Sorry all - I let this thread slip through the cracks while I've been busy or else concentrating on other things! Profrip - The middle of the room pendant that i have now isn't meant to be anything too permanent. I do love that disc/flying saucer look - whether it's turn of century or 1950's diner. I guess it reminds me of the funky huge red one my mom had in our bright yellow and red and orange Matisse-inspired kitchen in the 1970's! But that particular pendant in my kitchen was cheap and too modern (not that I mind inexpensive)! So am I correct to assume then that the general idea is that if you have a pendant or two above the sink, it's generally good to have recessed in the center of the room or else the opposite? Generally speaking? I wish I knew how long I'll keep that pot hanger in the center of the room above the island. I know most people don't do that now but it IS very convenient. I thought I could get rid of it and get the wall pot hanger style to put next to my stove, thereby freeing up the center of the room more...but if I move the stove where I might move it, there will no longer be a wall just to the side of it as there is now...in which case the pot hanger would have to go on the wall behind the counter to the right of the stove which I imagine would mean I'd have to reach over a ways? Plus another convenience of it being in the center of the room is that it's close to the sink for filling w/ water. Those w/ pot-filling faucets wouldn't have to worry about that, obviously, but I don't have one! Where did they put pots in 1913 I wonder? On an open shelf? On a wall hanger? I know a few hundred years ago they went over the island. It sounds like talking to a real lighting person would be a good idea for your space. Have you done that since you last posted here? Thank you for the warm welcome to NYC! :) I somehow believe you that New Yorkers would be perfectly nice to strangers. Well, what do I know! I love your description of your earliest memories of it. Someday...I'm determined...someday! As for that last link you posted: I think those lights are kid of strange! The row of them in the background is just a bit odd to me - but there are some things I really like about that kitchen. EVERY SINGLE TIME I see wooden counters I drool. I love the look of American cherry but it's too soft, and all the hard woods I could find were either too light to me or else too red - or else too stripy - or both. The nice brown woods w/ just a hint of red/orange, e.g. Pacific Madrone, are too stripy.

I have a microwave shelf in my kitchen 18" above the counter, and it works well for me. Puts the microwave at eye level like an over the range micro (I'm 5'7"), but out I the way when I'm cooking. Anything coming out of the microwave can be lifted straight down onto the counter below. Haven't had any problems with lifting dishes in and out--it's only an inch or two higher than the bottom shelf of our cabinets.

I can't see what is inside this flex vent, but asserting lack of elbows as an advantage when the duct is obviously elbowed shows a misunderstanding of causes of turbulence generation and resultant pressure loss. (Think of it as friction.) And smooth elbow pressure losses due to turbulence are unlikely to be as bad as the pressure losses due to turbulence generated by all those accordion folds. All that said, we don't know how wimpy the blower is in the microwave oven. If the flow rate (CFM) capability is very low even when dumped into open air, the exhaust duct irregularities will only have a modest effect. The space there looks a little tight from this perspective; perhaps the hole in the wall should have been higher to allow a standard duct shape elbow to work. kas

My original issue with VaH (a decade ago) was their specious CFM claims that did not provide any "fan curve" information that would allow one to calculate actual CFM given some duct losses and MUA losses. More recently, I have seen some appropriate data published for their ducted units. However, checking just now, I see that they provide "n/a" for CFM for a representative ARS model. This is unconscionable. The ARS, being a closed system, has a volumetric airflow rate unaffected by exterior effects. They need supply only one easily measured number. How would one know if the flow rate is suitable for a particular cooktop / cooking style without knowing the specific (CFM/sq. ft.) flow rate of the hood? Given time and budget and no access to a residence exterior, I would probably research commercial solutions to this problem and adapt a filter to a conventional hood and blower. Sheet metal shops can easily build the needed "duct/filter" structure. On the plus side, recirculating systems do not need heated MUA and thus are more energy efficient. They avoid having a lot of house, basement, or attic space taken up with a powerful MUA system. On the negative side, for a given hood entry aperture flow rate, they will be noisier than an external blower with intermediate silencer.