The ceiling in your room is 6ft?! As in, I couldn't stand upright without hitting my head on the ceiling? That sounds at least 18" too short compared to what code requires.

Or is this limitation because there is some obstruction above the stove that cannot be moved?

Can you post a picture. I am just really confused.

It's a sloped ceiling. this is the only shot I have. The back wall measures about 5'10 and about 15" from the wall out we are just over 6'6"

Why did you choose that wall for range placement and for venting? I would move the range to another wall where you install a hood and exhaust duct properly.

It's the only wall available. Trust me, if I could have flipped the placement I would have.

Can you use a ceiling-mounted hood (like those intended for island cooktops)?

The kitchen designer we were working with didn't sound very confident that there would be anything in the appropriate size, without buying something stock and having it customized to account for proper clearance above the range. Essentially the math just doesn't work - middle of the range is about 78" - 36" (height of range) - useable stove top space (I'd like 30", maybe could deal with 26" although code is 18") Leaves us at most 18" of range hood space. Unfortunately most of the range hoods in our price range (ie. less than the new range itself) need a minimum of 24"

I'm not 100% against a downdraft vent, but I'm also not really for it either, I forsee the lift motor breaking, it's a slide in range, so where does the blower motor go? And they seem to be priced over $1200. If I had that kind of coin, I would have reconfigured the whole space, paid the 5 grand to have a load bearing wall and exterior door removed, and put the range smack dab in the middle of my fantasy island ;)

The other option of course, is to put in an undercabinet without the cabinet - I dunno, build a fancy box for it to sit in? I just don't know how that would work in a kitchen without any uppers. I'm suffering from design fatigue.

Here's an overview of the design, as you can see options are limited for placement - and the cabinets are already built so, there's no changing now.

I was just hoping someone out there knew of a manufacturer that designed something for weird little 100 year old houses that had kitchens in converted porches :)

Now that could work, I am kind of digging the retro vibe to it, and no visual obstructions! Thanks, I will look into it further :)

Capture and containment: These are the primary functions (and goals) of a kitchen cooktop ventilation system. A side-draft wall fan does not accomplish capture unless very large and/or very loud pulling many CFM. And then the MUA system would have to be commensurate.

A hood like cavity with a side blower may accomplish the capture goal. Containment results from the side blower throwing the effluent outside.

However, a third function of a hood, being a fire stop for grease accumulation, may not be achieved by a hood-like cavity over a wall fan, and deliberate routine cleaning of the hood, fan structures, and even outside wall drippings may be needed for safety.

Assuming that the other side of the sloped ceiling is a roof, then the hood and its roof fittings could effectively be moved partially outside with the hood entry roughly level with the intersection of the ceiling and the wall. This would require a pedestal mount on the roof suitable for the climate, and some variation on the theme of a residential version of a commercial hood. Sources such as Modern Aire, CaptiveAire, and possibly Greenheck's renamed ventilation division might have a solution. However, I have trouble imagining any such solution that would be inexpensive.

A more traditional scheme such as adding a mini-dormer to that point on the roof to accommodate a standard hood with side exhaust would seem to be better, cost wise, as the carpentry required would be modest and production hoods could be used.