Why should I have a kitchen hood?
Hoods are the multi-taskers of the kitchen, quietly removing grease, smoke and steam, while making a design statement. Without a kitchen hood, your walls and furniture may become wet and damaged over time. With so many different designs available, from traditional to contemporary, you can find a kitchen hood to accentuate your signature style.
What should I consider when choosing a kitchen hood?
Before falling in love with a kitchen hood design, it is important to consider the suitability of the hood to the size of your kitchen. A large open kitchen may require a bigger, more powerful extraction, but you also need to take into account the size of your cooking appliance. If the kitchen hood is too large then it simply won't fit, and if it is too small it may look odd and out of place. For great looking style it's essential that your kitchen hood design complements your cooker. If you are thinking about changing your cooker in the near future, keep that in mind when choosing your hood.
What kinds of kitchen hood are there?
There are many different kitchen hood styles to choose from including:
- Traditional kitchen hood - Designed to fit neatly with your wall units and gives your kitchen a classic look.
- Chimney kitchen hood - Although not an actual chimney, these hoods get their name from the design feature, extending upwards towards the ceiling. They provide a visual focus for your kitchen and can make a bold statement. Santa Claus will have to find another way in though!
- Integrated kitchen hood - Perfect for maintaining a sleek and uniform look in the kitchen. Behind kitchen cabinet doors, it's practically invisible.
- Canopy kitchen hood - Canopy hoods get their name from originally being built-in to the base of a canopy above the cooker. They are very similar to integrated hoods in that they can also be built-in to a cabinet above the cooker, the only difference being that a canopy hood is hidden behind a static panel, whereas an integrated hood is behind a door or panel that you open.
- Island kitchen hood- Suspended over a cooking island in the centre of your kitchen space, island kitchen hoods are perfect for making a design statement.
- Telescopic kitchen hood - If you have a very small kitchen without much storage space, you may want to consider a telescopic hood. These hoods are hidden from view in a similar way to integrated and canopy hoods, but rather than being housed inside a kitchen cabinet, they extend out from themselves, saving a little more space for your groceries.
What are the different methods of extraction used in kitchen hoods?
The best method of kitchen hood extraction is the ducted model which draws out steam and cooking odours through filters, and then expels them outside while returning fresh air to your kitchen. If your kitchen does not have access to an external wall, then the re-circulation method can be used to draw the unclean air through a series of filters to purify it, before returning the purified air to your kitchen.
What material should I choose for my kitchen hood?
Kitchen hoods come in a wide variety of materials and designs. If it's a French country, or rustic country style kitchen you are looking for, then go for a large kitchen hood with a curved design. For a modern look, stainless steel or glass hoods work wonderfully well, particularly when chosen to suit the colour of your appliances. Whatever the style of your kitchen, there is a kitchen hood out there that's right for you.
See the modern style FRAMTID extractor hood
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