blondie, I'm a kitchen designer and typically I ensure that the cabinets meet the ceiling. I don't like the idea of leaving a space where dust collects. However, I have seen kitchens with the space left open. It doesn't look bad, it just seems like a maintenance nightmare. How large is the gap?

My last kitchen had the gap. The cabinets were 42" uppers, put in by the builder. I can't remember, but the ceiling was probably 9'. When I moved in, I got up on the counters to vacuum that space. Whew, horribly dusty! I don't think anyone had done it since the day the cabinets were installed.

Unless you're really good about dusting that nearly inaccessible space, you might want to see if you can do a stacked series of 2 cabinets to the ceiling, or nearly there with trim to make up the difference.

My current kitchen has soffits that house the major HVAC ducts, so they're staying. Either way, no need to get out the big boy ladder and dust.

Going to the ceiling is an expensive look. Stacked moldings are more expensive, but usually, if you use a filler piece, it's less expensive than stacked cabinets. But, even using 42" cabinets won't take up enough space with 9', even with stacked crown molding. A foot of crown molding will look out of proportion. If you want to go to the ceiling with 9' ceilings, you'll have to stack. Or, do it shorter and line the open space on top with newspaper that you replace every so often.

What I'd do is do 30" cabinets and then use 18"s on top in glass, and then 6" of stacked molding for the rest, but that's a BIG increase in price.

If you do have a gap, I suggest it not be a small gap. A small gap, to me, looks like you tried to go to the ceiling but missed. So, either have it a gap that looks deliberate, or no gap at all. If you can afford it, go with no gap. But, if the budget doesn't allow, then leave one that looks planned (and use the newspaper method Live_Wire_Oak suggested!)

I'm going to the ceiling--I'm tired of scrubbing the tops of my cupboards. I have a crappy, almost useless, vent over the stove so the tops of my cupboards get really nasty if I don't scrub fairly frequently. I see lots of kitchens with cupboards that deliberately don't go up to the ceiling. I'm sure they did it for a design reason but when I reno, I'm putting function and cleanability first. I cook meals pretty much everyday so while I want my kitchen to look nice, I won't be doing looks over function. HTH! In the meantime, I think I'll try lining them with newspaper--wish I had thought of that years ago!

I'm a real estate agent, so I see a lot of houses, and I had never seen a house with cabinets all the way to the ceiling. When I found this site, and other interior design sites, I started seeing the cabinets-up-to-the-ceiling look. Now I'm obsessed with it, which is unfortunate because I seriously doubt we'll be able to afford it when we build our home next year. Now I'm stuck -- our kitchen ceilings were originally going to be 10 feet. I was going to do 42-inch uppers, so obviously there would be a gap. That's what all houses have around here. Now that I'm obsessed with going to the ceiling, I was thinking of dropping to 9-ft ceiling in kitchen (maybe save a little there???), doing 36+15 inch uppers + crown.

If you can go to the ceiling, I would.

If you can't, I don't understand the newspaper thing??? I live in Louisiana, and leaving newspaper lying around attracts roaches???

Lining the tops with wax paper works too, and the wax paper size is easier than trying to fit newspapers up there.

Flwrs_n_co - you seem to imply when you say you're putting function and cleanability first, or that you won't be doing looks over function, that taking cabinets up to the ceiling doesn't looks as nice. No - Just the opposite! Believe me, it looks better! The reason being that (A) taller cabinets look more elegant, and (B) by not having a space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling, and therefore there is no horizontal visual line that weighs down the cabinets, the eye is tricked into seeing the ceiling as higher. Consequently, the kitchen looks bigger. I have seen teeny tiny butlers pantries where the cabinets go up to the ceiling, and it makes the small space look larger.

If you look at really high-end kitchens, like those of Christopher Peacock (we are talking $150,000+), they never have a gap between the cabinets and the ceiling.

The other advantage is that you can never have too much storage in a kitchen. So the taller cabinets, or the stacked cabinets, provide wonderful extra storage. I use my 12" stack at the top to store holiday items, batteries, rarely-used serving dishes, and the like. Where else would I put that stuff?

Sarah Richardson double stacked her upper cabinets in the farmhouse restoration on HGTV. She used IKEA cabinets, I believe, and she said they were inexpensive, but gave a very expensive, designer look.

Scroll down to the kitchen and check out the second photo. I hope this helps :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarah Richardson's Farmhouse

Blondie859111 - you mentioned you aren't comfortable with the design of the KD. I am assuming you mean one at Home Depot? If they cannot design the way you want on something as basic as cabinet height, I would be worried how they are designing the smaller, less noticeable details. Is the KD using a lot of filler (waste of space and money)? Is the KD's design an efficient layout for your kitchen? My advice is to go to another Home Depot, even if you have to drive a bit, and see if you can't find a better KD there. Call the HD first, get connected to the kitchen cabinets department, and ask who is their best KD, or the one with the most experience. Make an appointment with that person.

In my reno, I am going to the ceiling. But I am considering doing it by mounting a regular-height cabinet high, and then putting an open shelf below it.

I think I'm the minority here, but I don't like cabinets to the ceiling. I prefer a space (not an inch or two, but a real space). We just finished building a house and I considered 42" uppers, and eventually decided against those as well. This is in a kitchen with 9 foot ceilings. Then again, I prefer stained cabinets. I forget that the majority here has painted cabinets... so that may impact preference. And we have hardwood floors. Taking the wood cabinets to the ceiling, to me, made it all look like wall of wood. I'm very glad for that painted space. And it gives me a great place to decorate.

DH is about 6'5 and I'm about 5'11, so maybe the cleaning is easier for us? It's never been a challenge. I just use either a Swiffer (the kind I can bend at a 90 degree angle) or the mattress brush attachment for the Dyson.

My cabinets don't go all the way to the ceiling--they're staggered and I really like the look--it's exactly what I wanted (obviously). We have lights above the cabinets and it is a really nice light.

Going to the ceiling would have been useless storage for me (I'm 5'1"). I already have plenty of storage I can't reach. I don't need any additional shelves for stuff I can't see or get to. (I do have 3 pantries, so that does make a difference--I really do have plenty of storage beyond the cabinets).

I guess I ought to talk to the cleaning lady to see if she ever cleans up there. If not, DS is going to do it when he's from college for winter break--he's the one who's 6'5".

Marco...you might find that you can't reach the first shelf of your new cabinets if hung that high, and the space between the counter and cabinets would look much worse than a gap on top. I'd hang a box on the wall at the height you're considering, then put a sofa in front of it, mimicing the counters....then try to put away anything above the first shelf...if you can reach that.

I have cabinets to the ceiling in my townhouse at 8' and love them. It's more expensive but a good place to splurge as it gives the kitchen a higher end look. In our new kitchen, I think they're 10' we'll have one wall with cabs built to the ceiling mimicing builtins of the turn of the century. We will do the same in the butlers pantry. Both will have a ladder (sliding) to access.

I hate gaps so much that only the few pieces that will appear to be furniture won't be to the ceiling. I don't even want to make my housekeeper clean up there. (she's invisable now but i plan on having one some day LOL) This is a stretch...ut if I had to think about it...I'd rather have a soffit (and i've been accused of being a soffit nazi) than a gap. In any home I've been in I assume the decor up there is dusty even if it's not...which feels dirty to me. In a kitchen I don't want any spaces that encourage dirt to rest. I have a 4 year old...I have enough dirt that's easy to see...I don't like to think it's lurking above me! (Spiders love those cabs though...so if you like spiders they work well for their little houses)

My kitchen is almost done. We have 8' ceilings and used 36" uppers, a filler and crown so they go to the ceiling. The space wasn't enough to have 42" plus crown, so that's the compromise. The old (1950) kitchen cabinets we replaced were also to the ceiling. I never even considered a gap, for the reasons listed above.

The filler strip is a bit wide and I'm thinking of talking to the contractor about putting some kind of decorative trim detail on there. But overall, it looks great and I'm very happy.

Our current kitchen has a gap and it is nasty. It's not just dust, but a sticky grey that must be grease. Everything we put up there is either wrapped in plastic (not lovely) or washed before use. I ought to get up there and scrub it, after I have exhausted online comments ;) lol.
Plus even if it were clean, it's dark and shadowy, like a place where you can't put your hand without looking for spiders first. Lighting the gap is tricky, especially since often there is only one light on in there. I want my space to look good in dim light.

My new cabs will go to the ceiling, where there are uppers.