A Cooker Hood as Eye-Catcher in a Low-Energy Home

Low energy living is getting more popular. When looking at the long list of advantages, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Because we like to deal with the environment in a sustainable manner, we put a lot of effort into making our home airtight and energy efficient. A cooker hood with recirculation mode may serve this purpose. Architect Kristof De Lange often opts for a recirculation hood in the kitchen. Unlike a traditional appliance it sends the warm, purified air back into the room, without unnecessary exhaust to the air outside.

Design Is a Storytelling Process

Kristof De Lange has a thing for kitchens. He considers it an essential part of the house since residents spend most of their time there. In his view, the ideal kitchen is light, spacious, comfortable and has a practical layout. The room is not separated from the rest of the house, with open spaces, rooms and functions blending into one another. ‘The kitchen should enhance the architecture’, states De Lange, who compares designing with storytelling. And just like with good stories, getting the details right is fundamental. The architect further attaches importance to themes as ecology and sustainability. Respect for the environment, but also for the history of a building, which he uses as a base for his designs.

Kitchen with Industrial Look

The kitchen he created in collaboration with Maku Interieur for Eline and Jan in Sint-Niklaas has an industrial style. The rough look of the new extension relates to the history of the premises. Construction elements are notably present in this former car paint factory. The brick walls and steel girders refer to the industrial history of the building along with the new shed roofs, which can usually be seen in factory halls. The new kitchen design is based upon this old story, with an industrial look that also includes domestic elements. The kitchen was executed in white laminate, plywood Polish pine and with a green tile splashback.

Traditional vs. Recirculation

The Novy Mood cooker hood is fitted above the free-standing cooking island and has a recirculation mode as standard. An explicit choice, according to De Lange. A traditional appliance that extracts the air to the outside was not an option in the kitchen since the house has a D-ventilation system with heat recovery. Recirculation differs from ordinary extraction because it is based on a Monoblock filter that neutralizes odours. It extracts air from the house, filters the cooking odours, and returns purified air back to the room. It is the ideal solution for this low energy home.

Smart Design Object

From the wide range of options with ceiling units, built-in and built-under cooker hoods, decorative wall-mounted and island hoods and downdraft extraction, De Lange opted for the Novy Mood. This appliance combines functionality with design and is a real eye-catcher in the room. Due to its adjustable suspension cables it is the ideal feature in a kitchen with sloping ceilings such as this one. The cooker hood can thus adapt perfectly to the space.

Cosy Mood Light

Another striking feature that makes the device so special, are the different lighting modes. Mood is not only a cooker hood. It is also a sublime lighting fixture. There are two modes: the cooking mode and the ambience mode, with a choice between neutral light and warm light. The intensity of both light and colour can therefore be modified. The cooking mode is for practical use. It illuminates the cooker while cooking and has a maximal light intensity under the hood and a lower intensity at the sides. Once you have finished cooking, the light switches to an ambience mode. With a remote control you can determine the mood in your kitchen.

Novy Product Guide Helps You on Your Way

Architect Kristof De Lange selected a decorative island hood, Mood 7550, because he loves:

• innovative technology
• the combination of design and ambience
• multifunctionality
• an industrial look

Still unsure about your choice of style? Let the Novy product guide assist you. It is a handy tool that in just a few steps helps you on your way to the right cooker hood or cooker to match your kitchen.