Katherine:

Redrange's kitchen is amazing and even if it's not your style, it might provide a terrific starting point in where to go with your hood.

Another member, igloochic, will be doing an interesting and super-duper scale (not even upscale!) hood -- I remember on a different thread someone submitting pictures of other plaster hoods. Hopefully she'll respond and share some of these images.

And Bosche's kitchen has a substantial, anchoring-the-room hood.

Just some ideas.

Good luck and enjoy your new Aga! What a yummy color.

Have you looked here - http://www.brookswood.com/

They have lots of different options as long as you want stainless steel, zinc, bronze, or copper.

As one who is also purchasing a new Aga range (in red), I'm noticing that Aga is now making range hoods as well. (They look somewhat similar to Excalibur range hoods by VAH). So, you could always purchase the companion range hood in aubergine. While not necessarily the "upscale" look you are suggesting, it will certainly be very close to "something no one else has." As for me, I'm still pondering this same question for myself. Concern is not so much to appear "upscale" as to look distinctive and work within my steadily diminishing budget. Somehow though, I'm thinking that a red range AND a red hood may be just a bit over the top. OTOH, an aubergine combo doesn't strike me as overly "provocative" and, in fact, could be quite workable.

You might consider a liner hood that can be covered with whatever material & look that you want -- you are then not limited to what hoods are available. We needed a big hood, so we installed 2 VentaHood liner units which are covered by the outer "hood".

If you truly want something "to die for" then you should be prepared to pay a to die for price! Truly unique, custom built hoods in polished or antiqued or hammered copper, brass, stainless etc. can easily run $8000 or more. If metal is what you are after I would consider Independent. They are very nice and helpful on the phone and will custom make anything you want... at a price of course.

Let us know what you decide. Should be fun.

I think the Aga is "to die for" and a delicate balance of putting in a large ornamental hood has a certain risk -

-It may over power the Aga/cabinetry/marble/room - not knowing your layout that's a matter of opinion - A huge chimney hood over a 36"range in a smallish space looks out of scale

-A hood is a functional necessary piece in the kitchen to me it should first be about function - how will the hood be vented (exterior wall, short run is most effective) how many CFM's will it have - Aga can help w/those specifications - likely you will need a minimum of 650 - dependent on the size of Aga & way you cook will dictate that. A beautiful looking hood that has multiple bends and lengthy ductwork, thereby making it totally inefficient is something perhaps nice to look at - and leaves odors, grease, grime on a beautiful kitchen.

-Behind the range is the most likely place for cooking splatters and debris - so putting in tried and true materials that can withstand the test of time is advisable - something that looks wow today, may look shoddy in no time, or take up inordinate amts of time to clean/maintain that it deters cooking

good luck

VAH can paint their hoods any color you want, so if it's aubergine you want, no problem. And you'll have all of the VAH styles to choose from.

mkitchen: Redrange's kitchen's a terrific link, if just for ideas, and my sister loved the opening back splash. B is good for form, fit and function, too... Aubergine *is* yummy, isn't it? I'm so happy to meet others who can appreciate this... I'm leaning toward a Water Lillies 3 Theme in the kitchen which, for some reason unknown to me, has been difficult for designers to grasp (I'm not sure why as it is both classic and well-known art), so I've been on my own with this... until now. Thanks again!

tvalenti: Thanks for the thought, I really do appreciate it. However, I'm leaning toward artsy now, so if you know if folks who can handle that request easily (Can they put Water Lillies 3 clip on a hood perhaps?) please let me know!

marthavila: Hello, fellow Aga fan! They have nice hoods, I'm just not sure they can handle my latest inspiration (see above) - You're right I think that may be too much red for your kitchen. Red is a powerful colour and needs great care in its use to be truly effective. What are your accent colours? There may be something compatible there for you within budget! - You're also right that I could always choose the companion piece and not overwhelm. I am also fortunate to have such an open budget. But you know how it is, I'm sure; I want this to inspire! I did manage to find people who make art of hoods without sacrificing function and emailed them. I love what they did with Jasper Johns http://metalloarts.com/jasper-johns-flag-range-hood/ and another Aga fan on the Martha forum was ogling their Pollock http://metalloarts.com/pollock-range-hood/ which makes me believe they could handle Water Lillies 3. Let me know your take on it and thanks again.

gismonike: That's exactly the route I've been exploring! Since you're so on the ball with this, let me pick your brain. What do you think of Metallo Arts? Check out the artistic reproductions (links above) and tell me what you think. There was another one, Classic Kitchens, but they are on the other coast which makes install a bit difficult. Thank you!

tominseattle: Great point and I completely agree! I only have one kitchen in this house and I want this design to be fresh, classic, artsy. I'm prepared to pay for quality but I do want a one-of-a-kind. I'll keep you posted!

jejvtr: Excellent considerations - Scale, function and back splash. Thank you, sometimes I lose sight of the details when caught up in my vision. Anything other reminders?

Thanks everyone, you're wonderful!

Must dash now but will check back again soon,
Katherine