Eh, you don't really NEED one, but would probably be wise to have one.

Our current house, which we recently purchased, has a terrible kitchen without any ventilation for the stove. Our past apartment didn't have a vent either. We've gotten by okay, but the lack of a range hood vent lets grease get on everything, and it's really, really easy to smoke up your kitchen and smell up your house, with the only way to mitigate it being opening a door or window and running a box fan.

The kitchen design I'm working on involves the range in an island. I'm definitely doing a suspended range hood because the type of cooking we like to do necessitates it.

You could look into one of those pop-up vents that they have for island cooktops, I suppose. If you cook lightly and don't ever fry stuff or do high temp roasting, you could probably get away without one. Still wouldn't recommend, personally.

Not venting is gross.

Even just sautéing veggies produces heat, steam, a bit of smoke, odors, and aerosolized grease particulates. Without ventilation, all of the yuck invades your soft furnishings and forms a sticky coating on hard surfaces to which dust and dirt attach.

You likely do not have the room or the budget to do this safely and correctly. You need a 8’ island, with a large externally vented hood above it to be able to prep and cook without keeping your back turned. Most island cooking zones are too small to support prep happening, and that is 70% of your kitchen time. Only 10% is cooking.

Yes, if you do anything other than boiling water you need an exhaust hood. An actual suction fan that discharges to the exterior. Not a over-the range-micro. And certainly not one that discharges into the attic space.

even if you only boil water, you are adding moisture to resident dust. if you have nearby soft surfaces (couches, draperies) you really are adding a lot of mess to your house.

in a standalone, enclosed kitchen, i'd say well, you'll just have more surfaces to wipe down, but when opened to a living area, its kind of not a great idea.

It depends.

I am remodeling and Code requires there be a vent.

Whether you actually need a vent is a personal decision. I lived for many years without a vent - or more accurately a vent that was so ineffectual that I never used it.

I never noticed dire consequences in terms of horrendous amounts of grease and smoke in my kitchen area - which was a a small condo kitchen open to the living area. On those few occasions when I burned something and wanted to ventilate, I would open the window :-).

On the other hand, I think cook surfaces that are open to the living area are not particularly functional. When I am actually cooking - i.e. standing at the stove actively doing something - I am focused on what is going on below me and I don't particularly stare out at space so I don't really need or want to look at anything but what is being cooked.

Actual prep work - i.e. that which you do at a sink might be different in terms of focusing elsewhere although again - at least for me - when I am prepping or loading stuff into the dishwasher or washing those items that need to be hand washed - I don't particularly focus on anything other than what I am doing. However, my sink and prep area - although not an island - do open out on the living area and so I could theoretically engage with people there or enjoy my view. But I don't in the normal course of things notice anything except the tasks I am doing in the kitchen.

yes. Read the installation instructions for the gas cooktop for size required as well as building code. Don't be foolish as this is not a vote nor is it make believe reality TV.

It may not have to be a traditional hood, but there is exhaust venting required when you make fire inside a home.

Those hanging open shelves you've pictured seem accidents waiting to happen. Though I've never had them, so I could be wrong. They just look so open that stuff on them could fall off while you are reaching into those shelves for any items.

Also only the bottom hanging shelf will be accessible. The higher ones will need a step stool or step ladder to access them.

Yes you need a vent. Sophie is correct on all counts, as usual.

36" clearance to combustible shelves for most gas cooktops.

If something is being cooked, vent needs to be operating. Pure and simple. At minimum to remove moisture from air. Just because there is no visible smoke or bad odor doesn’t mean you don’t need ventilation.

You have 3 different pictures of 3 different kitchens. Which one is yours?

The first one looks like a JennAir downdraft electric. The last one is gas.

At least consider a downdraft. I had one that worked well--probably because it was vented directly into the crawl space. I didn't use it because I'd rather keep the grease and moisture where I could monitor it, and things got gunky.

I swagged a lamp over it.I want light over my stove.

Don't forget the light feature a hood has. Is the hood in your 3rd image that terrible?

Pre-remodel, we rarely used our pop-up downdraft vent for our island cook top because a) it didn't do a good job on low and sucked the flame out on high and b) it was noisy. I didn't understand the importance of good venting at first but I learned the whys and the hows here. The point was driven home when I took down the kitchen window blinds and valances in preparation of the remodel. They were coated with a gross layer of yellowish grease and dirt as were the tops of my cabinets (no soffits, open above to ceiling). I'm sure all those years of breathing gas combustion byproducts, including carbon monoxide and particulate matter, didn't do my lungs any favors either.

We added proper venting for our cook top, which we moved to the perimeter (our island was way too small for a cook top). And we use it nearly all the time (I still have to remind DH now and then).

Do you have venting for your cook top now? If not, it will be harder and more costly to add it, especially in an interior location. But I wouldn't let that deter you. If can move the cook top the an exterior wall, it would be much easier to install ventilation. If you're already doing a full remodel - new cabs, counters, etc, the likely only additional cost would be to move the gas line if you have a gas cook top. IME, that was a fairly reasonable. IIRC, we were quoted $250 to move it up to 8 feet. We swung for a custom hood - a splurge - but if we hadn't, the move would have saved us money. And that was despite already having downdraft ventilation already in place.

Another way to go would be to leave just the portion of the wall behind the cook top, giving you a place to mount a wall hood (generally less expensive than an island hood). That's what shanghaimama did in her gorgeous kitchen.

The view from the other side:

Have you posted your lay-out for suggestions/comments? I found it very helpful to have additional eyes on my plan to make sure I wasn't overlooking an idea or a potential pitfall.

For seating near a cook top you will need a lot of depth to your island for safety's sake or reconfigure the island so people are at one end and cook top at the other...

You could do a pop up vent that rises behind the cook top - this will help protect from splatters a little bit...

I would definitely do whatever you can to have a vent - especially with an open floor plan - otherwise all the cooking smells will settle into your carpets, pillows, drapes and it travels through the house...

Good luck!

@weedmeister thank you for asking - none are the current kitchen just reference of the extended shelf possibility mentioned and also the general idea of desired end result which is island with flat cook top and no overhead obstructions (however there would also be island seating in my version instead of the full debth Cabinets shown in pic).

@Fori yes I was just looking in to downdraft however I’m not exactly sure how those work. I’m thinking it might not be a possibility because there’s no where to vent with ducting in this case...is that right? The vent in the 3rd pic is certainly not bad just hoping to get an unobstructed sightline and ductess options limited so far.

@Jeffrey it will be electric not gas. I’ve checked with a couple people in my area and confirmed they have the set up I was envisioning. It’s seems it is not a code in my area but will definitely look in to it further.

@Helen yes it seems is does come down to personal preference. The vent that’s there hasnt even been working but there is a window nearby.

@Sophie unfortunately it cannot be externally vented in the location. Also right - there will be little to no prep work on the island it would be more for seating & aesthetics. Are you saying there needs to be an 8’ depth from cooktop to seating?

@queenvictorian thanks so much for the pop up suggestion. This would defiantly be a desirable option but it looks like they have to be able to vent through a ground outlet?? If so that wouldn’t work :(

I'm going to be the contrarian voice here.... Having lived in several homes which had a variety of venting situations. First, most codes do NOT require you to have a vent. They usually say something like, "if you have a vent, the requirements are x, y, z". But the vent itself is usually optional in most building codes. Of course, check your own building code because it could be one of the localities that require a vent.

Second, i hate vents. I hate, hate, hate with every ounce of my being the noise created by a vent. I would rather spend a day once a year scrubbing all my kitchen surfaces than have to listen to the noise of a vent. Accordingly, i literally never ever turn our vent on. But we are very "clean" cookers. In any given week, we might boil a pot of water, and otherwise just maybe lightly toast up a piece of bread or do other things that don't involve quantities of oil or frying. The house doesn't smell, and the window behind the stove is clean (i just rubbed my finger on to check - no grime). In the four kitchen renos i have done, i have attempted to incorporate a vent where it was easily accomplished -- mostly because you're expected to have a vent. But in the one kitchen where it was a challenge to incorporate it, I skipped it because this to me is a situation where form trumps over function -- especially because I think vents serve no function in our household!

Point being: analyze your own household needs and your code, and you may find you do not *need* a vent.

Do you cook at all? If so you need a vent.

I hate vents. The noises and obtrusion but it is a necessary evil. It’s been so stinky and dirty for the last 6 months as I cook without a vent. The grease is worse and need to be cleaned off every week. The smell is overwhelming whenever I cook.

HI -- It might be a by-law to have one in your city ... you should check . The way I cook now , I never use the one I have ... so it depends on how you cook really .

Kitchens require ventilation. The way that the code is currently written, an operable window in the kitchen can mean that the kitchen will pass inspection. If there is no operable window, mechanical ventilation is required.

The Code can be behind on some things, including the ill effects on indoor air quality that cooking produces. It’s far more proactive in other things that are relatively minor issues, like arc fault. So, while the current code might allow an open window, best practices will always include mechanical ventilation.

The manufacturer of the cook-top provides the requirements for installation and ventilation. The code usually incorporates those requirements and adds any additional requirements. Having said that, most small residential electric cook-tops do not require external exhaust.

My parents have a kitchen layout similar to the image you posted. They opted out of the vent but are now regretting it. They want the pop up one in the island for the occasional venting and, if anything, just as a splash guard while they're cooking!

Yes. I had an older electric coil range, and the grease, condensation, and just the muck were readily visible - then there are the smells. Now installing an induction in the remodel, and though some say it's not needed, it absolutely is.

If you cook, you should have venting (either a window, or a vent). Can you cook without one? Sure, but you will have longer-lasting odours and need to clean more often because of the unvented cooking effluence that will go in whatever direction it chooses. I have an island stove (induction) with overhead venting; I don't turn the vent on often (maybe once or twice a week), but I sure am glad I have it when I want it.

Is it OK to have seating at the island with the cooktop? Sure, if your island is large enough so that people sitting there won't get team and smoke in their faces (since you don't have a vent).