Tall overhead doors are quite striking, and I think they always look great. However if your kitchen is very modern the horizontal, elongated overhead cabinets are more suited. Modern kitchens emphasize horizontal plane, extending the perimeter and exaggerating bench space. Vertical heit is lowered to your eye line where possible, giving there space above a sense of open-ness and lift. Contemporary on the other hand allow for these tall doors, and will bridge the gap between a classic new style kitchen with a more traditional one with elements of profiled doors or classic finishes and stone etc.

Thanks for the comments. I don't mind making the cupboards higher but I am unsure what would look good. Should they be 1m, 1.2m? That will result in a smaller bulk head but the cupboards may look disproportionate compared to the base cupboards under the bench top. I have been looking for photos where the overhead cupboards are very tall but haven't found any.

A normal residential ceiling is around 2.4m or 2.7m high, and a ceiling fan will be mounted with the blades 200mm-300mm below the ceiling. If your ceilings are higher than that, I would generally expect to see the fan mounted at the same height - so 2.1m - 2.4m off the floor. Any fan supplier should be able to tell you what height the fan is designed to be mounted at, as the manufacturer will provide this information. I'd suggest finding some fans you like and then getting the information from the merchant. As Dr Retro said, not all fans have a remote switch to reverse direction, so check before you buy one.

There are so many variables and ways to build things. Building succesfully is very much working well in three dimensions and understanding the structure, and the waterproofing required in three dimensions. Your question suggest that you are only thinking in terms of heights and brick courses, but there are lots of other things happening that would suggest that you get a section of the house and post it with dimensions. Most building professionals work in millimetrres rather than brick coursing. So converting your dimensions to millimetres - 28 courses is 2400mm, which is the minimum height for a habitable room ceiling. Six courses of brickwork is 514mm for the window opening, however your glazed area will be less than this due to the width of the window frame. Your 3 courses of brickwork which is 257mm should be enough for most steel lintels, unless you have a really wide opening for a window? You also need to allow for flashing if the clerestorey is above another roof running into the same wall - if this is the case you may need the full 47 courses. I would be asking your designers why they need 47 courses, as it is a lot higher, and there may be problems with setback issues? Is it a flashing issue? Is it a window opening width and lintel issue. I am afraid you haven't really supplied enough information or images to explain about the clerestorey window so it is impossible to answer precisely. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visist