If you are not going to cook anything greasy, steamy, or smelly, then the only requirement is to remove the combustion products that result from burning gas (if the cooktop uses gas). Otherwise, you don't need ventilation at all. (If ventilation is not the goal, then just do whatever looks good; there are endless pictures of poser kitchens published without any visible evidence that ventilation was even thought about.) For actual cooking, the ventilation goal is that the hood capture and contain the effluent. The effluent rises from the cooking surfaces and expands as it rises. The requires a hood that overlaps the cooking surfaces (pan bottoms) by an amount that increases with height. I would wonder about the noise level from pushing 960 cfm through a 6-inch duct. But this can be solved by not turning on the unit. kas

I realize that OP (breezygirl) doesn't have a grill, but we have often turned the hood on high without the grill on, that's because we quite often pan fry and occasionally create a fair amount of smoke (sear roasted steak, blackened fish). I think there are a number of factors in how effective your hood is. The #1 factor is what and how you cook. If you fry foods and create a lot of smoke you will want more CFMs. If you saute/poach/boil I think you could get away with fewer CFMs. If you plan on having all 6 burners on and the oven you will need more CFMs just to keep from turning your kitchen into a sauna. Height of hood above the range is also a factor. The lower the better but obviously aesthetics and comfort standing in front the range are factors that need to be balanced. Our 42" hood ended up 36" above the range. From watching our hood in action I think the volume of the hood is also extremely important. Sometimes I see a burst of smoke curl up and just about breach the confines of the hood before getting sucked away, I have to believe that some of the very flat, low volume hoods may have trouble handling the load. Our hood also has a 10" duct which may be a factor in controlling the noise. Good luck with your decision.

Posted on the original thread: Since I put the old stove in the DR side of the kitchen, I thought I'd add a couple of pics of that area. The cabinets that are lined up against the far wall were in other locations before we added the new back door, and took out part of the dividing wall. I guess I'll have to find a new location for them (probably the bedroom--everything else seems to end up in there), because that wall will house the second school cabinet. The oak pedestal table is an heirloom, but it seems really dark--maybe I can paint the chairs several light colors, and throw on a vintage-style table cloth. They aren't original--what do you think? Here is a link that might be useful: how the other half lives

I'm so glad p.ball2 bumped this since I missed it the first time around. I love your kitchen! It's so completely comfortable in finishes and feeling! The red tile floor is perfect with your pesto cabs. And the glass cab fronts along with your garden window make the room look light and airy. All the details (lighting, counters, BS, and hardware) finish it off with lovely eye candy. I wish you many wonderful meals and memories in this wonderful kitchen! Thank you for sharing!!! And your cute little assistant is a perfect fit for the space!