Let’s start with the biggest options – the metal. Yes, this site is about copper hoods, but custom hoods can be made of brass, stainless steel, zinc and even galvanized or cold-rolled steel. You may see that some of our photos include stainless steel straps or other combinations of materials.

A few of my personal favorites include using brass with copper to create a subtle color change. This is particularly effective with straps (or a top and bottom frame) and a patina. Stainless steel can also be an attractive contrast to copper and, in some cases, you may choose to use a mirror finish stainless steel rather than the common grain finish.

Zinc is an entirely different story and we have an entire website dedicated to zinc range hoods. Zinc is like copper in that it reacts and shows its age over time, but the base color is a gray or silver rather than an orange.

Copper has a tradition of being hammered and this can be a beautiful look on your hood. Unfortunately, the process of hand-hammering has a few downsides for fabricators as well as the material performance. Some manufacturers offer a light, medium or heavy texture and the general rule is that light textures work well on large expanses of metal (like the body of a range hood) and will show up more with a polished rather than a patinaed hood. Likewise, one of the most popular combinations is a heavy texture and a dark brown patina for a classic, old world look.

Speaking of patinas, most fabricators offer patina applications to copper hoods. Because the patina process is a chemical reaction that has a number of variables, the most common are light brown or a dark brown patina. These are applied by hand so there is a natural variance in the colors of the hoods. Areas near straps or rivets are darker than the larger panels as you would expect with an aged hood.

The details on copper hoods can dramatically change the overall look. For instance, since curves add additional labor, a straight edged hood can be a clean-lined, simple design or, by adding straps and rivets to the frame and doing the front panel in three sections, you can really get an old world, “country French” look without spending a fortune.

Additionally, large carriage bolts can be used to make the rivets more dramatic or add personalized embossing to various components to your hood.