Hi Mark, This is a tricky one as the white one, on the one hand, would blend in nicely but, on the other, with time it may turn yellow. The black one would make more sense in terms of it complimenting the black hob and grease would not show as much as well as less risk of eventual discolouration. I would recommend the black one not only because of the above issues but also because of the fact that you're not trying to conceal the extractor - you're rather making it a ceiling feature. Hope this helps and best of luck! Natalia

When replacing an existing kitchen in UK, the current recommendation is that you replace your old extractor with one that’s as good as or better than the previous one . If it’s above the hob it needs to remove a minimum of 30 litres per second if it’s elsewhere in the room it’s a minimum of 60litres per second . There are advantages of having a higher extraction rate than these - ie less moisture in the air - less sticky residue on door fronts and shelves etc! The m3/ph is just another form showing what it does/how efficient etc and can be useful if you want to work out the volume of the room and the air you want to remove etc . Hope that helps ?! It’s basically what your builder suggested - he’s obvs got your back ! Nice to have one on board who’s not trying to help you overspend !!

Well depends on the specific appliance - some have separate motors that you can position efficiently to avoid the possibility of condensation damage. But if you fancy a good chat about this - best people to contact are the appliance manufacturers, as they will have an in-depth knowledge that the best of us couldn’t aspire to have !

Hi- I also considered using a ceiling extractor fan over my hob. Like yours my hob is on a wall, not on an island. As long as your space can meet the installation requirements for ducting, distances, electrical connections, etc, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t use one.