I often caution clients when they focus on 1 thing before the space is done. But in this case I am going to say that you are correct. The hood should definitely be larger than the cooktop surface for proper ventilation. But sometimes I will leave space between the hood and the cabinetry if I am doing a beautiful backsplash all the way to the ceiling.

I think to the ceiling and it will look great. Also, I think your cabinets look fine not extended to ceiling.

I agree that it would look better going all the way to the ceiling. So would the cabinets, but budget (I understand)...

The hubby is saying if the Vent hood is moved to the ceiling it will look “off” because you will be able to see directly Underneath it? He said the problem is we have 10 foot ceilings. All this is making my head spin.

You don’t move the vent hood up. You create a larger chimney area. But that is moot since it’s much too small to begin with. Just having the chimney go up the ceiling won’t be enough. You need a larger range top and a larger hood both.

The width of the hood is more troublesome to me aesthetically than the chimney not meeting the ceiling. I agree you need a wider hood for the proportion to look right width-wise, plus it provides better exhaust if your hood is 6” wider than your cooktop. Regarding the space between the chimney and the ceiling, if you decide you don’t want that space, then, as mentioned, you don’t move the whole hood up, you just extend the chimney part to meet the ceiling.

I actually think you should scrap the fussy cabinetry hood, and install a stainless steel pyramid or canopy shape hood, with its chimney meeting the ceiling. You’ve got a lot of white cabinets there; it would look good to break up the mass of white with some stainless steel. If you decide to go that route, get one that is 6” wider than the cooktop. Furthermore, the correct distance between the cooktop and the bottom of the hood is between 30“ and 36”, not lower, not higher.

How far is the bottom of the hood from the cooktop? If it's mounted on the low end of the mfr's specs, maybe you could move it up a couple of inches, without necessitating a rebuild. It looks a little low to me--other than that, I think it's fine.

Thanks mama goose! I was thinking moving it up a bit would help also. I was also thinking of adding a thicker piece of wood to make it a little wider at the bottom. At this point I don’t have the funds to start from scratch. i have to work with what I have. Appreciate the comment.