You would want a non-operable, tempered glass window and an island type hood suspended from the ceiling, floating in front of the window.

The window will get noticably greasy pretty quickly compared to a backsplash, it depends on how much it bothers you and if you will find cleaning the window daily tedious.

But people have done it if local code doesn't disallow it altogether.

I much prefer the window to be over my prep area. I spend more time standing there than anywhere else in the kitchen, and I really like prepping without cabinets looming over my head.

People on this forum have posted photos of kitchens with the range in front of a window, but I think whether you can do it depends on your local codes. You would also have to be sure you had an approved type of window and casing. Your kitchen has plenty of room, if it's like the one you posted. Since you don't have to have the cooking surface in front of the window for space reasons, I'd put it on near but not in front of it. Then you can use normal ventilation and not deal with the possible complications (code compliance, type of window allowed, fewer options for range configuration [no riser in the back], etc).

Cooking is only 10% of the time spent in your kitchen. From a cost/value/time perspective, it makes little sense to do what you are suggesting. Prep is 70% of the time spent in a kitchen. It makes sense to be able to create a prep space that is pleasant to spend that time. Whether or not that time involves a view out the window, or interacting with guests and family in the home depends on your priorities.

Honestly, I think it is a bad idea. If you had a very small space or some other difficult barriers making the range location only possible in that location, it would be one thing. But a space as large as the one shown doesn't suffer from those limitations. I too have seen the photos of ranges in front of windows -- I believe that it is one of those things that can look nice, but is impractical (and frequently forbidden by code) for many reasons.

My dad is a former firefighter and told me not to put a window over the range even if it is allowed by code and fixed glass. Just not worth the risk that the window would break during a range top fire and fuel the flames.

Instead I put a picture window on another wall, perpendicular to the stove, so I can see out by turning my head and get enough light.

See attached, maybe your wife would like something like this instead.

All the rest of it aside, I don't stand in front of my stove enough to justify that being the view, kwim? I would rather have the window in the prep area.

OK, also I would be worried that I would somehow crack the glass with the heat. Not that I have ever had a small fire on my stove, because no one would ever admit to that, right??? lol!

I also would be worried about the privacy aspect. I would hate to be heating up the morning kettle and look out to see the yard guys looking in with me in my night clothes. I open all the blinds up most of the day, but I do want to be able to get privacy and I don't quite know how that would happen with that arrangement. I guess the kind of window treatments that are built between the window panes.

"...and we did incinerate Aunt Rita..." Oh, Marcolo, how I've missed your humor! So glad you're back.

Sorry, OP, I've nothing to add to the excellent advice you've already been given. Oh, wait, yes, I do. Post your kitchen space for lay-out advice. It doesn't have to be CAD, can be pencil on gridded paper, just be sure to post all measurements and tell us a bit about your family and cooking style.

Your space looks generous so I'm sure there are multiple options for your space.

And keep an eye on the so-called "designer" who might try another hair-brained idea.

Didn't cohtele (something like that). Have that setUp. Fab kitchen kind of unique. Butlers pantry, I remember some stained glass.....someone's got know what I'm referring to...another old timer.

Have we scared away the OP?

I also posted on his thread in the Appliances Forum. If that photo he posted above is what his current layout is, does he realize that many people would kill to have a sink in front of a window? Why would you forego that for a range in front of a window? Plus all the negatives already listed here, I would ditch this designer immediately for even suggesting it. This designer is not a good one.

Also, when you are cooking, you are looking down at your pots and pans, not gazing out the window. So it makes no sense to have the range in front of the window for view reasons.

Yes, Cotehele and Bellsmom, I'm pretty sure.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scroll down

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 10:00

You guys didn't scare me away, LOL! All very good advice, and definitely a lot of solid arguments I can bring to the designer and MSO and convince them to drop this idea.

It's starting to sound like the sink & prep area should be in front of the window, and the range should be either on the side wall, or on a center island that would need to be built (yay, another thread topic).

palimpsest, that's actually exactly what the folks on Houzz suggested - hang an island hood in front of it. Pic attached.

northcarolina and cstr, I agree 100%, just wanted to get a 2nd opinion.

livewireoak and glitterandguns, good points about the time spent on various activities - also something to bring up as a counter-argument.

marcolo, that was pretty damn hilarious, thank you! :) :) :)

remodelfla and kitchendetective, that was some pretty impressive "detective work"! I like the concept, but unfortunately there's just not enough space to set up something like that, and anyway, it looks like we'll be scrapping the whole range-in-front-of-window idea altogether.

Problem solved, it seems. Thanks a lot, everyone, for your VERY useful commentary!

Glad you solved your problem.

I had wanted to post this link for you, and I'm going to do it anyway. It's a link to another range in front of the window thread, which itself links to yet another thread. So that anyone else considering this harebrained scheme can follow the infinite recursions of range in front of the window threads until they're trapped in some sort of kitchen forum Escher drawing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yet another thread, and another

I am fully on board with this location having some negatives, but on the other hand some of the concerns aren't very evidence based.

If the heat of the range under normal use was hot enough to break a tempered glass window, you wouldn't be able to stand over it and cook without burning all the hair off your arms, and probably sustain significant burns. I think, even if the house was on fire, the window wouldn't break first, it would break only when the fire was breaching doorways and such. I watched several houses in my neighborhood burn down and it took quite a while for the windows (which were not tempered) to start breaking. The houses were already a total loss by the time the windows starting blowing out in earnest..

The major issues would be with an operable window and the pilot light, the operable window and people reaching over a range in use to open and close, and window treatments. I do know someone who had a kitchen fire when a small grease fire ignited a curtain from and adjacent window.

I also don't understand switching the cooktop-under-window for sink-under-window. In the "olden days", people stood at their sinks for a long time washing and drying dishes. Nowadays, I spend no more time at my sink than I do at my cooktop. Now, putting the prep area in front of the window would be another matter!

It's not the sink itself that is necessarily in front of the window - it's the Prep Zone - the counter space adjacent to the sink - that goes in front of the window - that's the ideal so you can work at the counter in front of the window.

However, I agree about having the sink not only in front of the window but also centered - despite function. As you said, it's based on the old paradigm (that many of us grew up with) based on hand washing & drying all dishes (and spending far too much time cleaning up!) It frustrates me when people are adamant that the sink must be under the window and centered - even when it makes it difficult to plan a functional space.

Beuhl
Couldn't agree more. In a lot of modest kitchens the centered sink means that there is not a continuous run of counter space to plate up a pan and 4 dinner plates.

That photo from houzz looks like an example of a "don't."

Marcolo has it right.

Re centering the sink, it's fine to say do prep space instead and don't center the sink below the window. Sometimes you can get away with it. But too often that window is the only logical focal point for the kitchen due to architecture. So unless the sink makes the kitchen unworkable, it's counterintuitive to ignore it.

I'm all for function. But I do feel balance yields the best outcome in most cases.