well first that is a monster of a kitchen next to mine. I have cabinets to the ceiling. My husband put stuff up there when we moved 4 years ago. I no longer remember what is up there, and if i wanted to use it, hubby would have to get it down. so yeah to ceiling sounds great, but not so handy, unless you are 6 foot.

You have put a lot of thought into your renovation! I like the direction you are going. I'll try to help you with 2 of your questions.

1. Raising your existing cabinets to the ceiling would look odd. That said, I think you need cabinets that do go to the ceiling. I think there are 2 options for you, first buy new uppers to match. Second, purchase new cabinets that are designed to fit into the space between your existing cabinets and the ceiling. If you know what company made your cabinets, that would be your best bet. I'm thinking either route will not be as costly as you might imagine. That upper cabinet storage is wonderful for things you only use a few times a year such as turkey platters and Christmas dishes.

2. Recessed lighting placement is very important. Tack lighting: Too far back into the center of the room and you cast a shadow on what you are working on. For sections with upper cabinets, place your can light directly above the outside edge of the counter, usually 2 feet out from the wall. Center the light over the sink, usually 1 foot from the wall. On that sink wall, I would want 3 cans, one centered on each of the 2 cabinet sections and one on the sink.

For the cooktop section, you may need as many as 5 or 6 lights in 2 rows. 3 placed to light the bar section and 3 to light the cooktop. The cooktop will be tricky because you don't want to be lighting the hood rather cooktop. It may be that the hood has ample lighting built into it, but I have yet to see a hood that does. At any rate, plan to augment any light the hood may have.

For your new hutch, use 3 lights mounted 2 feet from the wall. Put 1 or 2 cans above your table.

General Lighting: put a row of cans down the center of the room spaced every 5 to 6 feet.

The actual light bulbs are important too. I recommend led at 3000 k with about a 36 degree spread for a kitchen. If you don't have a good source for bulbs, check out: www.earthled.com

One last note on lighting, you didn't mention under cabinet lighting. I would put in led under cabinet lighting what you are renovating. It will be much easier to do while everything is being redone rather than waiting until next year!

Good luck!

One thing I'll warn you about is that the higher the faucet is, the more splashes you're going to have so be prepared to have either a paper or hand towel close at hand when you use the sink as you're going to be wiping up slashes every time you turn around. I am, and my faucet isn't quite as high as yours. I like it, but I spend a huge amount of time wiping up splashes.

Hayleydaniels, thank you for the heads up! I was able to return it and get something in better scale. I loved the idea of that faucet but it really wasn't going to work.I got the Blanco Classic Nouveau pull out kitchen faucet in Satin Nickel instead.

Thank you Emily. I just might do that and get lighting up there to show off the crown moulding we are getting there. Thanks!

Looks like your kitchen is well on the way! The end of October will be here before you know it! :D

how tall are you all, or how low are the countertops that you can reach the upper cabinets at 18 inches? am I the only person in the world without a ladder in my kit?

Tallest is 5' 10. So if we put the cabinets up 4 inches the top will be for stuff we don't use much.

ok, for me, at 5'5" and inability to reach above my head anymore, well that limits me to the first shelf.

Probably not your biggest priority but I have cabinets to the ceiling and I keep a lot of stuff up there. The way I use the higher storage is by keeping a beautiful, folding hand painted step stool hanging conveniently at the end of my island. When I'm working in the kitchen I just keep it out and step up as I need things from higher up and because the stool is a piece of art in itself it only adds to the overall look of the space. Of course you can always use those upper shelves to hold holiday dishes and rarely used tools and appliances. I also keep my kids messy craft stuff up there. Whether the space is used all the time or not its always nice to have the option of additional space and that adds value to your home and the visual impact of cabinets that go to the ceiling is spectacular, I always feel there's something unfinished about cabinets that just hover.

aaah, space such a lovely thing, and the ability to climb. but none of this is op problem so back to her. I just was surprised that this 18" thing keeps popping up and it so does not work for those who are shorter, elder or now handicapped.

So the kitchen became officially finished when the custom buffett arrived. The custom buffet is made out of old Chinese rice bins. We will be putting glass over the top to make it a proper work space. Initially we were going to put Blanco City silestone over it but the wood looked so beautiful it was a shame to cover it.

great work! must feel like a whole new room. that buffet really makes the space more useful, and your table fits nicely. congrats!

truly lovely!