Design Tips for Hiding Kitchen Vent Pipes

Box It In

• Build a long, rectangular box around the vent pipe, and connect the box to the wall. Measure the width and length needed to cover the pipe, including the breadth of any bends in the pipes.

  Cut two boards from 1/2-inch plywood sheets, one for behind the pipe and one for in front of it. Affix the back one to the wall with wood screws screwed into the wall studs.

  Measure the thickness of the pipe times the length, and cut two more pieces of plywood to enclose the two sides of the pipe. Apply wood glue to the edges, and screw the side panels into the panel on the wall. Apply wood glue to the other ends of the side panels, and screw the front panel into them. Add decorative wood trim around the top, sides and/or bottom of the enclosure, and finish the box with a coat of paint.

Make a Column Effect

• Create a column around a straight vent pipe. Purchase rounded column halves that have a large enough diameter to enclose the pipe. Nail them together and install a decorative cap at the top and bottom of the column.

A Faux Cabinet

• Depending on the placement of the vent pipe and the length of its exposed part, a cabinet enclosure may be enough to conceal the pipe. The cabinet’s depth may also need to be cut down from the back to make its profile slimmer against the wall.

  Cut out two even openings in the faux cabinet, at the top and bottom through the back. Leave some of the cabinet’s back wall in place if the depth was not reduced. If the back wall was cut off, remove it and cut two pieces of it and nail them into the back to enclose it on either side of the pipe.

  Fit the cabinet over the pipe, and push it until the back is flush against the wall, without pushing the vent pipe. Screw the cabinet into the wall studs through the back of the cabinet, after leveling it and locating the wall studs.

Decorative Art Pieces

• When the only option is to work with the exposed vent pipe, this becomes an opportunity to use improvisational decorative solutions. Search out three-dimensional artistic pieces to cover the vent pipe for a result that looks like a sculptured, dazzled piece of art in the kitchen.