Some really good comments above with helpful advice. Just to throw another idea into the mix. If you are worried that a mantle might be to 'traditional' for your home, there are always clever ways to put a more contemporary twist on a shaker kitchen. The picture above shows a kitchen we completed last year, that has traditional elements such as the T&G panels that we used to create a floating shelf that stretches the entire back run. This is hiding the extractor & ducting out, whilst also offering that option of using the shelf for recipe books or ornaments. The splashback was a book matched granite, again spanning the full width, giving the illusion of more space. Hope this helps/is useful in making your mind up as too which way to go. Thanks Spencer Marchand Kitchens

I have an ESSE wood burning range 990 ch. It has to go. Looks lovely, lovely ambient heat but a glorified slow cooker. I would love to replace it with an electric cast iron range cooker but i'm just not convinced that is a good idea in terms of running costs and I just cant throw another 8 or 9 grand at a cooker when my experience has been so negative. I'm loathe to pull it out because it looks lovely but I have 7 children and I'm constantly exasperated trying to cook on the ESSE. I would like a dual fuel range style cooker that would fit in its place, 1 metre. (I can go wider as I can pull out a cupboard but its a hassle I could do without.) My head is spinning from the things I ve read. I decided on a lacanche because it looks lovely, then I read reviews saying they're not worth it. Which magazine says rangemaster is the best but it is so ugly I've no heart in buying it. My kitchen looks modern-Ill try and upload a picture if I get a minute but I love the plonk of cooking porn-my esse- in the middle. Pity its entirely impotent in terms of cooking. I also thought maybe I could stretch to a cornue fe (and hide the price from my husband and get a loan out from the credit union) but then I read that its just about the look, nothing special in terms of cooking. I don't want a range on legs. They wouldn't suit my kitchen. I need to get sorted soon as the children want to bake nearly every day with the lockdown and we are using the convection function on a microwave which isn't really ideal. I don't have time to breastfeed my baby and a cooker! Please help!

I assume the company you’ve ordered from are installing it? I’m sure it will be fine, maybe give them a ring. The range should fit down the steps sideways? Our utility room is in our basement and the previous people installed a range oven in there. That would have come down a lot of stairs (with a turn at the end) so I’m sure it will be fine

I’ve seen images of it done but have to confess it looks rather strange to me.