Something like this, maybe? I think this is very cute, and has been in my inspiration folder for a while. It's still one of my favorites. : )

If the "error" is more than 15% of the frieze board width (the flat piece below the cove molding) then the "follow the slope" fix will look bad. More than 15% (3/8" in 2 1/2") will be very noticeable. Then the better solution is having the cove/crown customized with a matching strip attached to the top edge, then neatly scribed to the ceiling contour. These conditions need to be observed/noted/corrected in the framing stage so an appropriate remedy can be worked out ahead of time. Adding a little scribe strip here and there to cover those shims is really the worst solution; I'll go out on a limb and say it's no solution at all. Casey

Thanks for the comments!! That opening will still be there, open to a family room addition. I like the opening but we can't make it any bigger. That wall wouldn't be big enough for sink and DW I don't think (unless we changed to an L??) so we'd still be left with the DW somewhere that it either blocks cabinets or you get stuck behind it when its open. I'm hoping that by removing the cabinets under the opening it will make it feel even more connected since we can get closer to the opening if that makes sense. I wasn't sure about moving the stove at first since its not on an exterior wall but both the kitchen designer and contractor I talked to said it isn't an issue and is even somewhat preferred in our cold climate to avoid chilly air around the microwave which I know I've experienced in the past. I too have heard about hoods being better but I'm not doing major frying often at all and the OTR microwave was replaced in the last few months so I'm planning to keep it. The KD opted to move the stove to get it away from the traffic flow in front of the refrigerator. I wasn't sure at first but now I really love the idea.

Well, we're back from tile shopping and I think we may have found our tile for both the backsplash and the floor. The combination is remarkably similar to what I originally posted in my Kitchen Forum post on the same subject (I posted here b/c I wanted to here from the "decorating people") See the link below and the "Tue, Oct 23, 07 at 13:12" post for the floor.... The floor tile is a darker blue-gray with a few splashes of orange that complement my door color perfectly...the orange in the tile "pops" but since there isn't a lot of it it's more of an accent than an overwhelmingly orangey color. The backsplash is a creamier color with some very light orange highlights (I don't know how else to describe it!) We haven't, though, picked out any detailing for it yet...I don't know what I want...well I do, but I'm afraid it will blow the labor cost out of the water! I like the black galaxy granite dots and I think I'd really like to put those in the backsplash, but I was told that would significantly raise the labor cost...all the extra cuts and more careful laying of tile, I guess... If you look at the same post I mentioned before, you'll see the dots. But, rather than 6x6 tiles I would probably do 4x4 with dots every 3 or 4 tiles. We will have about 20 linear feet of backsplash + the cooktop to vent area to tile, so it's not a small area. Any thoughts or ideas about the backsplash? They didn't have any decent size samples of the 2 tiles so they're ordering samples for us on Monday and they should be in by the end of the week. When I get them, I will take a pic with our door and the Back Galaxy and post it here for more opinions, comments, thoughts.... Nothing is set in stone yet ;-) ++++++++++ Speaking of Black Galaxy granite, if we stick to our choices it looks like the Black Galaxy will look better than the Diamond Black (our first choice). The Diamond has silver speckles while the Galaxy has coppery speckles. ++++++++++ Amysrq: Our "bling" is our cabinetry so I want the backsplash to "gently complement everything else". That doesn't mean I want it to fade into the background and not be noticed at all, but I don't intend for it to be "center stage". Yes, I've checked out the FKB and the Finished Backsplashes Slideshow, but nothing jumped out at me....some I just didn't like..like mosaics. I don't like the look of all those 1x1 tiles--they look too busy and, in many cases, have too much color. Our budget is mid-range especially since our cabinets are costing more than we had planned...cherry wood + a glaze + some custom cabs + glass (2 cabinets w/glass doors + shelves)...definitely our "bling"! Here is a link that might be useful: Opinions Needed (please!) Cabinet + Backsplash + Floor Tile