Ha, this sounds exactly like the conversation we had with our shelves! ;) Anyway, just measured ours because I was curious. Bottom of lower shelf is 21" off the counter, and bottom of upper shelf is 33" off the counter (and shelves are an inch thick, so I guess that's 11" apart, more or less?) I think we set them at that height because originally our stand mixer was going to go underneath, but it's since moved. However, we still have a fruit basket that takes up the full height below it, so it hasn't been bad to have the lower shelf up that high, and has never felt particularly out of reach. We don't have upper cabinets on the wall with our shelves, though, and in your case I think I might line the lower shelf up with the bottom of the cabinet, as someone suggested. The key (at least for us) to not having the shelves feel like they're looming has been the depth, more than the height. Ours are 11" deep so a lot less intrusive than the 16" deep upper that was there in the old kitchen.

Beautiful, gorgeous kitchen. It must be wonderful to work in. I would have to pinch myself every day. Since this is a walkway to the dining room, if you don't need additional storage, I love the idea of a bold and interesting gallery wall rather than closing it in with more cabinets. Of course if you actually need more storage, shallow cabinets or shelves would be fine also. I guess I would try putting some shallow boxes on the wall to see how it feels before putting something permanent in place.

Smith and Noble and JCPenney (believe it or not) do free custom design and measure services and their custom draperies are very reasonably priced. I’d check if it’s available in your area.

I am looking to remodel my office with new shelves for all my books. Currently, I have two (2) home-built bookshelves that are bulky and no longer have any space left for additional books. I am looking to build some shelves to store all my books and give the office a "fresher" look. Thus, I am thinking floating shelves would be nice. My dilemma is whether I should do the floating shelves all around, in opposite corners, along 2 of the walls. This may look nice as it would balance the shelves instead of having it along one wall or corner. I know I cannot do it all around given that the office doors open towards the inside and there is an outward-facing window. I am including a layout for your reference. The office walls are 12 feet high so I have heard, from interior designers, that the shelves can go up to 2/3 of the entire height. I am thinking I will need anywhere from 5-7 shelves depending on the layout. By the way, I can certainly move the office desk to a different wall, if need be. I have it facing outward as I work from home and like to look outward. Other questions (1)Should I use floating shelves or use L-shaped brackets which also look nice and will support more weight (books are heavy)? the L-shaped brackets will be less work as I am looking to do this work myself. (2) Should I use wood stained shelves or paint them? I would like my office to feel like a library as folks go into it. The walls are currently painted BEHR Etched Glass which, in the sunlight, looks a tad blue (very light blue). (3) Any recommendations as to what to do with the space above the door OR the space above the shelves will be appreciated. Perhaps I can get some art. I like contemporary and modern art; especially with Mediterranean colors, themes which would go very nicely with my wall colors. (4) How thick should the wood be? I am thinking 1.5 to 2". I will be getting it from the Home Depot. Below is an image of the office dimensions.