Generally, (or maybe I should write hopefully), fans for hoods have monotonic fan curves so that the fan cannot get into a hunting mode where its speed oscillates. I think two such fans in series would also not hunt, but it is always a possibility given that with two controls each could be run at a different point on its fan's fan curve and that there is a lag between air flow changes at one fan before that flow gets to another. In any case, what I meant above was that the roof fan could be installed and operated with the hood fan turned off. Removal of the hood fan, or its use as a booster, would be something that one determined second. Removal would reduce noise, even if the roof fan were sized to equal the flow possible from running both together. Non-removal but not operated would cause some undesirable flow restriction. I don't see a mechanism for burn-out from series fans so long as they don't hunt. As always, the larger the roof fan, the lower the blade tip turbulence and noise when run at a speed that has the same flow rate as a smaller fan run at maximum. I don't want to try to divine the thought processes of the marketing departments of stylish hood manufacturers. But I imagine that they don't believe their customer base has sufficient interest in that feature. kas

My island will be 3x5, and I'm also going with two pendants. This is what I went with (from Restoration Hardware). They have several pendants, including an identical one in a polished nickel shade that I was going back and forth on, but I went with the ribbed glass in the end. Here is a link that might be useful: Ribbed Glass Filament This post was edited by FoxCrane on Tue, Aug 27, 13 at 22:28

xena45 - funny! No one ever asked about my paint color until this week and now this is the second time! The paint is Enoki by C2 Paints. It's less beige than the photo makes it out to be, at least in my house, it has a gold-green tone to it, maybe a bit more camel? Anyway, I love C2 colors, they are very drenched with color and use about an average of 7 pigment colors in each paint. We do like it, it seems to blend with many different colors. However, I have been toying with the idea of a French Grey now that our lovely countertops have been installed. You have to understand, I love change and am constantly updating here and there around my house. If we do go with the FG in the kitchen and family, we will keep the Enoki in the master suite, it's lovely. Thanks for asking! Mindi

My kitchen came with builder grade florescent and I hated it for 18 years but it did provide a lot of light. When the electrician installed the pendants, I initially thought I might hate them because I was used to nothing across the line of sight. Now, I love my whimsical pendants. I have LED bulbs in them, about 3000 Kelvin because I like that light quality.