We are currently remodeling our kitchen. We have a 1997 Jennair gas downdraft cooktop. The downdraft has been utilized infrequently due to how it effects the flame. Unable to move to another location due to layout of kitchen. Downdraft ventilation exists in island. After extensive research, I am trying to decide between telescopic vs built in downdraft. Our home is a cottage design with an L shaped kitchen and island. I think the professional style ranges over power the space. Leaning towards Jennair drop in again due to DuraFinish. Are you happy with your choice Kec2013? Any advice applianceguy?

I have an induction cooktop at one end of my center island and I absolutely love its placement there. It allows me to face family/friends who are in the kitchen or congregated in the family room. It has never been a problem, even when I have the rest of the island set up for a buffet. I had a Jennair glass cooktop before that.

I just had to make this decision and ended up choosing a smaller/standard size slide in range to go against my wall. I spend most of my time prepping food, not cooking it. I will do my prep on my island as my garbage drawer will be there. I also am looking forward to having a large blank space not broken up by a cooktop. It pained me a bit to give up the 36" range for an open island. But I'm happy with my choice and just keep reminding myself that I'm remodeling not designing my dream kitchen.

Good luck with your decision!

When we designed our house in 2008 this very thing was what held up construction for over 2 months while I agonized, planned, spec'd etc. We have a 48" Bluestar cook top on a 12' island...the cooktop is 1.5' off one end of the island, and a prep sink 1.5' off the other...with 48 or so inches in between as a prep area. We do a lot of entertaining and my philosophy is that I want to face my guests while prepping and cooking, and NOT while cleaning, so the cleanup sink is equidistant between the cooktop and prep sink on the wall behind me. Also my husband and I often work back to back, and the cleanup sink is sufficiently deep that no-one sees what's in it. It was one of the best decisions we make in our kitchen design! No issues with spatter or the cooktop being a strange magnet to people or things being burned, and it fits with our very modern decor and entertaining lifestyle.

Our center island is quite large and I often use it to serve food buffet-style. I have a 30" induction cooktop installed on the end of my center island. It was installed in 2006. It is very efficient and boils water in less than a minute. Prior to that I had a Jennair glass countertop in the same space. I love cooking this way - facing people. I wouldn't want it any other way. I have a Braun downdraft system. The Braun runs at 3 speeds but I keep it on the middle speed. It does get loud at the highest speed. Our downdraft runs underneath the floor/under the house so it doesn't take up any space. It was professionally installed. There is about 4 ft to the prep islands on all three sides. The sink is behind me. Note: my cooktop is 9 years old and I have never had any problems keeping it clean. It is *always* "showroom clean." Why? Because if something boils over onto an induction cooktop, the cooktop surface is not hot, so it's never going to get burned onto it like with a hot stove.

Don't be afraid. I don't consider any of the issues raised to be a problem. It's all good.

BTW, someone mentioned the dilemma of not being able to have your big utensils nearby. Here's how I solved that problem. No need for ceramic crocks at all!

Hi! I heard at least one person mention a strong updraft hood that they placed 72" off the ground @designdetails - could you tell me what brand is the one you have and say works well? thanks!

My go-to is Vent-a-Hood. Their Premier Magic Lung has a weird name but is amazing. They also do custom work.

I posted a couple of questions in this thread a few years ago when we were under construction and making decisions and got great feedback so thought I'd share pictures and my own feedback now that we're all done. We ended up putting in a 36" induction cooktop, downdraft vent (both Bosch) and a prep sink in the island, with the main sink against the back wall. It's been a great arrangement. I definitely do like being able to face family and company while cooking, and the downdraft does protect people sitting at the adjacent bar area against splattering. I was worried that downdraft might not be strong enough to truly vent cooking smells etc, but it's been great--and I do all kinds of messy, smelly cooking nearly every day. The vent filters pop right out and go into the dishwasher so it's easy to clean. Also was able to sneak in a shallow utensil drawer just below the cooktop.

This looks great! I'm planning to put in an induction cooktop on my peninsula (for safety reasons since I have little kids). I was told that I should have the same brand downdraft as my induction cooktop? Can anyone shed light on that subject? Also considering the Bosch cooktop but the GE downdraft had the motor included so it was quite a bit cheaper. I'm also worried about how loud they may be.

I have always had a cooktop on my center island and love being able to cook while facing family and/or guests. I have a Broan downdraft, which runs on three speeds. It disappears into the island when not in use. I have a Kenmore Elite induction cooktop and getting the two to work together has never been a problem. When considering the cooktop, be aware of how much clearance you will need. Mine only requires 2" but some models want as much as 6.75". This can be a problem if you have drawers in place. (I recently discovered this when I went to replace my 10 yr old unit).

we bought our house two years ago and it has a JaneAire electric cooktop with downdraft. I will never go back to facing the wall while cooking! The stove was the original to the house (like everything else) - about 40 yrs old or so. But just last week we replaced it with a "newer" option which is half that age because some of the burners were getting too old. It works well and we cook a lot. I also like that it comes with the griddle and the gill which are easy to switch . As for cleaning comments...... You have to clean around the counters regardless where the stove top is. This one is not any more messier then the wall facing stove. But I love, love, love looking to our great room and not miss any action. We will be remodeling our kitchen in a year or two, so I am looking for ideas of how other brands are rated. My hubby wants a gas range now and we still want downdraft. Thank you for sharing your pictures. I will make sure that we have a utensil drawer near by. Not sold on having a preparation sink. Cleaning two sinks instead of one?

I am planning a remodel, putting a Thermador or Miele Induction cooktop in the island. I will downdraft. Does anyone have experience with the new Best Cattura downdraft? http://www.bestrangehoods.com/cattura
It is advertised as the most efficient and quiet downdraft available. It's only been on the market about 6 months and I have not been able to find a store where there is a live display. Does anyone know how loud it is and how well it works? How easy is it to clean the filters?

I am doing a kitchen remodel in my *tiny* NYC apt. The island is also my "kitchen table" - I have bar stools that pull up to it. If i put the cooktop on the island, will it disrupt the space for those eating at the island? Even if the cooktop is turned off, it might be hot or messy over there. Would it be weird looking to have the cooktop at one and of the island and the stools at the other end? Thoughts?

I will be building an island w/cooktop because I like to chat with my guests while cooking. Also, watching the cook at work is fun for them.

I would definitely use a split level top with the eating area 6" above the cooking area so the sense of space is separate.

I will be using a hood hanging from the ceiling but not too low. Hoods can be interesting and a nice architectural focal point.

Cooking is 10% of the time spent in a kitchen.

Cleanup is 20%.

Prep is 70%.

If you want to face your guests, then create an island that has at least a 42" section of clear space to prep, preferably next to a prep sink. Prep requires water. If you want the cooking zone there too, that brings the time spent looking out to those guests to 80%. But, if you don't have enough room to prep next to the island cooking zone, that puts your back to your guests 90% of the time. So plan carefully. Most don't have enough space to really do island cooking and prepping justice.

Thanks for all these comments. I need to decide between cooking on the island or cooking facing a wall. I really want cooking on the island so as to face family/friends (all comments above). I will definitely have an updraft hood whether I put it on island or hood. My one concern is due to the width of the island (66-70 inches), I will only get 1) 18 inches on each side, 2) the cooktop/range can only be 30 inches. The length of the island is also around 6 feet and I plan to put bar stools at the end for everyday dining. Prep sink will be behind me. I have been dreaming about not facing a wall for years....but I have these two constraints. Do you think 18 inches on either side is enough space? THANK YOU.

Not nearly enough space. You will have your back to everyone, prepping for 70% of time, and 20% of cleanup. So, 90% of the time, your back is turned.. You will only face family for that brief 10% that you are applying fire to food.

I do agree that it doesn't seem like enough space surrounding the cooktop. But here is one caveat: I have a 36" induction cooktop and can use the part(s) of the cooktop that aren't in use/hot for prep when I put down a cutting board, so that's something to keep in mind re: the amount of countertop or prep space you'd have. I don't think that would work with a gas cooktop, tho--it gets too hot.

I also see a lot of people repeating this mantra of 70% prep, 20% cleanup, 10% cooking. I'm a home cook who cooks every day and I don't know where those numbers are coming from! I think it's way more balanced than that from my experience. Most dinners take me about 45 mins to 1 hr from start to finish, and I'm prepping and cooking simultaneously for *most* of that time. That's one of the reasons I wanted my cooktop in my island, not against the back wall. My recommendation would be to keep track of your own habits while you cook for a week to really see how much time you'd spend with your back to the room.

i have island cooktops in both of my homes and will never ever change that decision in future remodels. ever.

Cook time depends on what I'm cooking.With steaks I have minimal prep but mostly watching and waiting the perfect moment to turn the meat.

I lived with a cook top/downdraft in a kitchen for 15 years and absolutely hated it. The downdraft was a joke, and the ceiling above where I cooked was constantly slathered in grease. The downdraft was impossible to clean thoroughly, and grease spattered on the surrounding countertop. In my opinion everyone needs a good ventilation system in their home if air quality is important to you, especially if you have gas.

Those of you who posted pictures of your cooktops and downdrafts with the drawer storage in the base cabinet, does that mean you installed your downdraft with the blowers in a reverse position? I want to have an induction and downdraft against a wall -- we have very limited space and cannot vent up. But with this, we also can't install the downdraft with reverse blowers, because a pocket door will sit in the wall behind the cooktop. . . If you did install the downdraft regularly, did you sacrifice storage space below?

the cabinet below our cooktop is only half depth, the downdraft is behind it but the motor is actually in the basement, just before where it vents out the wall. such an arrangement might save you some space. its also a fair bit quieter, we have whooosh but no motor sound.

the storage is so efficient, its all 'one pot deep' so nothing to dig around for.

I think the question is less island or counter and more downdraft vs vent hood. We replaced our downdraft on the island with a venthood with a very high CFM and it made a huge difference. When cooking steaks we use a cast iron pan heat it as hot as possible and then sear the steak. This produces a ton of smoke. Often times salmon or bacon would make the whole house smell. With the high CFM vent hood we have no smells.

Anthony Chen, would you be willing to share what vent hood you have and comment on the "noise" factor?

ARTICLE: The next big trend in kitchen design? Downdraft ventilation.

Get rid of your range hood. The open plan kitchen is in.

http://ovens.reviewed.com/features/the-next-big-trend-in-kitchen-design-downdraft-vents

Cook top located in the island with a downdraft ventilation system?? TOTAL deal breaker for me. It's ugly and impractical.

The overall open floor plan design drives me bonkers anyway.

- Open kitchen floor plan means Cooking smells permeate the entire house

- Can't hide your kitchen mess if someone pops over

- Open designs are flat out sensory overload. Too much going on all over one big room. Looks more like a ski lodge than a home.

- Cook top in the middle is messy and dangerous

- Cook top in the middle right in front of barstools is just dumb. It gets hot and is dangerous esp if frying - it's like a hibachi grill.

We're shopping for a house now. I look at the kitchen pics first. If the cook top is in the middle of the island, we go on to the next house. The rest of the house could be perfect, but that is just one big fat Deal breaker. Too expensive to fix, too annoying to live with.

Lots of opinions, I have had three houses with the cooktop on the island over the last 30 years, never have faced a wall. I really like them, but I have to say that the downdrafts have really improved over time, currently have a gas cooktop paired with a KD downdraft that rises 18", works quite well thank you. Usually the design of the house dictates whether you have a hood or a downdraft, that is how you can vent, if that makes any sense.

I notice everyone is focused on a downdraft ventilation system. If you want an island setup, why not install an island range hood over the top of the range? The ceiling for the island setup is the same ceiling for a wall operation.

Here is ours.... love it!

as i have one of each.... i prefer my downdraft...its more effective as it makes a backstop for passing air currents... its quieter (motor in basement). its easier to clean, the whole part facing the cooktop is removable filters, so no reaching to clean grease off of it. and it looks better... no hood hanging in your face 24/7. and i have a pretty slim island hood.

oh, and i've never bomped my forehead on the corner of my downdraft.

Looking for a home now. Aghast at the fact 90% of kitchens in our price range seem to have the stove in the island. I survived with it in my last house and it was awful - it is messy and ugly. If you really, really enjoy cooking go for an island free of the clutter of a stove in the middle.

My last house had a Thermadore gas cooktop with downdraft in a 4x8 ft island, all one level. I loved it! While I was cooking I could chat with family/guests and they loved it too - the 4 counter stools were the most popular seats in the house! I now have a large island in my kitchen. Great for serving but I so miss having the cooktop there. I’m currently building a house and will put an induction cooktop with downdraft vent IN THE ISLAND! Can’t wait!

thanks for starting this thread-its been a huge help! We have a Jenn-air on the island and gutting kitchen -will keep cooktop on island and go with induction/downdraft. I enjoy being with my guest like have to sprawl out when cooking and have all my tools on the island. It was fun and nice to read through everyone's comments. Its nice there are options out there for everyone.

We are planning a new kitchen now, and will have a 5'x8' island, which is where we will need to put our cooktop. Trying to decide if it should be centered, or at one end of the island. Any suggestions?

I love islands but would not put a cook top on it. When people gather it's nice to have that space open for food drinks ect

@Susan Barrie We have it centered now and are planning on centering again when re-doing our kitchen in a few months. Our new island will be about 5'x10'. It it is facing our living room and panoramic windows with the views of the mountains.

I am remodeling my kitchen. It is ‘L’ shaped with 65”x51” island. Refrigerator and sink are on one wall (looking in-on left) and microwave/oven wall unit the opposite wall. I would really like to have the cooktop facing the family room, but that would mean the refrigerator would be out of work triangle. My triangle would be sink, cooktop, and micro/oven. Where would you suggest the cooktop go?

Here is a copy of the kitchen layout

I have had my cooktop on my island for years, converted to gas, got a sleek hood and I love it so much we are doing it in our new home!

@Anthony C, how high in CFM did you go? how many BTUs do you have on your cooktop?

We have had a gas Dacor cooktop in our island for 15 years and LOVE it. Not only do we face guests and people sitting at the island counter, but when guests aren't here we cook while watching the news. Love it. And our downdraft has worked like a charm. With three settings we keep it on the middle setting which works well and isn't as loud. Getting ready to remodel and are doing it all over again. I also don't agree with the % times that someone mentioned--I spend most of my time cooking, not prepping, but that could be because I took a knife skills class that really upped my game ;-)

@Lakewoodsouth Palmer which downdraft did you use? I am still deciding on brands

We are currently remodeling our 30 year old kitchen with a cooktop on the island and I will do anything to avoid the clutter, mess and pots and pans in the middle of the kitchen. If I have to cook facing the wall, so be it! Do people really entertain while they cook? I cook and then entertain and I don't want to see my pots and pans in the middle of the island. Someone said it ends up looking like a ski lodge and I would agree unless you can afford an ultra modern minimalist look and have sleek, brand new cookware.

I guess it is all a matter of preference. I am very lucky to have an island that is just a counter top with storage. It is the centre of our kitchen and I do plenty of entertaining while preparing and serving food/drinks without having to deal with the intrusion of a cooktop or sink in my way. If I had to have anything in an island, I’d choose putting a sink there over a cooktop. And I would situate this off to the side to maximize counter prep space. Personally, I can’t imagine having a cooktop with guests seated facing me, with steam and frying going on while I’m trying to entertain. I think my island would just be greasy and messy all the time. Someone referred to a cooktop in an island as being a deal breaker in searching for their new home. That would be the case for me. I would never choose this set up unless there was no other way to make the kitchen work. If you can keep your island free of all appliances, that is the best in my opinion.

It makes me crazy to see people put a cooktop on a kitchen island! Grease popping while frying! Steamy boiling water! Spaghetti sauce splattering! etc.. Not to mention all the real estate you lose on the island!😉 I don’t get it.

Definitely a deal breaker!!! I enjoy entertaining too much. i love being able to have friends/family standing all around the island.

It's funny this conversation popped up on my notifications so many years later. Today the guy who helped design our kitchen (correction, we designed and he kept telling me it couldn't be done/had never been done before/he didn't know how to do it/that's not how people USUALLY do it/oh wow that's a really neat way of doing it!) stopped by to check up on a storage hallway organization system we were putting in. We rehashed our now 15-years old kitchen design and he said, again, "you were definitely one who broke the mold and did things in this community that people are only now embracing". Our first home had cooktop against wall. Now that we've lived with cooktop in island I personally won't have it any other way. My parents build a summer home down south, and did the same thing. We're remodeling another summer home (will sell the first one) and are doing the same, cooktop in the island. The cavet for us is that it requires a huge island: the new one will be 13' long. And yes, when we entertain, that's where people gather. It's never a mess, as the cleanup is behind me in a deep sink. If I'm cooking for people, they line up on the stools and it's easy for them to watch and me to plate. For me, one benefit is that when I'm prepping and cooking, there are only two times when I have to pivot and take from/place something behind me: When I take stuff out of the fridge to put on the island for prep, and when I take a dirty pan/pot and put it in the cleanup sink. All prep/chop/cook is done facing one direction, and that area has cooktop on one side and prep sink on other with ample workspace between (this helps when the 2 of us are working we don't have to dance around each other...one faces one way the other faces forward and we stay that way till task completion). Obviously there are design considerations for it to work (length/depth of island, ample ventilation) but more importantly considerations for how the individuals work. I design for how I work, I don't like to work around a design as I care more about usability vs. style over function. As for resale? I don't care in this case. I want to enjoy it while I'm here. If a house I'm considering buying has the wrong layout for me, I'll re-design.

So while it might make one shake their heads at this layout, it really does work very cleanly and efficiently for how we cook and entertain. It's not for everyone, but that's why people design things that suit them, not others.

I like my current cooktop in the island but I'm also looking at the redesign for our reno. In order to do one, you'll need enough space on the other side of the cooktop so that there's no splash/splatter. I'm also putting in a double island so I have a stand-alone prep area. Also, look at Officine Gullo for design ideas.