Snaps to reader Laura, who tracked down a company that would make a range hood exhaust fan — with scallops! — for her retro kitchen remodel. What a terrific find. To further research this story, I talked to Donald Stanley, the owner of Vents4Less — which retails the hoods, and to Janet DiRisio, manager of Imperial Hoods — which makes them. Yup: Made the U.S.A. — and since 1961. This is Imperial’s 50th anniversary, yay on them. Here is what I found out about ordering scalloped range hood suitable for a 1950s, 1960s or, yes, even 1970s kitchen project:
- Imperial Hoods can add scallops — or you could come up with your own decorative scrolled edge edge — to virtually any of their stock range hoods.
- The upcharge for the scallop trim, when ordered via Vents4Less.com, is going to be update: In Nov. 2013, the company let us know this price is now $289.
- Imperial has a great selection of sizes, including 30″, 36″ and 42″. They also have island hoods — I see range-tops on peninsulas fairly often in midcentury homes.
- The company is very proud of their warranty: the industry’s only 7-year 100% parts and labor plus in-home service warranty. Janet says this is a testament to Imperial’s quality and the company’s determination to stand behind their product.
- The decorative scroll is cut separately from the range hood and adhered with a special tape made just for this purpose.
- And, they can do powder-coated colors. Vents4Less sent me a card with the custom colors – mostly primaries, no pastels, and no coppertone. But I bet if you were tenacious and nice, you could work with them to get a custom color…
How to order a custom range hood:
- Vents4Less is the retailer — that means you must go through them to make your order. Use their “Custom” contact page, and tell ’em I sent you.
- Vents4Less will work with you and Imperial to finalize your design.