Before you commit, check to see if your ceilings are extremely flat and extremely level. I have 39" cabinets and 8' ceilings, and there's no way 42" cabinets would have worked, because the ceiling has at least 1" variation. But if your ceilings are level, I think it would look good. I used a flat crown... basically a vertical board, because I like the crisp, minimalist look.

I think 42" is too high for 8' ceilings. If you want to add under cabinet lights now or in the future, you might want to put your cabinets more than 18" above the counter to there is room for a light rail. And there is the issue of knowing your ceiling is perfectly flat and level.

We used 40" cabinets and it was extremely tight to get any trim up. I do not think it looks as nice as taller trim. I wouldn't say it looks cheap, but I do think more trim looks a lot better. I wish we could have gone with shorter cabinets, but with Ikea the only other option was 30". If I could have 36" I would have gone with that for sure.

6" of storage is really not that much to lose, and you are really only loses 3" if you compare it to your ideal of 39" cabinets.

I used to live in a place where the kitchens were 6 x 10, so every inch of storage counted and most of my neighbors did 42' when they renovated. It looks fine with the scribe molding, but it does effectively reduce the distance between counter and the bottom of cabinets in real life, because hardly anyone who's doing a redo actually has flat ceilings.

I wouldn't do it in a 10 x 10 kitchen, for instance, but in a small kitchen with limited storage where you only have a few cabinets it's fine.

ETA Thought I had a couple of pics, but could only find this one. Will look for more later.

Older reno:

Have you confirmed that they can stand your pantry up in the kitchen if it full 96"? Sometimes that is another reason to leave space for moldings.

I struggle with this too. I prefer crown molding though. A house in my neighborhood was on the market a while back and I noticed they did 42" cabinets with no crown and I don't like the look. I think some spaces can pull it off, but for me, I prefer shorter cabinets with crown molding. But I'm also someone who wants my space to appeal to the eye, even if it means giving up some function.

8' ceilings with 42" cabinets

more pics of 8' ceilings with 42" cabs...

I have a small kitchen and went with 36" uppers and 4-6" of crown. I don't have a good picture of the crown right now, but I'd say that I didn't get 6" out of it all the way around, actually my ceiling may be an inch or two less than 8ft. I don't think I would have liked the look without the crown and the added storage isn't that much when you factor in how hard it would be to access. I'm pretty tall ( 5'8" ) and with my old 30" cabinets I could reach the top shelf, but not all the way to the back. Now I don't know if I will be able to reach the top shelf at all and certainly not all the way to the back. I'm researching folding step stools! I think if you use your space more effectively less is more. That's what I'm trying to do.

Megan - your space looks lovely! I think your uppers look perfect. They have just the right amount of crown molding.

I can't imagine putting something on the top shelves of my cabinets. LOL!

What would you do if your ceiling is visibly wonky? Crown molding would be difficult, but I'd like something at the tops of my cabinets, too. I have 30, 36 and 39" cabs in different places. What do you think? Just something straight and simple?

Or nothing?

Colin Cowie, the high-end party/wedding planner, did 42" cabs with no molding in his own NYC kitchen. He did it for the clean minimalist aesthetic. He had his cabinets made custom.

Make sure the upper cabinet doors have enough clearance from the ceiling to open.

Right, but be sure they take into account the level of the ceiling as far out as the doors will open. With a scribe/soffit molding it's possible to have a door that might hit on a low spot when it's almost fully opened, if you don't make sure beforehand.