These hoods from Best S.p.A are very much a case in point. I like them because they are both quite a bit less in size than gargantuan, and they’re innovative. The trouble with some of the other kitchen hoods I have written about is that they are entirely too big for our kitchen.

Barriviera Cappe is an Italian company that is proud of its artistic heritage. In designing their hoods, they have consciously set out to create a product that is “a combination of aesthetic quality and functionality, a product that cannot mean nothing to you, that will enter into your hearts.”

The Airone Aida can be hidden in one’s wall cabinets, which is something I thought never to see. The visible ducting is almost non-existent, and the separate remote motor sits in the ducting, which takes that amount of noise away from the kitchen, not to mention the bulk of the motor itself.

What most intrigues me about Native Trails’ line of products is that they are all hand-made and made, for the most part, from recycled materials. The finished work is nothing short of stunning. And expanding, because the one thing Native Trails is NOT doing is resting on their laurels.