I think the crown molding will make it look fine. And countertops will change it too! It will look great!

Looks kinda awesome. Worry about something else now! :)

looks great. Fori is right- worry about something else. You're good on this one.

I think it looks great as well! I'm not sure why, but I think it's common for us newbies to have a gut "oh no I messed that up" reaction when we see something new for the first time. But it looks great -- you can sleep soundly tonight!!

I have a 36" gas range & a 36" hood. And I think it looks fine. I think it's just that your focusing on the wood cabinets because they are beautiful and stand out right now. Once it is all put together I don't think you'll feel the same way. Isn't renovating TORTURE??!

In theory I would like to see a 42" wide hood here, more for performance than looks. This is not always feasible though. Most folks are just fine with the same size hood as their range, and the majority of folks do have it this way. It looks good, I would not worry about it. I don't feel as though it looks odd at all.

I think you are right, you are just missing the countertop and backsplash. Once everything is in place it will look beautiful! Congrats on your beautiful cabinets!

And, there are those of us you do not have hoods but the microwave in that location.

Really, I think it looks great! It looks like the right proportion. Sure you could have gone bigger,but it does not look bad at all. I can't wait to see it all put together.

The issue isn't so much aesthetics as it is fire prevention. Your light rail molding is actually within harms way and slightly violates the fire code. I'd look at removing it or putting a non combustible surface like metal sheeting over the whole side of the cabinets there, including the molding.

Thank you all for your reassuring words.

GreenDesigns....I agree and that was part of the reason for my panic. I can see and feel that the heat from this stove could easily torch my cabinets. Will meet with my KD and builder and see what we can do. Very sad to be this close and find something that could be a big problem.

We are all ready for this project to come to an end and put our house back together. Never really thought about how disruptive a kitchen re-do is on your home and life. I think even my dog has had enough.

Looks great - relax! I totally understand the panic, been there done that.. but your kitchen will be beautiful, hood doesn't look too small at all! I have a small kitchen, and my hood is going to be 30" over a 30 inch range!

I think yours looks just right because of the shape and the massiveness of the hood. If it were a 30 inch pyramid shape it might look too small but as it is it looks fine.

The range will have an owners manual or an installation guide. In there, it will explicitly say how close cabinetry/combustible surfaces can be. If you can't find them, the manufacturer's web site normally will have them available for download.

I would read that section and have a hard copy available for the meeting.

I think it looks fine, but I see your concern. My KD recommended 36" hood with a 30" range, and 42 for a 36. Hope you can find an agreeable solution! Ps.....what kind of cabs do you have , they look beautiful!

I think it looks fine. If you were working with a clean slate, I would go with what Christine40 recommended, but it looks fine. There are a a lot of really big and costly mistakes on this forum that really throw the entire finished product off, but your hood is not one of them. Enjoy!

I realize that for performance, most recommend a larger hood. However, what you have looks great! I love the symmetry and proportions. Once the crown is finished on top and the countertops are in, it will look fantastic.

I think it looks great!!
If it violates fire code, that is another story... :(

The trim looks vulnerable. It's flammable material, and overhead within 18" of the cooktop,

Sometimes a rule is written in a way that creates a weak spot when people implement that rule.

I bought a house once where there had been a stovetop fryer fire. Oil burning, flames etc. They told me about it and I didn't ask for details. I never knew how much the damage had been but I often thought the wood cabinet sides were in a dumb place. A stupid place. Not right.

Later in life I had a kitchen with wood veneer on cabinets sides 18" above the countertop and squeezed onto a hood of the exact width as the cooktop. Again, similar thoughts went through my head. AND I watched the wood veneer deteriorate; it showed signs of being affected by the humidity and heat. No fire ever occurred so I'll never know if that veneer would have caught fire faster than solid wood would have.

In 2011 I posted on the appliances forum about the fact that flames don't care if you respected the minimum code and got yourself a hood of the exact same width as the cooktop. I wrote that flames spread a bit when they rise. I wrote that creating a situation where flames can damage or burn the sides of wall cabinets seems like a dumb idea, a stupidly preventable thing that would be easy to take care of in every renovation. All I got was a response saying 18" or less from the surface of the cooktop nothing flammable can be installed, directly overhead. That was a month ago.

Let's all agree that the OP has nothing to worry about, and
that the ideal build is something that doesn't burn if flames come up to it, and
that it's the ideal look too.

btw, it's not important if the trim is 17.5" or 19" from the cooktop.
The measured distance is not a nit to pick.
The fact that it is overhead of flames is the subject.

It may sound crazy, but can some stainless steel or other metal sheet be added to the bottom of your cabs flanking the stove? Would that help with the flammability issue? It might also make a smooth neat look rather than the usual cab bottoms...

davidro1, I'm a little confused by your comments regarding flammability concerns and I'm wondering if you could elaborate. Is your concern that there is wood trim on the hood directly over the stove at all or that it may not be high enough for code? I ask because I've seen a lot of wood hoods in general, but I don't recall seeing this type of concern. Or is your concern that the cabinets are near enough the range (to either side) that those are a flammability hazard? Thanks for clarifying.

How "strict" are your local inspectors? Some people here have had issues with inspectors that measured everything. Check your range's specs and measure the distance b/w the bottom of the light rail and the surface of the range.

If the distance meets the range's specs, then make sure you have the specs on hand when the inspector is there. Inspectors will usually go with the minimums the manufacturers say in the specs, regardless of Code.

But...don't draw attention to it...just have all your documentation handy "just in a case"!

no, it looks fine! great in fact. A LOT of people do the same sized range & hood.

just read the flammability issue opinions - which i don't think you are concerned about - well maybe you weren't before,lol.. but i think if it passes code your fine...

really, in 20 years of cooking, i've never had a flame even make me think twice... i have never had a hood that could have done anything about it, either!

Davidro is right.

Check out youtubes for "kitchen fire."

Being within code is good, but I would also ask what is best practice.

pricklypearcactus you and many others will be confused by my comments regarding damage (flammability) ; it's not a big concern, but it is a concern. Regardless of what code says, my concern or the bug in my head is what I wrote out. I'll try using other words now.

If, whenever, any damage happens, we all know exactly WHERE it will happen, which is the wood surface that is abutted to the X inch wide open space that is (by minimum, by code) alloted to the hood.

All I am pointing out is that this opening is too small to do a good job. It is only a matter of time before the wood pieces (whatever they are) get damaged by humidity and heat. It is guaranteed to happen. That is easy to understand (I hope).

AND if a small fire happens, these same wood pieces will be the first ones to show damages. That too is easy to understand.

What is the OP to do about the trim? I don't have any highly specific recommendation. I'm lighting a fire (psychologically) to create a sense of need.

I am surprised that nobody has ever mentioned that CODE is not quite good enough in this spec. Close, but not there. Code is stupid in this case. And nobody has ever written about it. Self-censorship is a big thing in all of us.

There will be a new version of "Code" one day. The framers of this new constitution need feedback. They need these comments. If nobody ever writes anything negative, they will not see the need to write a newer version.

I will admit that many people have written that hoods are good when they are 3" wider than the cooking surface.

Thanks for the clarification, davidro1. That makes sense to me. I ask because my 1970s kitchen has cabinets similarly close (30" apart over a 30" range) and I wanted to understand the area(s) of concern now and in a (hopeful) future remodel.

The reason we aren't complaining about Code (and I agree, it's not good enough) is b/c the OP's hood is already installed. At this point, the only reasons she can give to make the KD fix this are (1) if it doesn't match the agreed upon/customer-approved design or (2) if it doesn't meet Code or the manufacturer's specs.

Unless the OP is willing to pay to fix the issue...which will mean narrower flanking upper cabinets and a new hood cabinet...then she must find a reason that will "hold up in court" (a saying, btw, not that she's going to court) to force the KD to fix it.

Any other reason (aesthetics, isn't "good enough even though it meets Code/specs", etc.) won't do it with the vast majority of KDs/GCs.

GreenDesigns (and others) suggested keeping it all as is, no change in size. And adding stainless sheet metal on top of the open sides exposed to the hood area. Or adding stainless onto the sides of the trim facing the hood area.

I would be really surprised if the owner's manual for the range does not say that a venting hood should be 6" wider than the range, and this has nothing to do with warping wood cabinets. It is all about how powerful gas ranges have become. Believe it or not you have a hood above the range not just because it looks great. It should remove the odors and exhaust the grease and moisture that accumulates when cooking, all of which will most assuredly effect the upper cabinets. In the case of the person who mentioned microwave hoods above a range, you will see a lot of times that the microwave/vent is 36" wide above a 30" wide range, which is a customary setup when one chooses these two appliances together and here in Fl., the range is usually the less powerful electric.

Some ranges RECOMMEND hoods 6" wider than the range but many people have the sizes match, particularly if you have flanking cabinets which improves the capture area. Required clearances are usually that flanking cabinets need to be 18" above the counter. If the OP's clearances meet that requirement than she is all set. I'm not sure where all this panic is coming from.

I'm glad that my concern/panic has opened a new dialogue. It is something thing to keep in mind. How did I miss that with all the hours I have spent on this site. One more important thing to consider in anyones re-model. Not that I will ever do another kitchen... But I would make the hood a little wider.

I didn't have the heart to go to my KD today but when the builder arrived I asked him about it because he knows I over analyze about every decision I make. I had seen them spend the entire day with the hood insert and the manual and I went to the appliance site which recommends the same size hood. Builder says he has seen it this way all the time and that he doesn't have any concern with the building code. I know he has done tons of kitchens so I'm trusting him. I can't afford to change the whole thing and I will never mention my thoughts about the hood to my DH. He would obsess over it more than me.

Thank you for all the compliments on my cabinets. Makes me smile...I need one. This is a whole lot more stressful than I could have ever imagined. My cabinets are Cabico cherry wood chestnut color with a black glaze. Can't see in the pic. but island is a destressed black by same company.

btw granite came to day and I am in love with it. I think like a majority of people have said... when it is all put together it will not look as small as it does. Onto the next stressful event. Pendant lights and backsplash.

I knew I could count on the GW faithful to give me feedback.

kitchen is coming together. Still holding my breath on the hood. I'm feeling the pain of the home stretch. So close and yet so many decisions still to make. I will hold my breath until this is inspected. Not sure what I would do If it isn't correct. I don't want to ruin my $$$ cabinets that I have not been able to put anything in yet.