Replacing the cabinet and appliance hood that was above our cooktop was something I’ve wanted to do since we moved in over 2 years ago. But rather than jumping in to having it replaced, I waited in order to to give myself some time to really think about what I wanted. I think if I had tackled this idea right when we moved in I would have gone with an antique-white cabinet style hood that matched the existing cabinets. But I’m really glad I waited and gave myself some time to think and weigh all the different options.
I really do think for some of the bigger changes you want to make in a house that being patient and living in a place for a little while leads to making design decisions you’ll be happier with in the long run. At least that’s how it works for me. 😉
Before
Waiting allowed me to really live with this kitchen and make doubly sure that I wouldn’t miss having a cabinet above our cooktop. In over two years I never once used this cabinet to store anything, so I know replacing it with something more decorative will not create a storage issue.
You might remember back in June when I blogged about the three different range hood options I was considering.
I asked you all to weigh in with your thoughts and most of you all agreed with me that black would look great.
After
It’s amazing to me how much this one simple change made in our kitchen! I’m so in love with this black cabinet style range hood! It makes such a dramatic statement and ties in so nicely with our black island and black pendants.
Since the previous owners had left behind a generous amount of leftover backsplash tile I was able to easily fill the gap where the new hood is higher than the previous one.
*It’s always a good idea to order more than you need when you’re doing a tiling project as you just never know what you might want to use it for in the future.
While the black against the white cabinets is super high contrast I think the cabinet style lends itself to a more classic feel.
Project Details
I ordered the hood through Lowe’s kitchen cabinet department (this is not a sponsored project – I wish it was! 😉 ) and had them do the install. Then I had my electrician come out and install “the guts”. Since this is an exterior facing wall I chose to have the hood vented, but I could have gone with a recycling fan instead. I just figured since it could be vented and since I was already having an electrician install for me I might as well go ahead and vent it to the exterior. I did also have to replace the molding on the cabinets that flank the hood (because the old moulding stopped short and didn’t wrap around the top cabinets as it does now. So I hired a guy that used to work for a builder to do that work for me. Mainly because I wanted the moulding to match the cabinets exactly, so I knew that it would need to be sprayed…..and long story short, that’s above my pay grade. 😉 Basically I wanted a professional look, and I am not a professional wood-worker as evidenced by my recent wall moulding project. Ha!
Anyhow all of this to say, the majority of this project was hired out, but I did take care of the little bit of tiling work that needed to be done. All-in-all it has been somewhat of a lengthy process from ordering to scheduling and having all of the work done, but I’m really happy with the end result!
Favorite Kitchen Accessories
Oh, it’s so beautiful! Great job!