Bio from Kitchen and Bath Design News: Paul McAlary possesses a voice that resonates far beyond the boundaries of Philadelphia’s western suburbs and the city’s prestigious Main Line – the location of his well-established Delaware Valley design firm. McAlary, president and senior designer of Bala Cynwyd, PA-based Main Line Kitchen Design, is an internationally recognized kitchen design authority who has won more than a dozen local and national design awards, including being named a 2017 Viking Appliances Designer of Distinction. Beyond his achievements as a designer, McAlary has also forged a burgeoning reputation as the creative force behind the “Main Line Kitchen Design Blog,” a unique online forum and social media resource that is read by more than 40,000 people each month and has been honored as one of the top kitchen design blogs in the world. Main Line Kitchen Design’s videos and blogs address a wide range of kitchen/bath-related topics aimed at sparking a constructive exchange of ideas among both consumers and design professionals. McAlary, whose kitchens and comments often appear in trade magazines and on social media sites, is sometimes at odds with the kitchen design establishment, but he maintains a distinct sense of humor and is known as a fierce advocate for design standards, ethics and transparency in the kitchen design trade.
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2 Replies to “Hood Blower Insert Recommendation”
Nate
We have read conflicting info on hood width vs range width. We have heard that the hood width should match your range width and yet also heard it should be one step larger (36″ range with a 42″ hood). We are planning on a 36″ cooktop (Thermador) with a Zepher hood insert (450 CFM one). Should we go with a 36″ wide hood or a 42″ wide one? May be a good blog post on width of hoods vs size of cooktop/professional stoves
pmcalary[ Post Author ]
Hi Nate,
In general hoods look better and work a little better when they are wider then the cooking surface below. However every kitchen design is different and making a hood wider could also mean making the wall cabinet doors on either side of the hood too narrow to look good. This is where a good kitchen designer can help you weigh the aesthetics. The biggest problem with builtin hoods is making them too deep. Appliance salespeople usually give bad advice on hood sizes and CFM’s. Consult an experienced kitchen designer to help you make these decisions. In general we like hoods to be shallower and higher than is recommended by hood manufacturers. The manufactures give no weight to style and looks or even to function and only consider the venting performance. Appliance manufactures would have your hood hitting you in the face and anyone 6 feet tall unable to see what they are cooking if it was left to them. These same manufactures recommended powerful hoods that poisoned people until building codes required replacement air systems for hoods over 400 CFM’s.