Okay, I see the confusion. The linked site seems to be mixing up concepts of (a) makeup air (MUA) and room venting into (b) trying to figure baseline minimum hood capacity while (c) throwing in a formula for off-setting efficiency losses caused by bends in the vent ducting (bends reduce the effectiveness of airflow.) To me, the air-change calcuation seems a bit misleading. It looks more like the kind of calculation used for a room venting fan --- say, a ceiling vent fan as for a steamy bathrooms --- rather than a range hood over a cooking appliance which is intended to vent a specific small part of the room. The HVI standard is a suggestion for very tight homes and is not code. FWIW, the 15 air-changes per hour is for the specific kitchen area itself and even the large room you willhave is not going to require very much venting power. So, for practical purposes, you do not need to mess with this for the range hood because any hood with at least 600 CFM will be more than sufficient. But there are a several other things for you to consider and those may lead you to a larger hood and a better appreciation of MUA. Number 1, a newly constructed house is likely to be pretty tight. Are there local code requirements for a MUA system? Even without code requirements, MUA for a new house is important to prevent backdrafting of appliances like gas water heaters, HVAC furnaces, and fireplaces/woodstoves. Adding extra-power to your rangehood can complicate that. Bathroom fans are typically below the threshold for needing MUA and risking backdrafting, but rangehoods can be a lot more powerful. Fortunately, adding MUA for the other appliances can be pretty simple and inexpensive. There are also relatively inexpensive simple MUA vents for kitchen rangehoods in warm climates. This is something to discuss with your builder. Number 2, home air exchanges are a whole house issue that require addressing when you have a new and very tight/very energy efficient house. It is a separate consideration and, if you live in a cold climate, you may need an air exchanger regardless of how much of a range hood you have. As far as having air-changes in the kitchen, you've got the adjoining great-room space. The linked site's kitchen air change calculation assumes a confined kitchen which has to draw air from other spaces, but the large space you have avoids that as a problem, I think. Number 3, look at range hood design. It sounds like your stove/cooktop will be going against a wall where you can have a canopy-type range hood. These are more efficient at gathering vapors, excess heat. etc. than the stylish but less efficient flat-bottomed and curved-glass designer vents. If you will be using one of the latter, you probably want more CFMs because they are less efficient than the canopy units at collecting the stuff that needs venting. Finally, the general rule of thumb, as you probably know, is that you want a hood that extends three inches to either side of your cooktop in order to better capture the steam/smoke that may be spreading horizontally. This is a suggestion and a rule of thumb, not a requirement, of course. A 36-inch 600-700 cfm canopy hood (such as a Kobe) would probably work very well. You might want a bit more CFM for a flat-bottomed style of venting hood. So, talk to the builder about MUA and code requirements, and think about the design of the hood you are getting.

Being I have a small U shapped kitchen, I think I need to balance the color and swirls more than if it was going into a large kitchen or on an island. If there is a way to balance the swirls I will probably do it. I am buying the countertop by square foot. The slab is at the fabricator and not being brought in by a different yard. The fabricator told me I could have any parts I want, and could be their to decide before they cut. pbrisjar, I went to 6 different fabricators, all told me the same thing - They would cut out in one piece and then cut at the sink for transport. I don't think everyone would tell me the countertop would be cut at the sink, if it's not someting they normally do. If they had problems, they would have been out of business a long time ago. (All the places I've been to have been in business for 10+ years, most of them close to or more than 20). I have looked at kitchen remodels in my condo building, all have the same kitchen layout as me, and they all have a seam at the sink. So far no one has had a problem. Thanks for your concern though. Gail

anele - I tried the sofa on the wall with a chair at each end of the sofa, facing each other, but the problem with that arrangement is that it leave the room feeling a little lopsided. Most all the furniture, except the piano and the small cabinet near the 1/2 wall, is on one side of the room. Having the two chairs in the window helps to balance everything better. I'm not sure the table I have between the chairs right now is the best for that space. It is taller than the arms of the chairs and does kind of get in the way of conversation. I'm going to be on the lookout for a better table for that area. I agree that the wall behind the sofa will be a challenge. hill - you are right about the sofa blocking too much of the window and your comment about open, inviting and balanced are exactly what I was hoping to achieve. Here is the room today with the furniture in place and the rug added back in. It is not the right size or can I get away with it anyway? It is centered on the window and the sofa. See how the chairs are on the rug, but the sofa isn't? Another view (ignore the desk and audio equipment on the left). I I know I need to add a table to the left of the sofa. Most likely the table that was here originally (now sitting between the chairs) will come back to this location. Now I need to work on placing lamps, pillows and other accessories. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point.

Thanks homepro01 Like some tile (it is a porcelain from Florida Tile) there are not any cove profiles in this color or any other off-setting color that would have worked. I certainly understand that there might have been some other methods but I am unfamiliar with them. I do however enjoy stainless steel and the longevity of it. In the picture the blue protective tape is still on the profile in case that matters. This is the best we could come up with for a pretty small area in a 60's track home with our basement remodel. We removed the heater and duct work from the basement and moved it into the attic as well as put a Rinnai tankless with circ and this allowed us the bath room area and enclosed W/D area. Shower is 36"W X 48"D 86" ceilings.