I think my choice would be to build the smallet possible box around the pipe, paint it as the rest of the wall is painted, put up your open shelves, put something great on the top shelf, and forget the box is there. Chances are it will not draw any attention to itself. I think taking cabinetry up there will just make it stand out as a "fix" to a problem. FWIW. --Amy

Yes, yes, yes--just like that! (Man, I coulda used that software!) I think it looks great, and if the hutch is supposed to look like a freestanding furniture piece, of course it wouldn't be the same height as the cabinetry.
~amy

Maybe, if you can create a deeper window ledge on the bottom to make the window seem inset- like a garden window- it will look like it belongs. Just a thought :)

Is it a waste line or a supply line? I'm certainly no plumber but are you sure that it can go up vertically above the window and still flow right? I ask because supply lines are small so I doubt that it's a supply line (if it is, you could fur out the wall as palimpsest suggested), and waste, without pressure behind it, is not going to flow vertically up.

Have you pressed the contractor to make sure that there is no way to make your original solution work?

You said your 'contractor' discovered this. I assume that there is a master plumber working on your project? We also raised our ceiling with 2 bathrooms above it and I was so pleased with the options that our plumber came up with. And both our plumber and GC insisted that we tear out the ceiling before we ordered our cabinets to be sure that there was a solution.

What were the previous owners thinking, dropping it a full 2 feet?!

Good luck

With a taller cabinet.
{{!gwi}}

I have in mind something that would create a recessed wall niche like rhome has. If you build the soffit and then the wall down to the counter... then below the soffit can be open shelving. I just really like that look but don't know if it would work in your application.

What about fake upper stacked cabinets?

Or something like this. It goes all the way around.

Here is a link that might be useful: GW creative ways to hide a soffit

Take bmorepanic's last diagram, put mullioned windows on that new cabinet to match the hutch, and make it taller so it sits on the counter with one drawer there. You'll lose some counterspace, but it will look more balanced.

Alternative idea...
If the pipes can be placed flush on that wall in the angle with the ceiling, use custom large crown molding to run across the entire wall and hollow out a space behind it for the pipes (don't know if that is technically feasible).

Can you go all the way to the ceiling with the hutch and do a fake double stacked cabinet up to the ceiling where the pipes are so they are balanced?
Otherwise, it reads as a steady incline from left to right.

I like Bmore's drawing from Fri, Jan 14, 11 at 7:15 but I would make it a glass front cabinet and bring it to the counter top with a single drawer the same height as the one in the hutch cabinet. I agree with the pp that said they think it will actually look more balanced than the open shelving.

I like the idea of using bmore's idea, taking it to the counter with a drawer and glass door to balance.

Taking it all up or using an exaggerated crown all the way around are other options, but I would also make sure that a plumber can't find a way to deal with the pipe in that corner before you decide on anything.

My initial preference was the same as Palimpsest's...Fur out the wall a couple of inches and lose part of the right end of the cabinets.

However, I don't think your drawings are looking that 'off', and also like Remodelfla's suggestion of framed in, inset shelves, as it would provide a whole different look and might not compete as much, or be compared to the hutch. All depends on how it looks, of course. I should dig up your files and try some of these...

How much room do the pipes need? Can you turn the cabinet hiding the pipes the other direction...i.e. put it against the same wall as the hutch with a faked cabinet hiding the pipes...maybe it would look more in balance with the hutch this way?

V2 - to the counter with tile-ectomy. Plain glass doors because the panes and mullions aren't in the same scale as they will be on the hutch.
{{!gwi}}

I tried the sofit with prettiness over both cabinets - but it looks weird to me because it makes an isolated tall column out of one cabinet in the middle of the wall.

I think Bmore's last drawing nails it.

I agree with Marthaville.

Here is a third vote to agree that bmores is a good and pleasing solution!

What about a cabinet that "wraps" in that corner, like this one? Would this make a cabinet that goes to the ceiling seem a little wider and not so tall and skinny?

Can you do a little boxy soffit, then trim it out with moulding like the window, put a light in it, and just treat it as a uhhh lid for the shelves?

Get a better plumber!

If this cabinet thingy were something like this, and I painted the back of it to match the hutch, would that help balance things? I would also really like to use this in a door:

The problem I'm having with anything like this is that it's a 27" cabinet, and that's an awfully big door. Two doors look funny to me though. Anyway, imagine that the hutch and interior of the cabinet are the same greyish blue.

So for those who like bmore's last pic, should the soffit just be a plain 'ol, wall-colored soffit, or something along the lines of the ones in boxerpup's photos?

If you are doing the single soffit, I vote plain old wall color.

What if you tried a single mullion across the middle to visually break the door into two sections?

It would be great to see exactly what is there. Is the room demo'd? Don't get why there isn't enough room to put this in the wall.

I tend to notice the off balance of the soffit above the single cabinet.

Option 1:

Fur out the doorway a little bit to fit the pipe.

Option 2:
Do a small angled soffit above the doorway. Look at the photo 5 posts up from Worldmom. You can see how the ceiling angles. If the pipe/drop was able to be moved as close as possible to the door wall, it would be a minimal angle. Most people would think it was due to roof line or some stairway or something. wouldn't give it much thought. Or make it a regular small soffit but only in the area over the doorway between the freezer and the sink wall.

Worldmom, it's looking good. Since it wasn't mentioned, though: I don't really know the style of your house and design, but since it is old, how about a faked old beam--the kind of thing that just has to be accepted but adds wonderful character? I've admired so many wonderful kitchens and other rooms built around old beams in what would always be disastrous locations if they were in new construction.

Don't know why I didn't say look at the photo of your post 5 up :).

What Rosie said was another idea I forgot to post. Could even do a couple across the ceiling of the kitchen so it looks like they belong.

I think Bmore's V2 is good and I would do the soffit to match the wall.

I think if the soffit is painted to match the wall you would not notice it much after a while. Why not just put the soffit up between the freezer/fridge and the sink wall, and do your wall shelves as you planned. I wonder if you would notice it much after a while. You might notice it more, if you have a tall and skinny cabinet that is visually out of balance.

I do like Bmore's V2 with the wall colored soffit over it and the cabinet going all they way down to the counter. But if you are looking to save counter space and just hang it on the wall, I think it will look off balance no matter what you do. If you don't want it to go to the counter, I would just have the soffit and no cabinet and just do your shelves as you planned.

The problem with putting trim on the sofit is that it becomes more important and more visually apparent. If you can get away with a 4 inch depth of sofit, that's what I'd do and just let it recede from notice.

I think if you DON'T want a cabinet, an angled sofit - rather like the teal and pink kitchen shows as ceiling - would be interesting without being invasive.

If having a cabinet, at 27" you can do two doors and it would function better as each door wouldn't stick out into the aisle. It would also be a little showy without adding more lines. Maybe also a bit of filler? The cabinet handle should be beyond the wall, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I hear you about counterspace BUT you have about 39" to each side of the sink - isn't that enough for doing dishes?

The angled soffit would have to make "sense" though. I am pretty sure thats not an angled soffit in the teal kitchen...its the roofline. If this angle suddenly disappears on the same wall outside the picture of the elevation we see, that could be kinda--strange or something. My first choice would still be to make the wall a little deeper and lose some counter space.

I'm getting more and more confused!

To be honest, I'm not sure I even want a cabinet there. I really want the pipes to run down the wall, even if it means furring it out. I kind of like the idea of no uppers on that wall. I know the hutch occupies space that an upper cabinet would, but the whole point of its design was to make it look like a freestanding piece. I know this gets into a whole different area of concern (that I've hashed and rehashed here before), but what do think about nuttin' on that wall?

Furring out the adjacent wall is still my top choice, as you said it'd only be a couple of inches, then you are free to do whatever you want on that wall after all the rest is finished. You have plenty of room to that side of the sink even if it's more than the couple of inches.

So I will second your 'nuttin.'

I think the issue is that the pipe can't be run down the wall with the ref (the one perpendicular to the window wall). The wall with the window on it needs to contain the pipe on the surface.

I'm not agreeing with palimpsest. I think every one accepts that slant out in the teal kitchen without even knowing whats behind it. To slant outwards from a little below the pipe and end with the widest section near the ceiling and just "tuck it up there". People will just assume there's framing or a stair case or some other obstacle up there. It shouldn't be more than about 6" deep at the ceiling and maybe 10" long.

That "little obstacle" is exactly what I try to avoid. If I walk into construction that has odd little bits and pieces of drywall like that I turn around and walk out. People accept it all the time, but I think people "accept" things all the time.

If you are doing a major kitchen remodel like this I think its a total cop out to have a shoe box of drywall stuck up in the corner. If it has to be there, make it look like something that belongs, not like something that got in the way.

I'm going to scream.

Tonight we opened up the new doorway from our kitchen to the laundry room and moved the current range to a new temporary spot. When we did this, we were able to peek into the corner behind the lazy susan, and guess what?! There those stinkin' pipes are again! They go into the wall near the ceiling, and then come out of the wall again about 18" from the floor. Why? I only wish I knew, but now we have another weird obstacle to work around.

My husband is going to tear into the wall himself and see if he thinks there's any way to solve this problem. I have to admit that as we're just about to pass over the $xxK threshold on this project, I'm with palimpsest and don't think I can be happy with a shoebox or anything like unto it. ;o/

So, what about something like this? I can't really draw the soffit the right way on my computer program, but that arch (or something like it) would connect the two hutch pieces.

I think the arch drawing looks nice. That would make it a design feature rather than look like you were hiding something. If you put some slim lights recessed into the "floor" of it, it would serve a function as well.

It would also give me a place to do the flush-mount fixture that I wanted, but would have looked silly 10 feet up.

It's hard to see with all the surrounding mess, but the offending pipes are in the upper righthand corner of this pic:

A close-up:

And the newly discovered pipes making their re-entry into base cabinet territory:

I love the archway solution to your overhead pipe problem. It looks so much more like a deliberate design choice rather than a soffit hiding something. Great idea!

worldmom... looks like this is a case of you making lemonade out of lemons. It's a great solution and you're adding not only cool design features but functional ones as well. AWESOME!

Arch = Genius and very attractive solution. The 2 hutches look great...Related but very different to suit their focus and scale.

I really agree. A great look--courtesy of those ugly pipes. :)

I really agree. A great look--courtesy of those ugly pipes. :)

I like the solution of creating something intentional.

What Are those pipes? They are threaded...do you have hot water radiator heat? It doesn't look like plumbing of any sort....

palimpsest - You're right - they are radiator pipes.

So you guys *really* think this is a good solution? There are so many of you here whose opinions matter very much to me, and it makes me feel lots better to get some thumbs up!

Let's just hope the drawing doesn't make the contractor faint! ;o)

I think it is a great solution. It looks beautiful and natural to the space. I've been watching the transformation of your wall for some time now, and think this is the best look to date (even better than those we saw prior to the pipes).

The arch is the kind of thing I was trying to get at when I suggested doing something to make a feature of them -- like something that was intended. We've had to do it on a few occasions. One was closing in a doorway on the exterior of our house. We weren't able to get brick to match although we'd been assured that was no problem. We had recently replaced the garage door nearby with a carriage style looking door. Our solution was to have a faux door made to cover the raw spot and look like it was intended to be with the garage door.

Hope that arch works out for you.

Seeing what they are, I think you need a new plumber instead! Perhaps the one you are using doesn't have much experience in heating.

Yeah, can these be moved?

If you're customizing or cutting apart cabinets to fit around all this apparatus, it may be a wash price wise to see if you can just reroute them and go back to your original plan.

your new design looks great. skip it. frankly its not particularly cheap to execute, and it isn't what you want.

I'm certianly not an expert...

I don't know why you can't adjust those pipes and fur out the wall. maybe raise them up hide the accross run in a dropped ceiling (6") then lose the drop in a 6" fur out of the wall?

or find a way to pad out the back wall 6" and put the pipes there?

is it hot water or steam? steam is less forgiving with slopes and such (I certianly don't know), but hot water you can do a lot with.

I think it would make more sense to pay a plumber $1K than to pay for a an expensive arch and an additonal fancy hutch

I really like the balance of the hutch in the corner and I think the archway over the sink is an awesome solution - I really like that the best of all the solutions!