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Without wanting to put you off reading MFCH by giving you an overdose on reality, I have to tell you that the thing I hate doing most in my kitchen is cleaning the hood over my stove. UGH, UGH and double UGH!
The easiest solution for never having to clean the kitchen hood is to simply stop cooking, but I mooted the idea here and it wasn’t met with great approval so I have to move on to more clever options
With the impending and 10-year-overdue (did I already mention that?) kitchen remake here, the right design for a kitchen hood is concentrating my mind.
I’m thinking that at least if the thing could look almost elegant, then I may be reconciled to cleaning it with a smile, well OK a less broad smirk at least.
So what are your thoughts on the matter?  Do you favour the glass hood over the island, the sleek shine of steel, the traditional stone work ….. or
are you like me and do you prefer above all else a huge fireplace over the stove, as in the kitchen of our friends at the Château d’Emalleville, which as you may remember happens to be one of my favourite (real) kitchens in the world .. well Normandy at least!
[blank]If you have a moment to give me your secrets on living in harmony with your kitchen hood, I would be happy to read and learn from every word,  merci mes amis!
38 comments
My hood has a big structure built around it that is the same finish as our cabinets. It is white and I love it. I hung a nice blue and white meat platter on it.
I like the glass and the white ones but they'd get pretty dirty quickly and there would be no hiding it!
Have you reached a decision yet?
love love love!!
Beautiful kitchens! My hood goes up and down into the cabinet, so you do not see it if you are not cooking.
Eileen
These are some of the best hood choices I've seen – Wow. I have to admit, I like the look of old world charm that the chateau provides.
I love the Hood and the kitchen in Normandy–simple and elegant and I am sure it is very easy to clean.
xo, Lissy
Sharon, I am right in the middle of a very long overdue kitchen remodel as well. The only appliance I haven't bought is the hood – I don't know what to do either. In my kitchen, I have a very tall (10") ceiling over the rangetop. Should I back it with stone or make the whole area a stainless steel hood? So, thanks for the pics. Of course, my heart lies with the traditional french stonework – only problem, my husband doesn't have any idea how to fabricate.
thanks again for the pictures!
I do not enjoy hoods!!! I love the look of them but I can never seem to get them as clean as I would like. Never would want to have a glass one–every speck of grease would be on display immediately. Guess I need to have a truce with it–let it do its job and I will do mine. Have a wonderful day!!
Stainless steel and in a simple straight-forward design! Very easy to clean!
Good luck,
karin
What I have now is stainless steel and modern .. not very effective but looks okay.
What I would like in my new home would be the last one, a stove set into the fireplace 🙂
besos, C
Alas, the miserable hood. A necessity, but you have to be reasonable. I would quickly nix the glass because of the constant care. While I am also overdue for a re-do, I would probably lean to brushed stainless. All around. While the stone looks beautiful it is a bear to clean. I use a steam cleaner on my stainless underparts of the hood and that works out well. But I long for the commercial size and efficiency. Make no mistake, however, if someone offered me any of the above kitchens you have featured, glass, stainless, stone, whatever, I would be just fine with it! Just saying.
I have brushed stainless steel. Ugh is right though, when it comes to cleaning.
love love the chateau's hood – this is what i am planning on building in my new house. however to make it efficient to clean i plan on applying some type of finish on the stone work that is easy to wipe down. and for the inside a stainless steel screen that fits all the way around and easily pops out for cleaning. and of course behind this screen a super suction exhaust fan – commercial type.
thank you for reminding me that i am not the only one with a hood dilemma.
mary
My favorites are images one and six. Not big on stainless steel even when it comes to appliances. The fingerprints drive me crazy!
Ohhhh…that chateau hood! Just beautiful!
Mine in a wooden hood that replicates a "volets type persienne", very practical!
Fra
Hmmm, in a similar position in that we are moving to France on May 16th and we have to put in a kitchen as all that remains of it now is the sink. I have been thinking about the hood – I'm with you, Sharon – I don't like any of them. We have a beautiful ancient limestone fireplace already in place, but we need that for heating so no oven in there. I think it's going to be a while before we can figure out exactly what we want, but some lovely ones in your post.
hello Sharon, we are thinking a bit on the same wave length here, I was just recommending la cornue stoves on my blog and your friend's chateau (last image) is absolutely stunning and they also have black la cornue stove there! the idea of placing it inside a stone gorgeous fireplace is unexpected and daring …love it! The red brick above and the chairs…everything is perfect!
On the 3rd last picture …they have the same fabric as I do on curtains, we have it in our nook…italian dupioni silk(:
As for the hood cleaning, I am a perfectionist when it comes to MY kitchen…I practicaly wipe the hood inside and out few times a week with cloth and dish soap and it never really gets too dirty and is relatively quick to do after cooking …I just would hate to have to scrub the greese built up!
hugs Z
I love the 4th photo – that would be my dream kitchen hood (and kitchen too!)
Hi Sharon, I'm with you on both hating to clean the hood and absolutely loving that fireplace over the stove set up. How I wish! Our house came with a stainless Viking hood, and I don't think we'll be in here for more than a few years, so changing it isn't worth it. But I have to say that if I get to plan my dream kitchen someday, I'll do something custom – a friend of mine framed hers in white wood and it looks great, although I do wonder about the cleaning factor.
Good luck with your kitchen update!
<3
Hi Sharon,
I share your distain for cleaning kitchen hoods! When we built our home about 9 years ago (in Florida) I had a stainless steel insert covered with the same material as my white wood cabinets. The grates/filters that catch all the grease pop out and go in the dishwasher! Couldn't be easier!
BTY, I only recently found your blog and am having such fun going back in time and reading all your posts. Thanks so much for a lovely look into your life.
I loved all of these but seriously loved one or two…lovely!!!!
Love that last image. We have a great big limestone hood and I love it. Its adds so much character and charm to the kitchen. So far its been a breeze, but its only been 2 months! I just take a warm cloth with a little bit of soap and it does the job so I can only hope I am making the same claims a year down the road!
Impressive shots! Love the lights… and the chandeliers!
Vraiment très artistique.
Scribere Est Agere
Le temps qui passe
I can't imagine how hard that glass job would be to clean. I like the filters that go in the dishwasher. My big complaint with fans is the noise! To really pull the air they have to be on high and drowned out everything. As to the pics…..5,3
Oh, I LOVE that range in the fireplace! laurie
Believe it or not….When we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago, we opted not to have a hood…sounds crazy, but we have never had a problem with it, and I cook every night 🙂 Can't wait to see what you decide to do.
I have a tailormad stainless steel covered with parts of old cabinets and a fragnance frame for it.Easy to clean inside looks old outside matching the old long dining table and the chairs.Love Dorka from Hungary http://www.dorottyaudvar.co.hu
Ah, everyone of those hoods are gorgeous!
But, like Jeni Maus, I have no hood–I have a downdraft system that sucks the exhaust down through the floor and to the outside. The stove top burners are on an island in the kitchen where I preferred not to have my view obstructed by a hood. It works well, no overhead to clean, and the grates in the downdraft go into the dishwasher.
Is there a kitchen designer you trust to advise you about the easiest to clean system? And then house that system in the hood of your choice?
Your readers are looking forward to the whole project!!
uh oh…we're supose to clean under the hood?! 🙂
Wow. I love the rustic traditional look. It's absolutely inspiring for kitchen designers like myself.
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Some absolutely stunning kitchens – I love the one with the fireplace, it's gorgeous.
We all have that one thing we dread most, which in your case is cleaning kitchen hoods. That’s very smart actually, to know how to address your tight spot – a kitchen remake! You know it is easier to clean the quiet range hoods. You wouldn’t have any difficulty choosing because it wouldn’t compromise the style. Good luck!
Alejandra Hutchcraft
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Oh my Goodness!
The pics you've posted are amazing…wow!!!!
kitchens newcastle
Perfect solution! But do not forget that it will need to be cleaned, with the help of companies such as https://www.greenairhomeservices.com/air-duct-cleaning/ to keep it as effective and clean.
Thanks for your advice. In fact, air duct cleaning is very important in every home. Especially for those who have a ventilation system that is not very good. We hired a company https://www.airqualityexpertstx.com/ and I was surprised how dirty our ventilation systems were