I'll scout around, Aliris. This and a few other tips really helped make my kitchen the functional paradise it is (for me) today -- when I began, I was quite uninformed regarding design issues that are just accepted traditions and design issues you can change with impunity for the better. I'll quote the above Starcraft Builders article here just for reference: "The ideal maximum height of upper cabinets is about 32". The top shelf should be not more than about 26" from the bottom of the cabinet. Anything higher is "stool storage" -- you have to stand on a stool to get to it. There is no harm in having taller cabinets, even right to the ceiling, so long as you recognize that the top part of tall cabinets is usually unreachable and should be used to hold things only rarely used. Even the top shelf of a 32" cabinet is for most of us in the extended rather than the primary arc of reach. We can usually reach just the stuff in front of the shelf. (Lazy susans installed on the top shelf can remedy the problem, however -- everything at the back of the shelf can quickly be brought within reach with a little twist of the wrist.) The placement of upper cabinets can hamper efficiency. Most commonly they are placed 18" above the counter top. This has become the standard, not because it is the best height, but because it's where the typical 30" wall cabinet happens to fall when installed on an 8 foot wall under the usual 12" soffit and above a 36" high counter. This is, however, too high for efficient use by the most people under 6' tall. The best reach height for most people is just 57" -- about shoulder height. If the bottom of the cabinet is at 54" then almost everything in the cabinet is above the best reach height. Lowering the cabinet slightly makes the stuff in the cabinet more readily accessible. The best height for a wall cabinet is 14-15" above the counter top. A lot of countertop appliances, however, especially coffee-makers, assume an 18" height above the counter, and use every bit of it. If you have these tall appliances, then at least some of your cabinets will need to be placed higher than the optimum height. Lowering the upper cabinets just this 3-4 inches makes all of the bottom two shelves of the cabinet easily reachable, as well as at least the front half of the third shelf. Upper cabinet storage is now much more efficient with just this modest change."

Wow, some neat examples...do you think it would look ok in a kitchen on the smaller side? My kitchen is U-shaped and nowhere near as large and open as the photos. Funny, I grew up in an old house and remember some pretty wild color combos my mother painted the kitchen cabs...pink and green in the 50's and apple green and dark chocolate in the 60's. After that, the "antiquing" craze came in and they were all one color.

Your countertop looks similar in color to your new upper cabinets, so if you really want blue or green, I would go with it. Have you seen the new products at Lowes made by Rustoleum I think that provide an excellent package of products to change the color of your cabinets and a package if you want to change the color of your countertops? I happen to LOVE light green cabinets or apple green.

Sure it looks good, but how much do you want to pay for looks? I've been in many many homes where I thought someone should have paid a bit more for looks (or found a better designer / architect as better looks doesn't always cost more). Aesthetics (furniture, buildings, landscaping, street and streetscape design, urban planning) can have a huge affect on our mental/emotional well being, especially when its a place we spend time every day. We use to know this but began to forget it. Fortunately we're very slowly beginning to pay attention to it again. ---------- OP, as others above said, if you use your kitchen rather than simply have one as a showpiece then pay attention to function first and only then to form but without negatively impacting function. A good kitchen is a workspace. It should function well above all else. Make sure the things you use (or will use) most are easy to access and put away if they don't stay out. Personally I prefer more space between counter and uppers, shallower uppers, or no uppers. I want open space between my eyes and the counter space. Not all counter space gets used this way though so in those instances 18" (with good lighting underneath) is likely sufficient. My wife is shorter than I and wants some specific items in uppers that she can easily reach. Our new kitchen has some 18" and some 22". I've been in a couple of kitchens with no uppers and quite like them. All that was typically in uppers was in drawers or for a few items (glasses, etc.) lined up neatly on shelves. These kitchens do indeed feel much more open and that's a great feeling. Our highest cabinets are used for things that are rarely used and we've found that what goes up there then gets used even less as it's a pain to find the step ladder to get stuff down. A scullery or pantry can have a track ladder that makes this massively easier or can have an easy place to store a safe step stool.