Just to weigh in on the other side...we have this in our "public rooms" (living room, dining room) in our 1915 bungalow, and it is by far the single most complimented feature of the house. It doesn't impact how big the rooms feel, at least not that I've noticed (although I also realize that I honestly don't know if our ceilings are 9' to the soffit or 9' to the center---the center is maybe 4" higher---so I'll have to measure this weekend and see!) Our ceilings are also still the original textured plaster, which undoubtedly helps. The soffits also parallel the inlaid trim in the wood floor, following the same lines in each room, so it does help the rooms look "complete." They're purely architectural---nothing in them. Wonder if this was the look your architect was envisioning? (We don't have them in the bedrooms, bath, or kitchen, though, and the house is Arts & Crafts style so there is no crown moulding in any of the rooms---just wainscoting and plate/chair rails lower on the walls.) I think you could skip it in the kitchen and still use it in the other rooms if you like, though---that's how ours was originally designed and it's not something I paid attention to until we started working on the kitchen. For whatever reason, ceilings and walls in bedrooms/kitchen are also not textured, but just smooth plaster...I guess that was cheaper back in the day!

I hadn't thought of doing it that way - in any case, I don't know what color rug/towels to use, either! I got some paint samples over the weekend and will try to post photos of the tiles and samples together.

That's not what D space did here, which partially inspired us, and it looks great to have the semi-gloss crown and flat finish ceiling detail. https://www.houzz.com/photos/living-room-contemporary-living-room-chicago-phvw-vp~356265 But they didn't have the molding and ceiling detail connected to the cabinet. I agree that creates issues. So, if you would do the cabinets, molding, and ceiling detail all the same, what sheen would choose for them?

@cat_ky I just added them!