I'm trying to figure out the best way to design my cabinets with 9' ceiling. We are planning on doing full overlay shaker doors with flat front drawers. We do not want to do any kind of trim above the cabinets. We're aiming for a fairly modern look with gray painted cabinets, navy painted island cabinets, and white quartz counter top.

My first question is if I should do 36" uppers, 42" uppers, or 36" + 18" (ceiling height) uppers. Obviously the 36" uppers are the cheapest option. 42" is still within my budget, but to do 36" + 18" I would need to cut things out of my build. If we did the extra 18" we would not be able to do glass panels or anything decorative like that due to costs.

36" Seem like a good size, but the gap between cabinets and ceiling is huge, and I'm afraid it may be an eyesore. 42" somewhat resolves that issue, but the kitchen is relatively small and I'm afraid it will feel too big and looming. I haven't given much though to the full height cabinets, so I'm not sure how it would look/feel.

My second question is, depending on the height of the uppers, how would I do the backsplash behind my chimney hood? Stove to ceiling seems strange due to the huge gap between cabinet and ceiling if I go with 36" cabinets, but if I do the full height cabinets I think it's our best bet.

I've got some kitchen plans here, but these are based on an 8' ceiling with 30" cabinets. Plans for my ceiling size and cabinet heights haven't been drafted yet.

I'd love to hear how you guys would do it, and what you think of the choices so far.