LED strip lights that come in a roll are typically low voltage DC. Some may not be bright enough to provide sufficient indirect lighting. The more powerful strips will need to dissipate heat through the the PCB they're attached to. That in turn means that the PCB becomes less flexible and potentially more fragile. In addition, you'll need extensive wiring, multiple power supplies and planning - to account for line current loss and voltage drop. All of which will need to meet electrical code. If I were to do it, I'd go with the Philips Powercore lighting system which uses AC power instead and is probably more practical for large scale deployment in homes. Here is a link that might be useful: PowerCore lighting

In our first home we had my all time favorite living room lighting, It is probably not fashionable now. There was a wooden valance over the double doors to the outside. The curtains were hung underneath the valance but on top of a shelf (probably about halfway up the valance) was a row of lights ,maybe fluorescent. You couldn't see them but the light reflected off the ceiling and lit the room without any glare. It was almost like having sunlight. I have never had lighting in a living room since that was bright enough to do anything (read, sew, etc.) that didn't glare in your eyes and mess up the TV.

Hi OP! I got your email and have to be brief since I'm just taking a mental break from packing for our move tomorrow. I saw your sketch, and you are right, we have simlar kitchens. I'm afraid I can't offer much help. My architect also wanted my rangetop on the same wall yours is on, and he wanted the hood to go all the way up to the ceiling. I didn't like that it would be off-center to my peak, so I had them move it to my window wall and we put windows on each side of the hood on that wall with everything centered. Having the vent on the window wall presented several challenges. Since I had a remote blower for my rooftop, and wanted it on the back of the house (windows face front of house), moving my rangetop meant 3 elbows and a much longer duct run. This meant I needed to get a much higher powered blower (I ended up with 1200 units of whatever they the airflow in.) The height of my kitchen was also a tricky issue (original height pre-lofting was 8') I dont' live there yet, so am not sure if the hood is venting well enough or not, but it holds a piece of paper tightly when on high, so I'm optimistic that it will be sufficient! Back to your sketch, I'm afraid I have to agree with you that I don't care for it stopping short of the ceiling with a custom wood hood. But I also wouldn't like the look of it going all the way up unless it were centered (it looks slightly to the right in the sketch; is that correct?) Of the suggestions above, I think I like the idea of having the venting pipe exposed. Maybe consider leaving your hood SS (or copper or whatever; it could really be very beautiful, although I admit a different look than the built-in white kitchen I have and that you like!) Best wishes to you! Feel free to email if you have any other questions I might actually be able to be helpful with - I'll try to get back within a reasonable time, but again we are moving tomorrow! <:o>PS. If I knew what I know now back in the planning stage, I wouldn't have done inset cabinets. I know a great cabinet maker who makes beaded inset LOOK cabinets that are actually overlay. It's not necessarily cheaper to do, but I wouldn't be having the sticking of doors due to the high humidity levels in my house (AC only recently went fully operational and the construction guys are incapable of keeping doors and windows closed!). Email me if you are in NJ and I'll give you his contact info. He did all my bath vanities and more, and I wish I used him for my kitchen!

can't picture current kitchen or eventual space from glimpses through doorways. also, not sure what you are asking -- how to design the whole kitchen, or how to deal with cabinets on a wall with a sloped ceiling? 1) ignore the slope, and let it just be far above the cabinets 2) fill the extra space with shelves 3) Stagger cabinets but don't fill space to vault 4) pick a height and soffit down to it 5) fill the vault to ceiling with custom cabinets So, the right answer depends a bit on the size of the vault, the style of your kitchen, budget, and personal preference. Hope this helps!