Rangehoods are an immensely important aspect to a safe home, as the suction from the rangehood pulls dust, grease, cooking odours and other pollutants from the kitchen and replaces the room with fresh air. Air filtering and ventilation considerably protects the health of a household from harmful airborne contaminants.
There are thousands of types, styles, materials, finishes, and sizes of rangehoods; this makes picking one for your luxury kitchen a difficult decision. To understand which rangehood will benefit your family the most, Dan Kitchens have put together the ultimate 2021 buyers guide, so you can find which rangehood is best for your luxury kitchen renovation. Check out the Dan Kitchens Portfolio to get full inspiration for your next contemporary luxury kitchen.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Luxury Rangehood
When choosing the right rangehood for your family’s luxury kitchen renovation, don’t just rely on aesthetics but the specific needs of your home. You must consider everything from your kitchen’s size, layout, cabinets, cooktop, health considerations of household members, and budget preferences.
Most importantly, the primary consideration when selecting a rangehood with Dan Kitchens, is what type of ventilation option you need. A ducted rangehood is connected to the outside, via ducting that sucks out unnecessary containments outdoors whilst drawing fresh air from outside. On the other hand, a recirculated rangehood, recycles contaminated air from your kitchen into clean air, by filtering the air inside the rangehood and pushing it back into the room.
Read more about the importance of selecting the right ventilation option for your luxury kitchen renovation in Dan Kitchen’s recent article, The Dangers of Cooking with Natural Gas. This consideration will narrow down your search for the perfect rangehood.
Slide Out or Retractable Rangehoods
This rangehood design is built within the cabinet above a cooktop and only has a small front fascia visible, this under cabinet rangehood is a common rangehood type that many apartment owners would be familiar with. The fascia is pulled out when in use and can be discreetly tucked away when not in use.
Retractable units are popular for their compact size and affordable pricing. Modern models have been engineered to be ‘extra space-saving’ with even thinner designs, the perfect solution for very shallow cabinets. The slide-out rangehood is regularly seen in apartment kitchens because of their price point and for the fact they don’t need ducting, which is challenging to do in an apartment setting.
Undermount Rangehoods
Similar to the slide-out rangehood, under-mount rangehoods are typically built into wall cabinets, yet this luxury design is entirely concealed from the front. A built-in cabinet rangehood is built into the kitchen cabinetry above the cooktop for a custom approach to venting. In terms of ventilation, they are typically vented outside, but some ductless recirculation models with charcoal or activated carbon filters are available.
At Dan Kitchens, almost all of our luxury kitchen renovations, under-mount rangehoods are the modern standard. This design’s best characteristic is its versatile ability, seamlessly fitting into any kitchen renovation design or style. They can be utilised in simple cabinetry, or more designed focused rangehood boxes, that could be cladded in various luxury materials like stone, timber, metals or tiles.
Canopy or Fixed Rangehoods
The canopy design is the most aesthetic option in terms of luxury rangehoods, completely on display, like a painting, and make a perfect statement piece for a kitchen that lacks wall-mounted cabinets. The best way to visualise this design is as a chimney, which is exposed as the appliance runs up the wall and mounted directly above the cooktop.
Fixed rangehoods have a wide variety of shapes, styles and colours, with the flexibility to suit any kitchen renovation style. This luxury design is not as space-efficient as an undermount or retractable rangehood and is recommended for larger kitchens due to their size and prominence.
Unlike built-in rangehoods which are very costly and time-consuming to replace, canopy rangehoods can be easily replaced, because the structure is not reliant on cabinet size or on benchtop cut-outs. Again, this design is flexible, and there are many ducted and recirculated models available suitable for any custom kitchen renovation.
Island Rangehoods
Unlike the traditional luxury forms of rangehoods, the island design is ceiling mounted, and like the canopy and fixed designs, this design is a statement piece. Best suited to large kitchens with an island counter who want to impress their guests. This style is suspended over the cooktop on an island counter in the middle of the kitchen.
While stylistically this luxury design is one of the most impressive, island rangehoods are challenging to install. Since there are no walls around the cooking area, ducting must go through the ceiling cavity. Not so much of a problem for single storey homes, but challenging for kitchens on the ground floor in a multistorey home, as the floor above may not provide enough cavity space. In this instance, false ceilings or bulkheads need to be constructed apart of the kitchen renovation to conceal the ducting.
Island mounts put a lot of pressure on the ceiling since there are no walls to support their weight; in this case, you must pay attention to the bracing. In addition, because no walls are surrounding the cooking area, the ventilation capacity is not as efficient in island hoods as smoke and fumes have more chance to escape into the room. In order to appropriately ventilate cooking fumes, the solution is a larger hood that is wider than the cooking surface.
Cassette Rangehoods
Similar to island rangehoods, cassette styles are ceiling mounted, and ventilation is ducted through the roof cavity. Unlike the island design, the cassette unit is concealed in the ceiling cavity. This luxury design is perfect for kitchens with cooktops on island counters and is often chosen by people who want to create more open space within the kitchen.
The best advantage of this type of luxury rangehood is its discreet motor. Typically, the motor is the noisiest part of a rangehood, having the mechanism positioned further inside the roof space or even outside on the roof provides a quieter cooking experience.
On the other hand, the disadvantage of a cassette rangehood is that the vent is mounted so far away from the cooktop. Cooking fumes can potentially escape the reach of the rangehood and dissipate into the adjoining rooms.
Downdraft Rangehoods
The newest addition to the luxury rangehood catalogue is the downdraft design typically built behind the cooktop and into the middle of a kitchen island, one of the very few ventilation options available for kitchen islands. The downdraft style is a fully ducted system that pulls the smoke and fumes from the cooktop, under the floor via ducting and then outside.
There are two luxury models of this rangehood available, either a flush-mount configuration or a pop-up design; both can be tucked discreetly away when not in use. Although, the effectiveness of downdraft rangehoods is limited because the mechanics go against the natural dynamics of hot air, making the system work harder than an overhead or updraft system.
The unique downdraft design is considered a perfect space-saving solution for luxury kitchens with limited space. Offering an unobstructed view and streamlined look in an open concept kitchen design where cooktops are frequently found in island and peninsula layouts.
Start Your Dream Luxury Kitchen Renovation Today!
No matter if you need a large contemporary kitchen renovation in Hornsby or a small contemporary kitchen renovation in Mosman. Dan Kitchen’s highly experienced teams are available to help you produce beautiful and highly functional contemporary kitchens.
Are you ready to get started? Why don’t you speak to the expert kitchen design team at Dan Kitchens and get the premium designer look you desire, as well as all of the functionality you expect from a high-end kitchen.
Dan Kitchens have highly experienced luxury kitchen designers and manufacturers with an unrivalled reputation for expertly made kitchens and joinery in Sydney. Visit our luxury kitchen showroom to see how the finest craftsmanship, coupled with high-quality materials and finishes, can transform your kitchen into a luxury oasis. We offer a full service, from an initial concept and manufacturing, right through to installation. Call us today on (02) 9624 2344, discover how Dan Kitchens uses Danish principles to design impressive custom kitchens.