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Design Dilemma DIY Kitchens

Kitchen cabinets(15") deeper than soffit(12")

7 months ago

last modified: 7 months ago

Hi! I’m renovating my kitchen by myself. I already ordered kitchen cabinets from IKEA and I’m in the process of assembling and installing them. I installed the base cabinets and ordered the countertop and now I was going to install the wall cabinets but I found out that the soffit is 3 inches shorter than my cabinets. I know, I’m really stupid.
The previous cabinets must have been 12" deep. But IKEA only carries 15" deep wall cabinets..

There is a soffit around the entire kitchen wall, and I don’t have the money and time to remove it all.
How can I cover the gap where the wall cabinets stick out 3 inches more than the soffit? I’m thinking of installing white panels or panels of the same material as the IKEA cabinet doors(high gloss) between the cabinets and the ceiling. What do you think?
The other, bigger problem is the leftmost wall cabinet. The left side of the cabinet will be kinda covered by the front wall soffit. What should I do? Please advise me. Thank you!!

Featured Answer

palimpsest

7 months ago

Since people hate overhanging soffits--soffits that are actually deeper than the cabinets, I would try putting the cabinets up and see how they look recessed from the face of the cabinets by 3",

It may not look bad; they will recede visually.

I have designed a number of kitchens in row houses and there is almost always things in the soffits that can't be moved, like plumbing or ductwork. So I usually have the soffits framed about 3/4" -1" shallower than the depth of the cabinets so the cabinet face or doors sit proud of the soffit, and there is a little room for a piece of trim at the top if you want it. That's not the same as 3" but I would try leaving them in your case and you can always build them out after.

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Comments (9)

millworkman
7 months ago
Reframe the soffits to be the appropriate depth.
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dan1888
7 months ago
Put up the cabs. If you don't like the look, nail a 2x2 top and bottom end to end and add drywall. This gets you to a 1" recess as mentioned above. The work is simple diy. The cost is minimal.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
7 months ago
Since the soffit seems to exist on all the walls in the kitchen, it will look more natural to extend it out in front of the cabinets, so it gives the whole kitchen a tray ceiling affect. This would be easier to accomplish now before the upper cabinets are hung. I don’t think trying to extend the cabinets up using IKEA parts will work well visually or structurally. Visually gets awkward since the rest of the kitchen has a drywall soffit. Structurally won’t work because the IKEA panels tend to chip or peel when cut.
PRO
DeWayne
7 months ago
last modified: 7 months ago
You are going down a rabbit hole to force things to fit something they do not fit. That is going to cost you time and money. Ikea is not automatically the best choice for small spaces, unless you are willing to give up having it fit right. Reframe and re-drywall the soffit to be deeper. Or choose different upper cabinets that are not 15" deep.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
7 months ago
A bit more planning could have helped but I think put up one wall cabinet and see how bad it looks I don't think mking the soffitt even bulkier is the answer . You planned the kitcehn to fit the walls as they are . No to using Ikea stuff to jerry rig anything unless you have lots of experience with Ikea. BTW the parts do not chip if you pratice proper proceduress , Since thse go all around the kitchen I think they will look fine with no extra work. There is a piece from Ikea that could be put on top of the cabinets but I would not bother since the top of the cabinets will be out of sight .Aslo Ikea is fabulous for small spaces since most Europen kitchens are not huge .
Jane
7 months ago
its just a 3” set back, i would add ikea molding to give you a small frame and put a rope light behind, then play with the color of the wall on soffit.. you can make it itentional and fun
bry911
7 months ago
Ignore Lomo… his analogy is perfect because he is full of crap.
HU-227031627
7 months ago
Put them up and see what they look like. Might be fine.

You don't have to have upper cabinets in every square inch. Shelves are quite popular now.

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