I am having a hard time seeing it, but I think I can see what you are talking about. There is another option (short of tearing down the ceiling and putting up a new one) ... you could split the difference so that as the ceiling gets lower the molding gets thinner/shorter. Trick is, if your ceiling drops by an inch you would see that lost inch really dramatically in the narrow molding strip. So you can't make it all up there, only a bit of it (1/3 - 1/2). It would reduce it, but not eliminate the problem. And when the ceiling gets taller you would need to let the molding get thicker/taller again to compensate. It is a lot of fiddly work.

The other thing to consider is use something smaller but more flexible for the top most molding piece - like quarter round - that can follow the ceiling tightly and leaves a bigger swath of flat wood exposed (seeing a 1" loss on a larger span is less noticeable).

This is why having that dusty space over the cabinets with wicker baskets and faux ivy was such a good idea. Why did we leave that behind? ;)

The best answer? Stop staring at it. PS....... The dusty space above cabinets was never a great idea.

Just so you know, EVERY ceiling is uneven, even in new construction. So it’s not that you had bad luck to have an uneven ceiling. Some ceilings are more uneven than others, yours isn’t too bad. Going forward, every home you will have will have an uneven ceiling, so I think you should get over it. People have much bigger problems.

I think that top piece is what is making it so noticeable because it’s adding a third dimension/layer to compare to. In our last remodel, we had some ceiling variations but we used a larger crown at the top. Our trim guy was able to split the difference in each end and caulk helped fill the gaps.

I cannot see it but I would want to correct the recessed light trim. It might help to take the photograph looking at the defect from the side. But your camera will distort the image especially if its a wide angle lens like in a phone or a point & shoot camera. But with a longer lens the trim would fill the frame and not show the surrounding references. Your lens may have exaggerated the light trim gap.

We all see angles differently because no one's eyes are perfect and they change with age. At one time I could see the slightest deviation in a level line anywhere in a room but now my perception changes as I change my viewpoint. The angles in a drawing change as I rotate it.

If the ceiling is not level and the cabinets are, the carpenter has no choice but to vary the height of the trim. The traditional way to avoid that is with a cove molding that doesn't touch the ceiling but if you want the cabinet doors to be as tall as possible you must deal with the trim touching the ceiling.

Maybe if you posted the area from further back it would make more sense I honsetly can’t see the issue and I agree probably better to just get over it than to fixate on it .I agree about the light trim and also that space above cabinets was never a good idea.

Don’t look up. Look at what you are cutting with your knife or are stirring on the hot stove. That’s the whole reason you did the remodel, right? Plus that prevents trips to the ER.

Thank you for all of the comments and suggestions, everyone. And thank you for not going too hard on me about my first world fixation here…I understand in the scheme of things it’s pretty unimportant.

<<This is why having that dusty space over the cabinets with wicker baskets and faux ivy was such a good idea. Why did we leave that behind? ;)>>

Ha! I used to hate those spaces which is why I always wanted cabinets that go to the ceiling! Be careful what you wish for I guess;-)

<<My mother had the same gift-she could tell if something was off by 1/8”.>>

Your mother and I would clearly have been BFF’s!

<<I think that top piece is what is making it so noticeable because it’s adding a third dimension/layer to compare to. >>

I agree…I really don’t like that little piece. I understand they thought it would help with the issue, but I think it magnifies it. Also, I always thought shaker molding was the opposite if you used two pieces (small on bottom, larger on top), but I definitely could be wrong on that!

<<I cannot see it but I would want to correct the recessed light trim.>>

They’re pulled down a little for painting touch ups at the moment.

<<Maybe if you posted the area from further back it would make more sense I honsetly can’t see the issue and I agree probably better to just get over it than to fixate on it .>>

I posed a photo from a little further back and I also darkened the ceiling in one of the pics with photoshop to help show the issue.

Again, thanks everyone! You all are truly appreciated!

Stopped reading about 15% into the paragraph. If you paid for proffessional installation, it should have be cut/coped to fit uneven ceiling but match level cabinetry.

I see it, but only because you pointed it out. And I have a pretty good eye for detail. Now that you pointed it out, I cannot NOT see it. So don't mention to to anyone. They'll never notice! It looks just fine. :-)

I saw it on the first picture you posted, and I wouldnt like it either. I dont really like the moulding there at all.. I would rather see maybe a larger quarter round or something there.

Creative Design, can you explain that in layman's terms? Are you talking about attaching it level with the cabs but scribing the top of it to fit the ceiling issue or something else? How would I explain what I want to a finish person? And yes, it was paid pro installation.:-(

Thanks again, everybody!

Cooks Kitchen put in all the words I didn't say. Of course one can level the ceiling to perfection. Scribe a molding? Same thing, but a master carpentry skill much more than a cabinet installer thing. Which is why I said " stop staring". A lot of this stuff has a way of disappearing in a month or two. : ) Or six.

I wish I could stew on it for six months and figure out if I can learn to live with the crooked molding, but I can't get the backsplash up until I decide what to do (or not to do) on this one. Sigh. No worries, though. It is what it is and again, I appreciate all of the suggestions. Thank you!

So, here's the thing...You have 2 pieces of moulding with about 2 to 3 inches of each showing. A 1/2" difference is far more visible in 2 or 3 inches than in 5 inches. And what you really have is a base of about 5" covered with 2". If you remove the 1x2 at the top and leave the whole height exposed, it would be less noticeable. You may need a small detail piece up there, and possibly could bring it out flat on the ceiling.

Experiment. Or better yet, move that light so that it's always dark up there and forget about it. Or just forget about it.

And here's the best way to get over that problem. Do the work yourself; you'll appreciate how good it looks and how much work you did even when it's not perfect. ;-)

The crown molding and the backsplash are not at all related jobs. One can be done without the other.

Thank you, Tatts. All good points. And yes, I probably should figure out how to do these things myself for sure...

Cooks, yes, probably correct most of the time, but there are some small cuts needed near the top with some very spendy tile, so personally I want to have the molding figured out before the backsplash goes up regardless of whether it goes on after or before.

The sketch below illustrated the difference between the existing detail and scribing the upper trim to the ceiling. The former tends to make the cabinet top look out of level. The latter tends to make the ceiling look out of level. Thats if you can even see the difference.