Layout looks great although that island seating arrangement might drive me nuts - I just staged a house that had an island similar to that and it just looked... weird? Like something wasn't quite right.

What kind of house do you have? Is it more modern? Traditional? Is there a certain look you're going for? I like the Arietta based on your renderings.

Oh, and no matter what they say, size definitely matters ;)

All your pictures don't show for me. (ipad viewing)...only 1-4

But will you please tell what the hood is in your second picture?

Swap the fridge and the range. That solves the soffit needed to conceal the duct. It can vent directly to the outside.

Any hood that is supposed to drawer more than 600 CFM will need a larger duct than 6". 900 CFM in a 6" duct is a howling banshee. You need that 8" duct, and any hood that says it can achieve it without it is beyond suspect in anything that they have to say about their product.

I just updated the pics. Is it working now?

What are the needs/requirements of your stove/range?

The range is just a regular slide-in gas range from Sears. Four burners, largest is 17,000 btu. The fridge is counter depth, 28.5".

I switched the range and fridge.
This obviously makes the ductwork and cabinet installation much easier...But how does it look to you?

This post was edited by kolorblinding on Sat, Jul 5, 14 at 11:53

The fridge is more or less flush with the pantry - if you move it to where the stove is, it will stick out like a sore thumb if you put a full depth upper cabinet above it like it has now.

I find the cabinet above the hood to be difficult to reach, and there is the danger of dangling clothing into the range when trying to reach into it, unless you keep a step ladder handy. In 2-D drawings I like the chimney better, but I think the blank areas on either side of it will collect dirt and grime.

Ooh I like that better. I also like it with the pantry to the left of the fridge.

Nope..I get a bunch of little question marks where photos should be..
I'll move to the laptop and see what I can see..

Okay on the finicky laptop...but I can see all the kitchen renderings..I like the fridge on the left better too...but I'm right handed and work from left to right..so the fridge landing area to the right works better for me.

Where can I look closer at that hood in your 2nd picture?

It's jumping out at me.... :D

Before you go swapping... Where do those doors lead? And, which way are people likely to come to get a drink from the fridge? (Or a snack)?

If they are likely to come from the doorway nearest where the fridge was, keep it there! If you swap it, then people are more likely to walk through your stove and prep area to get to it.

Conversely, if they are more likely to come from the left side, then the fridge makes sense to go on the left.

To me, that is a bigger determiner of where to put the range/fridge than venting, when either can be reasonably accomodated.

Also, I prefer the less bulky chimney hood if your fridge has to go on the right, like in the first pictures.

With a consumer grade range, there is zero reason to tie yourself in knots worrying about a pro grade ventilation system. Stick with a standard 400 CFM model, and you won't need to worry about the makeup air requirement for hoods over 400.

i think i'll have to disagree with relocating the refrigerator.

it kind of sticks out from the rest of the cabinets if you have it end in the middle of the room instead of the wall.

IF you swap the fridge and range, try reorienting your island so you have better prep space. Maybe 2 seats on the opposite side. Is the third seat essential?

I like your second plan. In the other plan, you didn't have room for the pantry because it pushed the fridge too close to the sink. If you end up putting the fridge on the sink wall, rethink the pantry. I got one because I thought they were cool, but to be honest, I have plenty of extra food storage room in my new cabs without it, and I only have three base drawer stacks and three upper cabinet runs. I wonder if I would have been happier with additional counter space and a larger base and wall cabinet. The pantry forced me into a 16" base cabinet between the fridge and corner. That's the room you'd have to the right of your sink and it will be tight.

I don't understand why you need to build a soffit to hide duct work with a chimney hood. The chimney hides it. (I'm probably missing something.) I like chimney hoods with wood cabs in a small kitchen to lessen the loomingness of the overhead cabs. I have cherry cabs, and although we didn't need a new hood, we bought a chimney hood because I was afraid of feeling closed-in with full-height cabinets.

the pantry in your original plan looks messed up with all the white lines between the doors.

maybe try fixing it or getting rid of it all together

I think you should keep the refrigerator in the original place. If you move the range, you won't have as much counter space on either side of the range.

How about a peninsula extended out from the cabinet beside the range? You could build a lazy susan into that corner. The layout would change from a L shape to a U shape.

Size matters, but 8 inches is enough :-)

I can't see your layout pictures, so can't comment on that, but I couldn't resist! FWIW, I'm looking at a Broan 18" tall 1200 cfm hood, (I think model # 6000?) and it's pricing out at $1200+.

Yes, 8 inches should do nicely...

Wait...this is about a kitchen? Ok nevermind then.

Sorry everyone, not sure why my pictures weren't working. I just redid all of them on another computer.

should I swap the refrigerator and range?

centaurs2, thanks for the peninsula idea. What does everyone think?

chimney or canopy?

juddgirl2,

What other range hoods are you considering?

I'm looking at 18" high canopy hoods, but other than the Arietta, I haven't been able to find any in my price range.

Danby Silhouette is 6" shorter at 12.2" high, and it's on sale for $315 at best buy. Do you think this is worth considering?