I wanted to take my cabinets to the ceiling but didn't because of the expense. I ended up taking some of them to the ceiling. Kind of hard to see in this picture because the chandelier is in the way, but the cabinet with the speed oven goes to the ceiling, then drops down and goes back to the ceiling over the fridge.

Same thing with the cabinets with the wall ovens. The oven cabinet goes to the ceiling and then drops down.

Would something like that work in your kitchen? That way you could accommodate the need to leave the air return clear but still have some cabinets go to the ceiling. I think it is a great look if you can incorporate that into your design. Hope that helps.

Find out the size of the upper cabinets above the fridge area if you stopped at 8' and if you went to the ceiling. I'd draw it out on paper. With a 9' ceiling the top 1'-2' will only be accessed with a stool. I personally would want to take it to the ceiling as that is the type of cabinets in all my inspiration photos. If he/she is worried about the look perhaps a compromise with the top foot of cabinet having glass fronts and perhaps even sides (looks great and allows light to pass through). Check out beekeeperswife's kitchen - you may fall in love....

Here is a link that might be useful: beekeeperswife's kitchen

Is your current kitchen still intact so that you can get a stepstool or ladder to look at the cold air return and see how dirty it appears now against the current vent and wall color?

It does seem odd to have a cold air return at the *top* of a room instead of the bottom. Maybe it's really a register or in your climate it makes sense that cold air would be at the top??

Anyway, think about if you want to-the-ceiling-cabs badly enough to put a cloth on a broom to clean it or get the stepstool/ladder out to clean it?

Hope this helps!

Poohpup - Your kitchen is beautiful! I do like staggered heights for cabinets and it looks very nice in your kitchen but..this may sound weird but to me those cabinets that go to the ceiling seem dominant and it seems logical to me that they should be. However in my kitchen it doesn't seem to make sense. The ones over the fridge and freezer could go to the ceiling but not the one in the mddle. I already am afraid it is going to be a bit cave-like in between them so if they went to the ceiling it would be worse.

cam349 - I do love beekeepers wife's kitchen - who could not. I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Put glass cabs on top of the fridge and freezer to the ceiling and then have the cabs a foot lower where the furnace thing is.? I could draw that out and see.

Mtnfever - you're right it really makes no sense but that's what everybody calls it. I'm in Ontario, I guess I don't really know what it does. It's a new build so I can't test it out but it does just come down to if I want it bad enough, I'll just have to deal with the consequences.

Well, I don't know what I'm going to do yet but thanks for the help.

I do think that could work, but you may look into having the cold air return in the room to the left (not sure what room that is). Also it's my understanding that the cold air return gets air to the furnace so definitely needed - especially here in Canada!

I really wanted cabinets to the ceiling, but when I realized I could have higher ceilings instead, I changed the plan and cabinet order at the last minute. My layout is similiar to yours, but oriented the opposite way.

I did bring the ceiling down to the cabinets on the fridge wall, but the uppers are still 36" high like the rest:

cam349 - Ooo, I'll ask the builder about changing it, there's a powder room on the other side but maybe he didn't suggest it because that's not good enough - we'll see.

dilly_ny - wow, have you posted your kitchen? It's gorgeous! I love your cabinets and your lights are perfect. What's your granite? It looks beautiful. What did you say? I couldn't focus on your words once I looked at those pictures : )

Thanks Momo7. I am really enjoying my new kitchen. I still need alot of finishing touches: backsplash, stools, farmhouse table, chairs, a few floor tiles, etc. so I have not posted my reveal yet, but I did post a sneak peak and I've posted a few times about paint and stain colors. I am still undecided. My granite is colonial gold.

It's probably just a return, not cold air. Really, there is no such thing, but people call them that.

You need a return every so many square feet. If you don't have them, the pressure in rooms becomes weird. Small rooms get hot, or doors bang when the heat or air come on. They're necessary.

I have one in my hallway and one in my 16' x 18' MBR. The powder room wouldn't work or make sense.

I'd also check to see how dirty the current one is.

I'd also go to the ceiling. Ask to see the vent he's telling you he can make. It could be something decorative or just slats. Make certain it's easily removable.

Maybe you're cleaner than he is.

My cabinets don't go to the ceiling even though I love that look. I did blue and didn't want a solid wall of color.

If it is a return, can't the builder put it in the ceiling? That is where my returns are.

I like the idea of staggering if you can't do all to the ceiling. Here is a photo of cabinets not to the ceiling - the cabinets on the left are not finished with crown yet in these photos. The ceiling is 9 feet.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Oops, turns out asking if the air return (not cold air!) can be in the powder room is very silly.

dilly_ny - I can't wait to see your big reveal. I just love your granite, sigh. I went with cheap-ish granite, it doesn't exactly make my heart sing but the price sure did.

CEFreeman - we had them in our previous house, not here in the rental. I used to vacuum them occasionally, that's all, but they weren't in the kitchen. I think I will ask him exactly what he could do because I think that's what I really want. If anything he probably think I'm a bigger slob than I really am. He's been to our tiny little rental house that is crammed full of kids and pets with my DH happily extracting honey (I'm also a BKW) in the middle of it. It's something to see.

Finestra - gasp, your kitchen (or at least that wall) is beautiful. I so wanted to do painted cabs in a real colour but in the end I chickened out. Staggered heights do look nice in your example, I'm just not sure about in mine. I still haven't tried it out yet, our power was out yesterday and I haven't got on the computer yet. I don't know if I remember seeing air returns in ceilings before - I'll check into that.

I think I'm leaning towards saying I still want the cabs to the ceiling and get him to build whatever. I just find it very hard to stand firm and not agree to what somebody else wants me to do. But I did manage to get the CREE lights that I wanted even though nobody around here had ever heard of them so of course nobody wanted to use them, oh yeah I'm on a roll.

Oops, turns out asking if the air return (not cold air!) can be in the powder room is very silly.

dilly_ny - I can't wait to see your big reveal. I just love your granite, sigh. I went with cheap-ish granite, it doesn't exactly make my heart sing but the price sure did.

CEFreeman - we had them in our previous house, not here in the rental. I used to vacuum them occasionally, that's all, but they weren't in the kitchen. I think I will ask him exactly what he could do because I think that's what I really want. If anything he probably think I'm a bigger slob than I really am. He's been to our tiny little rental house that is crammed full of kids and pets with my DH happily extracting honey (I'm also a BKW) in the middle of it. It's something to see.

Finestra - gasp, your kitchen (or at least that wall) is beautiful. I so wanted to do painted cabs in a real colour but in the end I chickened out. Staggered heights do look nice in your example, I'm just not sure about in mine. I still haven't tried it out yet, our power was out yesterday and I haven't got on the computer yet. I don't know if I remember seeing air returns in ceilings before - I'll check into that.

I think I'm leaning towards saying I still want the cabs to the ceiling and get him to build whatever. I just find it very hard to stand firm and not agree to what somebody else wants me to do. But I did manage to get the CREE lights that I wanted even though nobody around here had ever heard of them so of course nobody wanted to use them, oh yeah I'm on a roll.

Sorry, hit the back button by mistake - I guess that's what happens.

Hun, it's your kitchen.
I see a little regret that you didn't go with your painted cabs (chickened out? It takes courage to paint?).

Don't settle, despite someone's frown or ignorance.
You're paying for it.

Get what you want so you never have to make a statement like that again. Only like the one about the Cree lights!

Just to end this thread...

I did stand firm and said I wanted cabs to the ceiling but then the builder said it (the vent?) would have to be stainless steel so I caved. I'm getting staggered cabs, which was my second choice. I hope they look okay.

I am perfectly happy with my kitchen cabs but I still feel a little twinge when I see pretty painted cabs. Deciding on painted or stained cabinets was the most difficult decision of the whole house (that was before the range hood decision was made, which will never be surpassed) That was when it hit me that I couldn't cram absolutely everything I love into one kitchen.

Stainless? Why on earth is that? I have two of those ugly ceiling mounted air returns, and they both have a white vent cover. I've never heard of a stainless cover and wouldn't want that in ANY room of my house yelling at everyone, "Hey! Look at me!"

Now that I'm calm. :) Why can't it be white?