My parents' house was built in early 70's, has original site-built dark oak cabinets with crown molding going all the way to ceiling. My mom just put in granite and tin backsplash a couple of years ago. Their ceilings are less than 8ft (7' 6" or 7' 9" I think?). I don't think there's a minimum ceiling height required for crown, though I think a maximum gap of 6" b/t the top of cabinets and the ceiling looks best if you're trying to bring the crown all the way to the ceiling. Any more, and you'd have a huge filler between the cabinet and the crown. With 8ft ceilings and "standard" 18" backsplash, you'd need 42" cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling. Crown would be less expensive. Something to think about. I agree that crown "finishes" the cabinets nicer than a factory (particleboard) edge, but if your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling then you don't need crown (though you might need a thin piece of some kind of trim to hide any gaps since your ceiling probably isn't flat). Do what you want, not what you think the trend is (I'm assuming you're not remodeling to sell).

I keep on looking at my ceilings and crown, and definitely can tell that the ceiling looks higher in the rooms where it is a different color from the crown molding than in the rooms that have ceiling and trim the same white color. Obviously makes sense since it looks like the ceiling starts lower, i.e. where the crown starts. Now, how would it look if I painted the crown molding the same color as my walls? It should make the ceiling appear higher. (However, my walls are darkish yellow). Crown Molding the same as ceiling Crown molding the same as wall Crown molding different from ceiling and wall

The crown moulding is a little distracting on a vaulted ceiling, but if everything were painted out it wouldn't stand out like it does now. If you have the budget to remove moulding then do it, but if you can use the funds for other projects than I'd paint room and leave the trim. Once the room is decorating you probably won't even notice it.

Usually, the crown is painted the same color as all your millwork, including the window/door trim, baseboards, etc. Like this: But you can also do a more dramatic paint job with the crown painted the same color as the walls: Note they kept the door, door trim, and ceiling the same color white. Here's another example where all the crown is the same color as the walls: I love the way these look and it gives a room a more contemporary feeling. FYI, all crown molding should be painted in a semi-gloss, and the walls in a satin or eggshell finish.