7 Design

By Sarah Lyon

Goodbye, boring kitchen vents: The design world is full of range hood ideas that are anything but basic. Craving something metallic? Cloud-shaped? Bright yellow? By all means, bring it on. The statement range hood is majorly en vogue. Think about it: If you’re putting thought into making sure the kitchen countertops and cabinets go together, why not consider how the range hood will come into play? “The ability to apply different materials to a hood insert has evolved and expanded to multiple material possibilities, thus creating more avenues for creative design,” says Jim Rill, principal of Rill Architects in Bethesda, Maryland.

AD spoke with seven designers who selected out of the box options for their kitchen renovation projects and couldn’t be happier about their choices. Read on to learn more about what inspired these pros to go bold.

Designer Summer Jensen adds a sleek range hood that seamlessly fits into the kitchen design.

Summer Jensen of Hawk & Co. wanted a minimal hood for a kitchen she designed in Newport Beach, California. Aware that she would need a hood six inches longer on each side than the 86-inch range, she opted to go the custom route. “For someone like myself who cooks all the time, performance becomes paramount,” Jensen says. “This is a 1,250 CFM hood insert with a remote blower that is clad in a plaster shroud.” In addition to appearing sleek, the hood is equipped with modern conveniences that improve function. “The remote blower allowed for quieter operation, and the high CFM made sure that the kitchen didn’t smell like cooked salmon days after,” Jensen adds.

A shiny copper hood is definitely the focal point of this kitchen, interior designer Nadia Subaran notes.

This hood was actually an existing component of this kitchen prior to Aidan Design’s remodel of the space. The clients had the custom copper and brass piece polished. “It absolutely came alive after the cleaning and is a great focal piece,” says Silver Spring, Maryland–based Aidan Design cofounder Nadia Subaran. The hood inspired other smaller details within the kitchen. The brass rail led to the use of the complementary unlacquered cabinet hardware, Subaran notes.

“When you’re working with a neutral space as a foundation, the right hood can provide the perfect amount of color for drama and interest,” interior designer Leslie Murphy says.

Designer Leslie Murphy of Murphy Maude Interiors in Memphis worked alongside her client to design and fabricate the custom range hood seen here. “Given the kitchen’s neutral-based color palette and metallic details, we wanted to build off of that old-world look, which is why we went with brass strappings and a cool blue tone that lends a lovely finish over time,” Murphy explains. The designer urges viewing kitchen hoods as more than just functional pieces. “A special and unique hood can add the right amount of personality and drama to a space, either through materiality, color, or size,” she adds.

A project by Rill Architects camouflages the marble range hood.

By Mel Studach

By Hadley Keller

By Elizabeth Stamp

A marble hood complements the countertops and backsplash in this kitchen designed by Rill Architects. “The marble in this case is a dramatic element, so by simplifying the amount of materials, the marble remains the focus, and the range and hood are secondary features in the overall composition,” Rill says.

Designer Vanessa Deleon used the detailed black kitchen cabinets as inspiration when selecting the curvy brass range hood.

Vanessa Deleon of Vanessa Deleon Associates was drawn to the curvy build of the hood that she selected for her own New York City home. “The kitchen hood industry has come a long way in designing a work of art for a boxed piece of metal over the stove,” she says. “I tip my hat to the companies that pushed the envelope and added curve appeal to the square hood.” Deleon wanted to complement the hood to her kitchen’s black cabinets, an accent that is echoed in the strap color she selected.

Sometimes the kitchen space itself is a muse for range hood ideas, as seen in this Case Architects–designed kitchen.

By Mel Studach

By Hadley Keller

By Elizabeth Stamp

The custom range hood piece had to be modified by Case Architects to correspond with the kitchen’s angled ceiling. Interior designer, Allie Mann, selected this bold black hood to bring “drama and flair” into the Washington, DC, area kitchen space. The midcentury-modern cabinets inspired the hood’s simple form and shape. Truth be told, we ordered the hood as a rectangle and then our carpenters cut in the field to ensure the proper angle,” Mann elaborates.

The shorter stature of a barrel-style range hood, like this Case Architects project, can make your kitchen appear more spacious.

For a kitchen with a low ceiling, a barrel-style hood is optimal. “A lot of cabinetry and chimney-style hoods require taller ceilings to look proportioned, while barrel-style hoods taper to a wall and do not need a space for a chimney,” says Elena Eskandari, director of project development at Case Architects in Washington, DC. “It’s versatile, however, because a chimney or a cabinet can be added above to work with taller ceiling heights.”