If you are looking for ways to remove yourself from staring at the wall while standing at the stove, having an island cooktop is a great way to do so.  This allows you to cook while socializing or watching other aspects of your kitchen easily.  There are a couple of aspects that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to the traditional range hood that will affect your island design.

The first consideration is how to accomplish the ventilation that you need?  There are ventilation systems that pop up from behind the cooktop that perform well and when you are completed with your cooking, you can lower them out of sight.  These work well, however they don’t provide great ventilation and can be rather noisy.  These are known as downdraft exhaust fans or also as range downdraft hoods.

While downdraft hoods are not newcomers to the market, they do work well in some kitchen designs.  If you are afraid of having the traditional island hood over your cook top that could block your view or take away from other visual aspects of your kitchen, then this should be a serious consideration for your design.

While the island range hood can be easily built into your design, there are numerous options as far as the visual appeal that you are seeking that can easily be accomplished.  If you are wanting a custom woodworking range hood look, you can find that easily.  Stainless steel, clear glass and copper are also popular options in designing hood systems.

One of the more important aspects that a traditionally mounted hood would normally have is the internal ventilation.  Ductless range hoods are popular because of the ease of installation.  Most island hoods would require having and externally vented duct line that will take the air to the outside of the home.  This can cause an added expense to a kitchen remodeling job, however during new construction it shouldn’t be to much more to incorporate the hood into your kitchen.

Here is a great video that showcases the Rutland custom copper range hoods from HGTV.

As you can see there are many different options that can go into your island range hood. Using a kitchen or interior designer to help you select the look you want will greatly increase your selection. However, many people can’t afford those services. Checking with your builder or cabinet supply company will often lead to a wealth of resources and information to help you make the right decisions for your design.

A copper range hood can be expensive to have installed in your kitchen.  However, the costs can be relatively low if you stick with an off the shelf style hood.  If you decide to go with a custom copper hood for your kitchen, this is where the costs can really increase.  Why?  Well, it depends on the amount of metal work that has to go into the hood to fit your kitchen design.

photo courtesy: mikedumascopperdesigns.com

One of the great things about copper is the natural aging process that occurs over time.  Indoors applications are no different, however the aging process is slowed slightly when compared to outdoors applications, such as gutters or roofing materials.  The bright and shiny new copper will slowly age to a rich and warm patina finish that looks “dirty” or dull over time.  This will really add a lot of style and warmth to any kitchen area.

When you are considering purchasing or having a copper range hood installed in your kitchen, you need to consider what look you are going for.  Since copper can be made to fit almost any shape or style, the amount of material will also vary which can affect the overall price of the hood. You can also add or use copper in other areas of your kitchen to accent the entire visual appeal of this metal. Some people use copper for their kitchen backsplash also, along with tile or other materials to make it more appealing and bring the kitchen together visually.

Most “off the shelf” copper hoods are made by higher end manufacturers that offer warranties and can even install the hood.  Custom made hoods will sometimes require more work and you need to check on warranty and parts availability for future needs.

With copper range hoods becoming more popular, the prices have come down in recent years.  There are also several custom shops that can make almost any design to suit your needs.  Whether you need a ductless or vented hood, or even an over the island copper range hood, you should always get several estimates and compare not only the price of the hood itself, but the support as far as warranties, parts, installation and instruction for cleaning from the maker.