Thanks, everyone! I've been looking on Houzz to get ideas and sometimes I like the accented trays and sometimes I don't! If I had to make a decision today, I think that I would paint the whole tray in the antique white. DH wants to eventually paint the walls in antique white after we move in, and if that's what we're going to do, then I guess it makes the most sense to already have the ceilings done. I wish that they would go ahead and paint the walls the way that we want them, but this is a production home, and not custom, and they have a certain way of doing things. Palimpsest, you bring up a very good point about the "stripey" look. The stripes in the dining room would be skinny little stripes because the tray in there is not as substantial as it is in the living room. I want to add plantation shutters and have the transom windows cased and trimmed out, so it's probably better to do a cleaner look with the ceilings. There's already a lot going on with this house (niches, arches, the ceilings, etc) and I don't want it to look over the top. I have a couple more weeks before they are ready to paint, so please keep the opinions coming! Thanks for the input so far! :-)

@lbur1999 I designed a low profile tray ceiling for someone a while back, you can take a look [Here[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/custom-designs-and-model-renderings-contemporary-new-york-phvw-vp~28679795) to get an idea it has a few tiers which can be made larger in size especially in your case with a high ceiling. Or something like this This type of ceilings can be designed and done many different ways, there is also already made molding molds which can make a tray ceiling.

No picture. There are four(or five/six, depending on area) levels of drywall finishing when applying and sanding the tape and mud. Level one is what is done on sheetrocked but unfinished garages, one coat of tape/mud and sanded. Level two is two coats, level three is three and so on. Each application of mud after the first are widened by 2" to 4' to make the 'bump' less obvious. That means a level four or five involves a lot more labor/expense. Now, the human eye sees vertical surfaces(walls) differently than horizontal surfaces(floors/ceilings). Our eyes see vertical surfaces as more smooth, since both eyes follow the same path, while horizontal surfaces are seen by each eye individually and bumps/etc. are more apparent. This is what has driven several trends in painting/decorating. Making a surface constructed with many components seem smooth and flat means filling the inevitable valleys/dips level with the hills/bumps. One way is to add material and sand/level the entire surface flat/smooth. When that surface is a wall, it is easier to do with level three tape/mud and a matte/flat paint. Because the matte/flat finish does not reflect light well, the eye does not 'see' bumps/etc. as well. Paint the same wall with eggshell/semi gloss and the flaws are easily seen. Use a gloss paint and that wall looks like the Rocky Mountains. Remember when I wrote about the difference in horizontal perception? The problem is much more pronounced with ceilings. In the 50's, builders began to get objections to the cost of needing level five or greater to get smooth looking ceilings. The birth of popcorn/textured ceilings happened. Builders now only needed a level one tape/mud job when popcorn was sprayed on---a two step process that could be done in two days(or less) instead of the 4+ days for better taping/mudding. I'd bet the popcorn was removed at some point, leaving the bare minimum tape/mud job. Even if the ceiling has a level three job, the imperfections will still be easily seen. You could try painting with a flat ceiling white(generic color). Repair at this point is more difficult. Adding mud over paint seldom works. You might add 1/4" sheet rock and have a level five finish job done, but you will still need to use ceiling white type paint.

Hi, Melissa-- It looks like we've got a little term confusion going on here. You actually have the opposite of a tray ceiling happening in your space. To clarify, the official definition: Tray ceiling: a ceiling under a gabled roof at a height part way up toward the ridge having the appearance of an inverted tray. I agree that the ideal state here would be a flat ceiling so as not to draw the eye - this is an unusual header that IMHO doesn't add character to the room and isn't aligned over your island to provide maximal lighting value. I'd take this opportunity to make the ceiling flat and get your cans positioned for better light dispersion based on the island's current placement and traffic in the room. Couple other questions: Did your kitchen originally have a crown molding in place? That may be something to also consider, if other spaces in your home currently do as well. Think your cabinets came out really well with the paint transformation - will you be adding hardware back on once the coatings fully harden? I also have to say I think this counter looks great with your new cabinet paint, too. Is it not in great condition any longer, and hence needs replacement? If it's still in good shape, I'd consider replacing the current low backsplash strip with a full splash in new slabs of the same material - the midtone grey really balances out the lightness of your cab finish with the hi/lo metallics of stainless steel you have in place, too.