They work or they wouldn’t manufacture them. Whether or not they are aesthetically pleasing is a matter of opinion. Personally I think they’re ugly and when you have a newly fitted kitchen and it is all streamlined and then you have what looks simmilar to a TV slanted on the wall it spoils the overall look. If you want the streamlined then you need to look at an integrated or built in one. Don’t forget to look at the noise level and the extraction rate for effectiveness.

Thank you all so much.  We have had months and months of conversation and research on this issue and I'm just so tired of it.  Now we've paid the deposit for the kitchen and the builder is booked for the extension work to start we're feeling the pressure in terms of making decisions.  You've all helped to encourage me to reconsider all options again with fresh eyes (we put the whole thing on hold for a coupld of months as we're unable to make a decision).  The round chimney is my preference of the two and I prefer it to any other chimney style extractor.  My overall preference would be a flush ceiling extractor but this is ultimately down to what the builder says and how this could fit alongside the beam.  A venting hob is a compromise for us, which I'm sure we'd get used to very quickly as you always do once things are done.  We have already designed the kitchen layout and planned where everything will go so it will take some thinking to lose the drawer/cupboard below the hob.  It's exhausting going over and over the same pert of the project and never quite finding a conclusion we're happy with.  But if certainly helps to have all your friendly people to talk it through with. Thanks again. Ruth

Thanks jonathan. the breast wall hasnt been built as yet, the builder said there are no brackets with the extractor so in order to make it fit he would have to build a timber housing unit and then build the breast wall around that, and that just seems a lot of work so i thought i must have bought the wrong one? its been a lot of drama over an extractor!

Thank you for the replies and sharing your experiences! It seems then it is possible to use this approach (although it’s still interesting whether this applies to any brand or not). I will try to report back if it worked with an Electrolux in our case or not. @LuxeLtd the kitchen looks awesome!