I'do the crown in the color chosen for the cabinets..if I got your explanation right of course. It's a logical continuation of the cabinets, right? It will be wood as in cabinets?

Now, if you'd cover the space with a drywall, it would make sense to paint this drywall in a wall color.

I haven't seen the paints in real life(or if I did I didn't know these are the paints)), I just googled them. Monitors are usually very deceiving in how a color gets perceived.

But my (maybe wrong) impression is that both colors should look together well. Crowns are always noticeable..as long as you don't have awkward empty space between your crown and the ceiling, and the crown goes up to the ceiling, it will look natural, and not oppressive.

Of course you can go with your second choice, if you like it, but I wouldn't see a crown as a reason to change your preferred(or so it seems) color for your cabinets.

I'd do the crown to match the cabinets

Thanks Annie.

And thank you, Aprilneverends (I like your name)! I realized too late that my explanation was a little confusing but I couldn't figure out to edit and clarify. Thankfully, you and Annie got what I was asking. Instead of "new crown," I should have referred to it as "new cabinet trim at the ceiling." I have to admit, though, that I never considered treating the new enclosed space as wall rather than making it look like an extension of the cabinets. You've given me new food for thought. : )

I would paint it the same color as the cabinets so that it looks like a natural continuation of the cabinet and extends the height.

If the crown is touching the ceiling then I would paint it the same color as the ceiling if it's only attached to the cabinets then I would paint it the same color as the cabinets.

In the old kitchen (where I am now) we have a drywall between the ceiling and the cabinets. It looks pretty nice. The cabinets look inset..or how should I put it? built in. The do have a little crown of their own. The drywall is obviously painted as the rest of the drywall.

We do have higher than standard ceiling in the kitchen though..9 or 10 feet.

In the new kitchen we have the crown molding that's attached to the cabinets and reaches the ceiling. The crown is the same finely finished wood as the kitchen..it is painted the same color as the kitchen, it looks like an integral part of the cabinets.

We do have standard 8 feet ceiling in that kitchen, so crown molding creates a transition that softens the lines, and makes the ceiling look higher.

(thank you gamom, I suppose I like my username too)) I have it for so many years that some kids of my friends are pretty sure it's my real name))

OP says "we're also filling in the open space above the cabinets. Therein lies the problem: What color to paint the crown?"

Are you talking about a soffit? If so, I have a soffit and hate it. I tried painting it the same color as my cabinets (cumulus cloud - soft gray) and it just ran into the ceiling.. and looked awful... I suppose some moldings would help. But I plan to remove my soffit.

Gamom, if you're doing the cabs yourself, you might want to consider using a self-leveling paint~no brush marks. There's one called Cabinet Coat, but there may be other brands that are self-leveling. Just something you might want to think about.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Sabbath7, that's what my gut was telling me but I just wondered if it would look funny to paint it the cabinet color and then have the same crown painted white on the walls. After all, they will meet at the return corners of the cabinets. Hope that makes sense. I'm starting to confuse myself.

Practigal, it's touching both. : ) The new extension will go to the ceiling and be topped with crown.

Aprilneverends, both your kitchens sound lovely! My ceiling is 9' and I'm hoping that extending the cabinets at the top will heighten it even more. I've never been one for putting decorative things on top my cabinets. (Probably because I'm not one for deep cleaning and having to dust those things seems like creating work.)

Mrsshayne, I bet your soffit doesn't look as bad as you think and could be easily fixed with some moulding (if you weren't already planning to remove it). I had that set up in our previous home during the wallpaper era and having it papered seemed to break it up nicely. But to answer your question, I guess if I were to drywall it and paint it the wall color, that would be called a soffit. Yes? I think I'm going to stick with my original plan and for lack of a better term, I'm calling it a cabinet extension. Hope your project goes smoothly.

Just saw your response, Pattycakes. Oh heavens no I'm not doing it myself. We are not DIYers and almost have to hire out to get a picture hung. I have a great painter, though, and I just do the research and buy the supplies and he does the hard part. I'm leaning toward BM Advance. I did a quick google of Cabinet Coat and it seems to get very good reviews. I'll look into it further. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks :)

I used CabinetCoat as my primer and BM's Advanced in Satin as my paint.. Don't ask me why I used the two together, it's what my paint store recommended and I had no idea what I was buying... lol. Anyway, Both are excellent choices. Advanced paint levels beautifully. Right after I painted my first cabinet I let it sit for ten mins, came back to check and freaked out! The paint looked awful (all bunched together and splotchy).... But I didn't touch it. As time passed it leveled beautifully. It literally gave a whole new meaning to "watching paint dry".... LOL!

Mine have been painted for about 5 years now and have held up great.

FYI - Advanced makes a primer too, but back when I bought the paint store told me they had never had any issues with CC so they recommended CC as my primer. I believe it's paint and primer in one so you can tint it to your color of choice. I did two coats primer and two coats advanced. It took me four months... Be glad you're paying someone :)

Mrsshayne, your cabinets look beautiful. You did a great job! And that's very encouraging that you've had no issues after 5 years. Thanks for that tip about what to expect while it's drying. I'll be sure to share that with my painter. He's a SW guy and doesn't like it that I'm switching teams for this project and going with BM. Once he sees that splotchiness he won't be able to keep from reminding me that I should have bought Sherwin Williams. : )

WOW what a difference. does it bother you that the inside is different than the outside? normally white cabinets are white inside, right? I really want to get my cabinets painted in our new house. was it hard to find someone?

Boopadaboo, that's not my kitchen but I agree with you — Wow! It's a beautiful transformation and she did it herself!

Lily'smom, thanks for your suggestions. I'm sure I want to enclose it. It's been open for 17 years and I'm just ready for a change. I've never used the space for decorative stuff; it's always been, as you put it, "blank." Because it's open and unused, it was a no brainer to enclose it since that look really appeals to me. Your second paragraph described better than I did exactly what I'm going for. Thanks.

gamom - thanks so much for the kind words :) If you want to fill the space above the cabinets then go for it. I've seen lots of nice soffits. My soffit hangs over too far past the cabinets - so I can't pull off the look that Lily'smom describes. Believe me, I've thought about it.

Boopadaboo - I didn't paint the inside, and no it doesn't bother me, but I'm sure a potential home buyer wouldn't like it. I always have the option to paint the inside though.

My future plan is to remove the soffit and get all new uppers that go to the ceiling. I would love all new cabinets but I'm not moving or replacing the granite so the bottom cabinets will stay. I'll most likely reface them and install hidden hinges.

gamom - is it very costly to get them painted. Sorry I mixed up earlier, I see you are hiring someone. :0 we are hoping to close on a house soon and I think it would be a big difference to this kitchen to get the cabinets painted!

Boopadaboo, I imagine the cost factor would depend on your area and whether you hired an independent contractor or just someone trying to keep body and soul together by working odd jobs. I have the latter but he's worked for us for more than 10 years and we have an "understanding." By that I mean he knows I'll always call him first and he'll always give me the best deal he can. Here's what he said when I asked him if I had just called him out of the blue to paint my cabinets. He said that with my 42 doors/drawers it would be $600. He just finished a job for someone who had 34 and it was $500. He's charging me $300. This is labor only. I still have to buy the paint, primer, etc. He never buys materials. Hope this helps. Enjoy your new home! : )