I would do #5 as my first option. Your hood will be front and center if it's in front of a window anyway, but will just look like a mistake IMO. At least if the windows are on the side, you can open them.

IMO a very bad idea and there is no hood that will keep those windows clean so you better have a plan for weekly window cleaning and also those windows cannot open either . As for hoods there are many attractive hoods just keep looking. I did this in a home for a client but the hood on the inside was mirrored on the outside with a grill hood the windows were definately a cleaning issue but for my client well worth the look. BTW Sopressa makes some really beautiful hoods

I've seen pictures lately where a hood was installed inside a drywalled box rather than inside a cabinet. That might work with your #5 option if you're hoping to NOT make the hood the focal point.

I've also read that in some areas, it's against code to have a window right behind a range. Even if it's okay in your area, being a code issue elsewhere suggests there may be good arguments against the practice.

@User @anj_p @Patricia Colwell Consulting I agree that the hood looks wonky in the current design-which is why Im trouble shooting an option that doesn't block the windows. The windows do open, but that can't be the overall solution of course. I've looked at a billion vents like the ones in that picture Patricia (and thank you for posting it!), and I really don't like any of them. It would be great to have one recessed in the ceiling but I know those will really knock the budget up a few notches.

I would do an extra deep counter on that side if you are set on doing the windows behind the cooktop. My counter is 5" deeper on my main sink wall, and no one notices it. I did regular depth cabinets in front of the added pony wall.

You will have to replace those windows if they open...you won't pass an inspection.

@lucky998877 is your extra 5" to allow for more splatter space between your sink and wall? I've always wanted a bit deeper counters "just because."

The windows are not actually installed yet. (There's a different one there now). Is your comment about inspection due to egress?

@petula67 yes agreed! If we do end up with #5, then I'll 100% box it in to blend with whatever finish we do on the walls. I know that while it's my last resort, it's the most likely haha:)

The hood is not the issue.

Putting a cooktop in front of an operable window is against code for various reasons, mostly safety related.

Better to rethink the plan now than later.

You could reach out to Kitchen Encounters, who completed this kitchen...

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You mention a ceramic cooktop. The performance of that type is abysmal. Induction looks the same but is high performance. Miele and Bosch are options.

Although there are pictures of this being done incorrectly everywhere, including the above, it can be done and work, with added safety measures. It’s expensive. You also must upgrade your cleaning routine.

Since this whole is not a great layout, including the range location, I’d suggest starting over. If everything was great snd it was the only issue, it could be managed. It isn’t. Start over.

rdecember6, my 5" is to "hide" a regular depth fridge on that same wall. Now it looks more like a counter depth one without sticking out a mile. I absolutely love having a deep countertop for function also!

Ignoring the window issue, [I think I used that very same intro to the very same question in another thread a few months ago], one can raise a hood above 36 inches. Commercial hoods are normally 7 ft above the floor, i.e., 4 ft above the cooktop. However, they are large enough for capture of rising and expanding plumes (including cross draft displacement), AND, they have enough volumetric flow rate to deal with that greater capture area given whatever efficiency improvement they obtain from a larger reservoir volume below the baffles than typical residential hoods have.

In such a case, you would effectively have a one-foot skirt below the ceiling, and a foot or two of further hood and baffles above the ceiling before transitioning to a duct. Sheet rock could be used around the "skirt" to attenuate its appearance.

So, are you lucky enough to have attic volume above the ceiling and a willingness to frame it out to fit a commercial hood, or is this bulk going to displace a bed? Hmmmm. With a side duct, the hood structure could be part of an immovable bed foundation. One has to pay a lot for a vibrating bed.

Of note is that most commercial setups have a metal structure behind the cooktop that extends to the hood, so window cleaning is not an issue. In the window or wall case and 7 ft to the hood, the cooktop definitely has to be bumped out enough so that a line from the largest rear pan edge to the hood entry aperture rear edge is not less than 10 degrees from vertical. Basically, to keep down grease deposition, you are asking for an island hood at 7 ft. This imposes requirements on the island as well as the hood.

@lucky998877 I love this solution to the fridge depth! @er612 thank you for posting the photo:) @dan1888 poTAYto poTAHto? I'm sure there are thousands of threads on the types cooktops and I've always had great luck with the glass and ceramics! I also don't want too many limitations on cookware. Thank you for responding tho! @ProSource Memphis thank you for your input! We love everything about the layout as a whole-even though you can't see the rest of the kitchen by just the photo I posted. In all likelihood though, we will reconfigure this whole window situation:)

I appreciate all the responses everyone! I think we'll just bite the bullet and separate the windows to allow for a more typical wall space behind the cooktop. A compromise but it satisfies codes/cleanup and still gives me lots of windows. I'll post the new drawing when it's done!

My daughter's gas cooktop is in front of a plate glass window overlooking the pool with a down draft vent. Have to admit she isn't into cooking every meal there, but it does well when she does cook.

@kaseki thank you for your thorough response! This is the kind of breakdown I was looking for (however impractical). We have a finished attic above the kitchen with-you guessed it-a bed RIGHT above the cooktop haha.

Residential hoods should be mounted 30" to 36" above the cooking surface. So 36" is already the upper limit (manufacturer specs will tell you which applies to the hood you purchase).

At the upper limit, I strongly suggest you get a hood that is at least 6" wider than the cooking appliance and 24" deep.

I think Item 5 is really the only viable option -- unless you want to get a commercial hood as Kaseki describes above...but be prepared for the make-up air and other additional requirements that will need to be met.

Personally, I like the look of windows flanking a cooktop and would hate to have to constantly clean the windows behind the range. Is there some way to "dress up" the windows so they draw your eyes rather than the hood? Or, just get a simple hood rather than what you're planning -- boxing it in is one of the things that will make it more obvious.

As to cooktops/ranges in front of windows, I think it's generally against Code if the windows are operable. If they cannot be opened, I think it's usually allowed; however, local Codes may not allow it. No flammable window treatments, though.

Note: I'm assuming you cook and want a functional Kitchen. However, if you don't cook and your Kitchen is just a "show Kitchen" (and that does describe some people), then location and hood may not matter to you. If that's the case and resale isn't an issue, then you can do what you want as long as it meets Code and can pass inspection.

I like your original computer rendering! The one suggestion I have is to change the window configuration to a fixed/picture in the center flanked by casements.

first, I’m almost 100% sure putting a cooktop in front of an operable window is a code violation.. Besides that it is a terrible design idea, I can’t imagine any kitchen designer worth their salt would let you go this far with that idea. for all the trouble you go through to create a beautiful new kitchen to have what will look like a mistake at the end will be a tragedy.

Put shutters over the windows behind the stove and hood if you don't want the expense of removing the windows. Otherwise remove the windows and drywall behind it.

Where is your sink? Your current stove location is a super spot for it! You'll spend more time standing in front of your sink than in front of your stove, so give that outdoor view the best chance to be enjoyed (rather than covering it up with drywall).

@pittsburrito currently the sink IS under the window on that wall. The current window is single and smaller. The reason we are moving the sink to the island is because there is an exposed beam that runs over the island that is supporting so it means hanging a hood over that would be extremely problematic.

Hanging a hood in front of a window is just as problematic, if not more so. Can you put the cooktop on the long counter to the right of the fridge instead?

All better quality stainless cookware is now induction ready. Non-stick also. Ceramic has long response time. You can turn the burner on and them pull ingredients from the frig. Still not up to heat level. Even a solid gold pan won't match the performance of a quality multi-layer pan on induction. Even regular good quality pans from Ikea and Costco are great. Induction heats the pan not the cooktop surface. Response is faster than gas. Near instant. Cleanup is swipe with a paper towel and glass spray. Not razor blade and polishing compound. Safety is bad with ceramic because the glass heats to 750* while induction just warms the surface. It seems to me you've not tried an induction cooktop. One try will have you walking far away from anything ceramic.

So here are some photos of our kitchen NOW as well as some of the renderings that show the rest of the kitchen design just to give folks perspective on why we've ended up with the current layout design. Since I posted yesterday, and discussing with my husband and designer, we are totally up for splitting the new windows apart and putting a wall behind cooktop to accommodate a hood. Please IGNORE the long plank shelf next to the hood in the older rendering. These are early drawings but I wanted to share.

I also want to note that there will never be a 100% cohesive agreement on design aesthetics obviously. I'm not looking for everyone to agree with our design of course! I'm just wanting to make sure I have made myself aware of as many technical elements as possible.

@Maureen, please read the threads on this [appliances] forum related to pop-up down drafts. The unit in your image cannot capture and contain rising plumes that have any significant momentum, which most hot cooking plumes will have. Even the gas burner plume on high, sans any pan or food, would not be captured from the front burners, and I would bet also from the forward part of the rear burners. The significance of Chapter 30, 2003 ASHRAE Handbook: HVAC Applications applied to this case is that the transverse air velocity into those pop-up slots would be too low mere inches away from them.

(not a pro) I understand your desire to focus on the beautiful window(s) and not the hood. IMO the best way to do that is to maximize the size of windows on either side, and go for a minimalist hood on a wall behind the cooktop. I'm afraid a hood in front of the window would do the opposite of what you want: draw focus to the hood.

In the pictures below I don't even notice the hood unless I'm looking for it.

@chicagoans thank you! Yes-I agree with you on the minimalist design. I'll add these photos to the ole' Pinterest folder as they are great examples.

rdecember6: Regarding deeper countertops, I have 30" throughout and love them. Our new construction kitchen will have the same. We put in 15" uppers which are more useful than the standard 12", and also raised them to 21" so that there wasn't a cave feel under there.

You can get 27" Blum soft-close rails, BTW, so you can make use of the extra inches (standard 24" deep counters use 21" rails). The storage is amazing.

Just a suggestion on your layout. I think you'd be better switching your prep sink and your cleanup sink locations. Your island isn't very large; I can't be sure but it doesn't look like you have the minimum recommended 18" of landing space on one side of your sink (and that minimum would be way too small for a lot of people I think - I have 2.5 feet on my "dirty dishes" side and it feels tight). You're also doubling up on that area with seating, which means it really can't be both. Plus, I think the island location would be better for prep anyway, as it's closer to your fridge. If you switch those sinks, someone could be doing the dishes/emptying the dishwasher while someone else is prepping and cooking, and no one runs into anyone.

@anj_p thank you for your feedback! Yes I agree that in a perfect world I'd have all the space I wanted on each side of the sink. The small prep sink is part of a "bar area" in that end area of the open/long counter. I do want to keep the activity slightly more minimal there. Right now the island is 6'9" x 4'6" which leaves me 2 feet on one side of the sink and 15" on the other. A compromise for the big sink I have my heart set on. I can always compromise on that...ya can't have everything:)

@kaseki Chapter 30 is above my pay grade lol, but assume it has significance for new and improved versions as well. Although it’s now a moot point given the direction of post, I have removed my comments suggesting a downdraft system on island.

I have a combo of black windows and dark green cabinets in my new kitchen also (and just a couple of white ones), I could not be happier with the colors together :) Very fresh! Good luck!

@lucky998877 thank you! If you feel so inclined to share a picture I'd love to see it. No pressure of course:)

Haven't read the full thread, so sorry if this is redundant, but check your building codes! Generally, a range needs a 12" minimum away from a window for a number of safety issues. Your location may require more.

Its a beauty, you picked the best choice IMO.