When was the last time you thought, “I really love that hood vent”? We’re willing to bet it’s been awhile and that’s okay! It’s not an appliance that gets a lot of attention—but every once in a while a designer will use it to inject a little more style in the kitchen. Take a look through these eight incredible spaces to see what we mean.

Photo: Nick Mele

Magic Mirror

Styles collide in this Palm Beach kitchen from Vancouver-based designer Gillian Segal. She wanted to create a space that could easily transition from day to night, so she brought in both hardwearing and glitzy materials. The leather seats can withstand kid messes; meanwhile, the custom mirrored hood vent lends a touch of glam. Learn more about this luxe-yet-laidback space.

Photo: Eymeric Widling

Get Plastered

This kitchen was finished with crisp white quartz countertops and light wood cabinetry with flat panel doors. “It’s all super easy to clean and maintain,” explains interior designer Cristina Rivett. To keep the look from being too cold, she also incorporated several textural elements, including the oversized rattan pendants, seagrass counter stools and plaster hood vent. Swoon. Step inside this lakeside property.

Photo: Sharon Litchfield

Faux Leather

The kitchen in this Calgary home features a porcelain countertop and backsplash, Farrow and Ball Studio Green cabinetry, fringed stools and a metal hood fan—the latter of which was custom made to look like it has a leather finish. It all comes together to create a space that’s both stunning and sumptuous. “[The owner] wasn’t afraid to play with colour, she loves materials, she loves to have fun and push the envelope,” says designer Brianna Hughes. See the rest of this decadent home.

Stained glass in prairie modern kitchen
Photo: Klassen Photography

Squared Away

Designers Erika Keskitalo and Aly Velji were tasked with making this dark and stuck-in-the-’90s interior brighter and airier—and they delivered! In the kitchen 3” x 3” tiles give the backsplash and hood fan a more natural, handmade look and add subtle texture. Tour this “prairie modern” home.

Hood Ornament

It’s not often that a hood vent gets to be the star in the kitchen—but that’s exactly what happened when designer Nam Dang-Mitchell started working on this Calgary home. “I wanted it to bridge that gap between modern design and a more traditional culinary vocabulary,” she says of the oversized riveted-steel hood fan with bronze strappings. “That hood is what all the other ideas revolved around.” Check out the rest of this French-inspired space.

Photo: Ema Peter

Disappearing Act

Having trouble spotting the hood fan in this kitchen? That’s the beauty of it! Architect and homeowner Rafael Santa Ana transformed a former galley kitchen into an ultra clean and sleek space. The cabinetry and countertops, filled with stealthy compartments, hide everything—including the hood vent—out of sight. “This is my mid-life crisis red convertible,” he laughs. Explore the rest of this North Vancouver home.

Photo: Barbara Tili

Quiet Place

With a drywall enclosure, the hood in this condo is visually quiet. “By keeping it white, crisp and clean, it’s not where your eye is drawn,” says designer Andrea Ewanchyna of Andreajae Studio. “Instead it’s drawn to the back, to the warm cherry and deal.” And, perhaps even better, it’s audibly quiet—the Faber fan sweeps away cooking odours with barely a peep. Get more kitchen design tips.

Photo: Ema Peter

Shelf-Made

We’re not sure what we love more: the hood vent or the open shelves (stacked with Barter dishes) that surround it. In any case, we have designer Sophie Burke to thank! This kitchen was designed to function as the heart of the home—and we can certainly imagine spending a lot of time here. Find out how to get this look.