Hi,
I'm in the very early phase of a kitchen redesign, I'll be replacing all base and wall cabinets among other things.

We've asked a few friends who have gone through a kitchen re-do for their advice - we've gotten some great ideas. I'm not sure about one piece of advice and would appreciate any input. This person insisted that we have upper cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling - she likes the idea of of not having any cleaning space to deal with. This is an older house, our ceiling is is 94.5" - 95" high.

So my question is how to deal with cabinet heights. A quick look around and I see standard height wall cabinets seems to be 30-36". My base cabinets (with the countertop) will be 36" and I believe the rule of thumb is a space of 18" between the counter and the wall cabinets. So if I were to go to the ceiling, I'd need wall cabinets of 40.5". That would be a custom cabinet size, not out of the question but is it worth it? It is a small kitchen and I'm not sure if 4.5" crown molding would work, it might be a bit overwhelming. Or another option I'd have would be to create a greater distance between the countertop and the wall cabinets (say 22.5").

Another issue is the variance of ceiling height - so far I've seen at least a .5" difference in spots. If I were to use 36" (or 38") wall cabinets, would such a variance be less noticeable? I could imagine some sort of crown molding might draw the eye to some low or high spots.

Anyhow, any input is appreciated!!
Bob

 

Use a standard size cabinet and build a false chase above to lower the ceiling height to meet the cabinet height. Build the chase perfectly level in relation to the base cabinets and you can mask your slight wave in the ceiling.

 

I agree to use standard size cabinets, either 30" or 36". In my kitchen I have 30" cabinets with nothing above them (except for decorative bowls) To add some interest, I have a corner cabinet that is 36" tall and I think it looks very nice even with the crown close to the ceiling. I have 8' ceilings.

 

Some people are meticulous cleaners, and the space above the cabinets can render a nice focal point, as in Tolyn's situation. One thing to insist on, is a very short cabinet over the microwave. Today's microwaves are much larger than your mother's and stick down too much to be aesthetic, nor functional without blocking your view of your stove top.
We have a soffit built above our cabinets, since we are not very meticulous cleaners , and after living in the house for 12 years, too much "stuff" would have gathered up there. I have even installed rope lighting over areas that are exposed like that, and the light adds to the ambiance of the room.