Everything should go to the ceiling. Stack 84” top aligned with 18” on top and 6” of crown. You need a prep sink on the island. And the fridge needs to move over so as not to have the island be an obstacle to it’s access.

Thank you. I found the most recent design with all cabinets to the ceiling. These are 15" upper cabinets that we can change to 18". Unfortunately, we can't move the refrigerator as this is a load bearing wall with a bump out into the garage to accommodate the fridge. Never thought about a prep sink in the island. What do you think of the new design and how can we improve it?

Thank you. The microwave drawer is by the oven. We will remove the apron over the sink that was always questionable. Don't know if we would use the prep sink either. The cabinets are 5 ft on each side of fridge and 13" deep. Any ideas on how to improve that wall so it doesn't look so heavy? Also, the upper cabinets on either side of the oven, should they be glass to the top? You are both providing a great amount of help and food for thought is this process.

I agree with having the stacked cabinets...you will not have dust collecting in the open space on top of the crown. Also the kitchen looks taller. A few points.

The cabinets are 5 ft on each side of fridge and 13" deep.

Are you burying the frig on the wall? because the Frig will stick out not 13" but more like 36" from the wall. The frig is pictured as flush. If it is not buried then you will have a problem with the island seating big time.

Any ideas on
how to improve that wall so it doesn't look so heavy?

I would break it up with uppers and lowers. You can use wall cabinets on top and bottom. Just have the installer create bases for the lowers to sit on and have him install toe kick to cover. You can then add glass doors on two of the 30" cabinets on top to break up all of the wood. That set up will still work as a pantry just will have an open area to install back splash tile as to not create a wall of cabinets.

Also, the upper
cabinets on either side of the oven, should they be glass to the top?

I like the look but they are known to collect grease etc due to the fact that they are so close to the stove, but if you do what i suggested on the panty side then you do not need those cabinets to be glass as you have now.

You are both providing a great amount of help and food for thought is
this process.

Also, consider moving the MW to the island so you can have larger cabinets on either side of the stove. I do not like the wide cabinet to the right of the stove on top, looks odd. Also try using a 36" stainless hood to create a focal point on the stove section. In place of the MW cabinet you can add a set of drawers for your utensils etc. I do not mind the valance over the window. It is up to you.

Go all the way to the ceiling with the cabinets and molding. You can use glass fronts on some of the cabinets to open the space visually. Omega/Dynasty makes some great decorative inserts for the glass fronts.

Don’t put glass in the cabinets adjacent to the range. If you want glass cabinets, do that to the left of the sink and make a hutch type cabinet there.

The pantry wall is just too heavy no matter what you do. That’s where I’d do glass, but not clear glass. Mirror. That will conceal the interior but reflect light. And you won’t need to pay the upcharge for the finished interior. Do a simpler, non curved muntin for the doors. It will decrease the costs. Those curved muntin doors are like 1K apiece.

I know this is heresy but . . . do you really need an island?

You could lighten up the cabinets flanking the refrig with glass, or by changing the proportion from what is currently drawn. Rather than a continuous long run of matching cabinetry, you could fake an unfitted kitchen look.

Or you could allow for a counter on part of the run, with cabinets above supported by interesting corbels. The counter might prove handy next to the refrig.

That is clever about pushing the refrig into borrowed garage space -- I wondered why you were using narrow cabinets to flank the refrig!

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Lake Shore Drive Kitchen · More Info

I'd change the corner cabinet into an easy reach and remove the short wall cabs flanking the hood. You could also enlargen the hood to 36" for better ventilation; usually recommended to go 6" larger than your stove. Ditto on moving the drawer microwave to the island or to the left of the dishwasher and somehow breaking up the wall of pantry cabinets. At the least I'd widen the pantry doors if mirror doors are too expensive.

If you have the budget, you can solve your refrigerator problem by getting a counter-depth or built-in refrigerator and place it anywhere on that wall.

Re prep sinks, if you decide to put one in the island, make sure it's big enough to be useful. I had a 12" square one in an island in my old kitchen, and it was totally useless. I now have a 18" square sink on my beverage bar, and it's much better.

Breaking up the long expanse of solid cabinet doors on the pantry wall is a great idea. I like any kind of obscure glass--frosted, seedy, reeded--if you don't want to see everything inside the cabinets.

Finally, you seem to have so much storage that I don't think you need the upper cabinets on the range wall. Eliminating them will lighten up the room greatly.

Thank you all for your comments. They are so helpful. We are currently working with the cabinet guys to redesign the kitchen based on a number of your recommendations. This has truly been helpful. I will post the new design for the kitchen shortly. Thanks again.

New side wall picture. the only change we are making is drawers in the middle of the bottom right cabinets. Also, we currently have a 15" transom door above. What is the rule of thumb for a 9ft cabinet in the division of the cabinet set up from floor to ceiling? Currently the cabinet is 33" with a 15" transom door making the full cabinet 48".

Those 3 different rail heights needs to be cleaned up. You need continuous horizontal lines around the room. The short cabinets are too short. They need to be taller. 18”H, with 30” lowers. And that 84” line needs to go all the way around the room. Relocate the rails, or add as needed.

Or have Much taller uppers to align with the tall over fridge cabinet. But the unbroken fridge cabinet is an issue.

Cabinets should go to the ceiling. 90 inch tall cabinets and 36" high wall cabinets with 12" cabinets on top with 6" of crown looks better than 84 and 18's. Or 93 and 15 if available at no added cost in a custom line. Your kitchen designer is not very good as there are many novice mistakes in your design. Also your chimney hood is contemporary while your cabinets, design style, and glass doors are traditional.

I am also not a fan of Frameless cabinets with traditional style cabinetry. Why not get a better made more durable framed cabinet since your style goes better with the better made cabinet and it doesn't cost anything more. Kraftmaid, Decora, Fieldstone, Wellborn and many other framed cabinet lines would be a better choice. Getting less expensive cabinetry but going to the ceiling everywhere would cost the same and be a better investment.

Are you able to post a layout diagram? I'm wondering about aisle clearances, especially with bar stools pulled out from the island, across from the fridge.

Do you know what you are storing in the tall shallow bank of cabinets? If not... have you gone through what you need to store and identified where it goes, throughout the kitchen? Have you identified your prep area and clean-up zone? Where are trash pull out(s)? Do you have a recycling center, do you compost, how many people are in the kitchen cooking at once... I suggest more time spent on functionality at this time before finalizing cabinet choices.

BTW- I highly recommend 18" deep uppers, they are wonderful for large bowl storage.

You have selected wonderful cabinets and I would like to see you get the best kitchen possible:)

One more idea - if you stick with the current wall, another idea might be to use lighted glass uppers all the way around. You aren't going to able to access these cabinets easily. Poorly shown here:

I'd also suggest some time on Houzz looking at pictures of banks of cabinetry, saving off your favorites. This gives you an idea of one with clean lines:

Contemporary Kitchen · More Info

Isabel98’s lovely upper cabinetry reminded me of this.