IMO 9' is as high as I would ever do since heating and cooling get more expensive every year why heat spaces that serve no purpose . I actually have a bit lower than 8' ceilings all through my MCM ranch and I love them and honestly i think if you save huge by going all 8' you can spend that money on something else to give you pleasure

9' ceilings in your living room should be fine.

8' or 9' in the kitchen/dining should work too and help make the living room feel more expansive if you go with 8' in the kitchen/dining area.

What I did in my house was did 10' downstairs in all public rooms and the master but did 9' ceilings in hallways.

I do want to mention that you might want to reconsider your sink and your cooktop if you're not planning on having a prep sink on the island. Normally we take food out of the fridge, move it to the sink to wash, prep between sink and stove before moving it to the stove to cook. With where your fridge is, you now have to cross through your cooking zone.

If you're not planning on having a prep sink, I'd flip the sink with the stove and then put windows on either side of the stove on the back wall. You spend the most time prepping, not at the sink.

This is such a personal decision and people are all over the map on it. How many times have we seen people come through here concerned that their 275 foot vaulted ceiling isn't high enough, or that their second floor dormer bedroom has 5'5" in the middle, so that's fine, right?

To me, 9 feet is the minimum I would do in a new build.

I've owned 8 foot ceilings and while they are fine, particularly in smaller rooms (bathrooms especially) - to me 9 or 10 in larger rooms is just perfect. You can make things pretty cozy with 9 feet without feeling squashed. IMO though. If you have 8 and LOVE them, who am I to say 9 feet is better...

I should be a politician, because I feel like I just rambled on and managed to say nothing...

:)

TL;DR - get whatever you want.

@cpartist thank you! I do love what you have done in your house with the trim too… but just at this phase of life and budget I cant put the money/time/effort into something like that. It would be best to just lower the ceiling if i want it visually lower ya know? So I appreciate your feedback and glad to know you think it would be okay. Do you think we should change the 8 foot header and door height if we go to 9 throughout?

I’ll look closer at the kitchen arrangement. I guess anything is better than what I have now so I didnt notice. Look at all the dancing in circles I do when i cook right now. (red circle is MW/Oven). Poor design for sure 🤣

The desired style of the house and the exterior massing effect the interior design decisions. Kitchen cabinets do not have to go to the ceiling. If you are looking to save money, it may be best to have one ceiling height throughout the whole house.

Based on your layout I'd keep 9' for the entire area including the foyer. If you reduce I'd reduce the foyer also. I'd also look at making your island 12+" wider and adding a prep sink on the frig half.

I have 9' in kitchen, dining, and living room. I love the consistency, and I agree with @Mark Bischak, Architect that it may be best to have one ceiling height throughout. I find that lighting the space and window treatments are certainly easier that way.

Window treatments in particular are so costly, and you can't take them with you if you move, so think about window treatments when the windows are in a room with 12' ceilings. Having said that, I find 8' ceilings to be too low (except for bedrooms), so I think 9' is the sweet spot.

We had 9' ceilings in our last home (old stone colonial) and have them in our newer beach house with a great room and I love them. (In both homes we had cabinets to the ceiling). I wouldn't want them higher. Our new home has 8' ceilings and they took some getting used to. I really think 9' is the sweet spot.

Even a few inches above 8 ft adds to the elegance and comfort of a space. As the ceiling approaches 9 ft , the windows can be considerably taller and that brings natural light deeper into the room not to mention allowing a taller view. The taller windows look better from outside too. At 10 ft it becomes an unecessary cost and that money could be better spent elsewhere like on the windows.

@cpartist thank you! I do love what you have done in your house with the trim too… but just at this phase of life and budget I cant put the money/time/effort into something like that.

Trust me, I understand. It definitely added cost but visually made it feel more cozy while still having taller ceilings.

It would be best to just lower the ceiling if i want it visually lower ya know?

Absolutely. I will tell you that in my two old houses (1 a 1927 craftsman bungalow and the other a an 1898 victorian farmhouse style) I had 9' ceilings in both. It was the right height. Another thought is most people do prefer at least a 9' ceiling.

So I appreciate your feedback and glad to know you think it would be okay. Do you think we should change the 8 foot header and door height if we go to 9 throughout?

If you can, I'd try for a 7' header and door height, but if not, do the 6'8" one. I think an 8' one works in my hallways but I wouldn't want it in my upstairs with my 9' ceilings. (Pics below of upstairs with 9' ceilings and 6'8" door and window heights.)

I’ll look closer at the kitchen arrangement. I guess anything is better than what I have now so I didnt notice. Look at all the dancing in circles I do when i cook right now. (red circle is MW/Oven). Poor design for sure 🤣

The two best kitchens I ever had to work in is the one I have now and the one in that 1927 bungalow. What they both had in common is excellent flow. Even though this one is 2x as large as that first one and this one has an island and that one just had the perimeter layout that worked, it saved steps and was so efficient.

Upstairs hallway with 9' ceilings and headers and elevator door at 6'8".

My studio with 6'8" doors.

Realize that in my design, I brought the "ceiling" color down to the picture rail at the top of the door and window. You won't be doing that. Your wall color will continue to the top of the 9' wall so the doors will actually feel larger.

Our new build is 9’ ceilings on main and 8 on bedroom level. Works great for us.

How much would you save by lowering the ceilings 1' ? What would the money be saved ON?

For me, I'd have 9' ceilings, forego upper cabinets, get a laminate countertop, simpler house exterior, Ikea cabinets, LVP flooring (and/or carpet upstairs), inexpensive hardware, and much fewer upgrades. I'd splurge slightly on the windows and the 9' ceiling. You can always change out the other stuff.