Two huge things for us when we were designing our kitchen were the countertops and the range hood. Our island is HUGE and we just couldn't imagine the glare of a big granite slab in the middle of the room - and we didn't want visible seams, either. We went with Corian and we could not be happier! Our range is built into this enormous island, and needed a hood. The thought of some huge stainless blimp thing hanging down was unappealing so our contractor suggested framing it in with wood, something that would also help absorb more sound. WOW. Honestly I don't even notice it sometimes. My kitchen is warm and inviting, in spite of the big, modern appliances. Because we live in the woods, we wanted to make sure that the materials we chose were not going to clash with our surroundings. We had to work hard to get that feel right, though. Here's a picture ....