skip to main content

8 1/2 foot ceilings??

13 years ago

Anyone have 8 1/2 foot ceilings in your kitchen? Im trying to figure out what type of cabinets would look best. I want the cabinets to go to the ceiling.

I would love to see pics of what can be done. We are going for a slightly vintage look (our house was built in the 1920s.)

Im considering stacked, but have been told that I dont have room for a stacked cabinet that has a true square upper. It looks like I have about 50 inches to play with. Would one tall cabinet look awkward? I assume we would save some money if we dont have to do stacked. I dont want to go crazy with molding - just something simple.

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

tigergirl123
13 years ago
I would do 42" cabinets and fill the rest with crown moulding... but I love crown moulding right to the ceiling!

If you come down a little short with the crown from the ceiling, you can also put lights up there. A friend of mine did that and it is really nice, she uses them as a "nightlight" in the evening and it is so pretty.
willtv
13 years ago
I don't see why you couldn't stack. If you subtract 36" for countertop height and 18" for clearance between the countertop and the upper cabinet bottom your left with 48".
If you went with 30" uppers you'd have 18" leftover for the stack. Or you could go with 36" uppers and use a 12" stack or any combination in between.

Another idea is to get the look of a stacked cabinet by using a door designed to look like a stacked set of doors but the cabinet remains 1 piece inside. This door could be fully paneled or a combination of panel and glass. The split being at the point where the stack meets. This will certainly save a few dollars.
Related Discussions
Pendants with 7 and 1/2 foot ceilings? Pictures?
Q
Comments (9)
If you think pendants will look funny, recessed fixtures aren't your only option. You could go with flushmount (two?) or semi-flushmount fixtures (pendant hung really close to the ceiling end up looking like semi flushmounts, anyway). Or you could go with some kind of track (see link below). Here is a link that might be useful: Track light example
...See More
Need to find 3' recessed light housing for 1 1/8' inch ceiling
Q
Comments (1)
You can use this one. It takes a 50W GU10 and can be used in up to 1 1/4" ceiling thickness, (double 5/8" drywall) Here is a link that might be useful: Cut Sheet
...See More
7 1/2' x 8 1/2' bedroom
Q
Comments (7)
I had a bedroom a tiny bit bigger than this in my first apartment. I think it was 8' x 8.5'. I had a double bed and one side had to be against a wall because of the position of the door and the closet and the bathroom door (the bathroom was entered through the bedroom). I was able to fit a small nightstand and a dresser in the room, but nothing else. Because I lived alone, I had free use of the rest of the apartment, so I didn't spend much time in the bedroom. So a question I have for you is, who will be living in this room and how much of the rest of the house will they have access to? Do they need a computer or tv in the bedroom, for example? Will the occupant have to store everything they own in this room or is there space in the rest of the house for some of their things? If I had to do it over again, I'd get a good closet system in the closet, to maximize every inch of storage space. It might be possible, with the right closet system, to store all clothing in the closet, negating any need for a dresser. Bonus if additional storage space for other things could be created. An alternative to a nightstand is to mount a small shelf on the wall next to the bed. However, if there is room for a nightstand, it would add extra storage. Traditional nightstands might be too big, but you could Google "telephone table" to find some smaller, yet still tall enough, tables that would work. A small bookcase would also add storage. And if a tv is wanted/needed, it could either be wall-mounted or go on top of the bookcase. A bed that allows for underbed storage is also a good idea. Use the vertical space on the walls. You could run a shelf all the way around the room, just above the tops of the doors. I saw a lovely room once where they had put shelves just above the windows. There are also a great many wall-hung organizers that would work, or pegboard. As for decorating, I think a simple color scheme is best. Too many colors and patterns in a really small space can be overwhelming. I'm linking to a studio apartment I just saw on Apartment Therapy. The main color there is white, but you could switch that out to just about any color that the occupant of the room likes. Even though this studio is larger than the room you have, you can pull some ideas from it. The use of one color in most of the room to unify everything, the double purpose credenza that is part nightstand and part storage, the wall-mounted shelving and the two tall bookcases that take advantage of the vertical space, the use of open space to add the sense of more room--not cramming every corner with stuff helps to make the room feel larger,. Here is a link that might be useful: calm studio apartment
...See More
10 foot ceilings-- 8 foot cabinets
Q
Comments (10)
My kitchen has 10' ceiling and 8' cabinets (the shorter cabinets are actually ~7.5', and the taller cabinets have tall crowns that make them taller than 8') My KD recommended that we not go with taller cabinets (I had mentioned taking them all the way to the ceiling) because it would have overwhelmed my particular space. We used a very large crown (1') throughout the ground floor of our house, so I carried it through into the kitchen. I'm happy with the look and don't regret not getting taller cabs :) I think the crown on the wall really helped balance the shorter cabs. Here's a picture of my last house. I don't remember the dimensions offhand, but the ceilings were definitely 10' and the cabinets ~8'. I did that kitchen on my own when we didn't have the budget for nice cabinets or a KD, and it shows. It's like the rough draft of my current kitchen, LOL.
...See More
chrisk327
13 years ago
I'm at 8 1/2 feet, the kitchen isn't installed yet, but what we did was probably 40 inches of cabinets and about 8 inchs of crown and buildup.

you could do stacked with 30" and 12" and end up with about 6 for crown.

It really depends on the look you're going for. I'm not a fan of tall cabinets with no crown. my parents have shaker cabinets that go to the ceiling with no moulding in a 9' space, and it looks, well, very tall..
zelmar
13 years ago
We have 8'4" ceilings and we put in 42" upper cabinets with 4" of molding. I love the look of stacked cabinets but one of my main goals with our remodel was to have a kitchen with cabinetry I could adjust according to our needs. I like being able to adjust shelves according to my needs over the entire 42" height.

I use the lower 2-3 shelves for everyday storage and the upper shelves for less used items and extras (i.e extra decanter for the coffee maker for when we have company.) I'm very happy with our 42" uppers. After living with our kitchen for 5+ years I'm tweaking the storage by adding extra shelves to 3 of our uppers.
mtnrdredux_gw
13 years ago
We are reno-ing an old house. The GC really wanted to raise the kitchen ceiling. I felt the scale was right for the house, and added to feeling of the kitchen as the center, the hearth. Rooms with higher ceilings radiate out from our kitchen, which is somewhat oddly landlocked in the center of our home.

Anyway, we did uppers in only one area. There, we had them rest on the counter. Here is an inprogress shot:
{{!gwi}}
64reno64
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, everyone. I think I will try to see 42inch cabs in person to see if they will work. I like the idea of getting the look of a stacked cab using a single door.
Mtnrdredux - your cabinets look great - cant wait to see the rest!
mtnrdredux_gw
13 years ago
Thanks design. We short kitchens need to stick together!
marcolo
13 years ago
mtnrdrex is simply angling for excuses to show off those zinc countertops again.
mtnrdredux_gw
13 years ago
Pewter, but I'm glad you misremember them as zinc. Zinc has such a bad girl, smoking french cigarette image. And pewter is the dowdy housefrau serving mead.
64reno64
Original Author
13 years ago
pewter? wow! They should develop a nice patina, right? Where did you find them?!
mtnrdredux_gw
13 years ago
Yes, I wanted zinc but was convinced that pewter was better. It is a little softer so will ding a bit more (which I like) and the color was warmer then zinc. Oddly, in photos, i think zinc looks warmer ...

Brooks Custom, Mt Kisco, NY

Here is a link that might be useful: look at the zinc link too
boxerpups
13 years ago
I love your counters and cabs Mtnrdredux. Pewter, silver or zinc...they look fantastic!!!!

Designov,

Here are some images that might help with the height
you want to do with stacked cabs. WILLTV had a great
idea and I am hoping this image will visually help
explain it.

Here are some vintage kitchens that might give ideas too.
not on the ceiling height but ways to create the space you
want.

Check out Kennebec Vintage kitchens

Maybe a Quarter Sawn Oak

maybe you prefer white a bugalow style

Related Stories

BATHROOM WORKBOOK 5 Ways With a 5-by-8-Foot Bathroom

By Mitchell Parker

Look to these bathroom makeovers to learn about budgets, special features, splurges, bargains and more

HOUZZ CALL Houzz Call: Show Us Your 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom Remodel

By Mitchell Parker

Got a standard-size bathroom you recently fixed up? We want to see it!

ROOM OF THE DAY Room of the Day: An 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom Gains Beauty and Space

By Mitchell Parker

Smart design details like niches and frameless glass help visually expand this average-size bathroom while adding character

BATHROOM WORKBOOK How to Lay Out a 5-by-8-Foot Bathroom

By Mitchell Parker

Not sure where to put the toilet, sink and shower? Look to these bathroom layouts for optimal space planning

HOUZZ TOURS Design Lessons From a 10-Foot-Wide Row House

By Mitchell Parker

How to make a very narrow home open, bright and comfortable? Go vertical, focus on storage, work your materials and embrace modern design

TINY HOUSES Houzz TV: Step Inside One Woman’s 140-Square-Foot Dream Home

By Mitchell Parker

You may have seen the story on Houzz — now check out the video tour of Vina Lustado’s warm and welcoming tiny house

SMALL KITCHENS Houzz Call: Show Us Your 100-Square-Foot Kitchen

By Mitchell Parker

Upload photos of your small space and tell us how you’ve handled storage, function, layout and more

SMALL KITCHENS The 100-Square-Foot Kitchen: No More Dead Ends

By Mitchell Parker

Removing an angled peninsula and creating a slim island provide better traffic flow and a more airy layout

SMALL KITCHENS Kitchen of the Week: Amazing 40-Square-Foot Kitchen

By Vanessa Brunner

This tiny nook with almost all reclaimed materials may be the hardest-working kitchen (and laundry room!) in town

MOST POPULAR The 100-Square-Foot Kitchen: A Former Bedroom Gets Cooking

By Mitchell Parker

DIY skill helps create a modern kitchen where there wasn’t one before

Sponsored

More Discussions

Before and after

7

Kitchen Remodel Finally Finished

10

wellborn kitchen cabinets

2

Range hood dilemma

8

Starmark vs WF, US Cabinet Depot, Tedd Wood

6