Every time I look at this post, (I cringe) my eyes go right to the unfortunate soffit that rests above our kitchen cabinets. Even worse is the unfortunate vent cover! I recently had the honor of helping a family plan a kitchen in their new custom home. The experience has my wheels turning about what to do above the kitchen cabinets. If you have an open space above your cabinets, you might enjoy this post that I wrote a while back. But, if you are like me and have that awkward soffit that chops up the visual lines of the kitchen, you might find something here to consider.
To further throw my own kitchen under the bus, here is the soffit I am referring to.
This example shows how treating the space as one unit by painting it and adding a variety of mouldings can create a greater visual impact.
Here is another example with a simpler trim detail.
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Here is a great example of cabinets that are recessed with the soffit extending past the line of the cabinets. The moulding detail blends it all perfectly.
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In this example, I’m not sure whether there is a soffit or if the moulding was added to eliminate the potentially awkward gap that would exist without the moulding, but either way bravo!
So what do you think? Hide the soffit or embrace it?
EMBRACE! I've never thought of dressing up a soffit like this before. It's genius! I like it even more than removing the soffit (unless of course you are going to add cabinets up to the ceiling). I kinda wish I had a soffit now, I would add so much moulding.
Seems like it would be cheaper to trim it out right….other wise you are looking at a complete kitchen overhaul?
You are right, Rene, the moldings DO make the soffits seem like a piece of beautiful cabinetry. I'll definitely keep this in mind when we get to renovating our kitchen (terrible soffits and all).
I never minded ours. I put shelves all the way across two of them and have my blue glass collection on them. We'll be doing a full gut kitchen remodel later this summer and I'm leavin' the soffits, 'cause they're really our only "wall" space. I say embrace them.
I think a big gap between the cabinets and the ceiling make a kitchen look like it is sitting in Lowe's – no matter how custom or nice the cabinets actually are. Soffits are great. Trim would make it perfect.
I agree with Sherry. So smart. And those photos are all so stunning. Now I am looking at my blank space above the cabinets and sighing. Hmmm. Why do you do this to me??
Thank you so much for this inspiration! I have been trying to figure out how to deal with mine and the trim in the second to last picture will per a perfect solution.
This is on my to do list! We have a soffit that hides lots of stuff like plumbing and heating vents.
Beautiful kitchen. I've never been able to figure out soffits. When I redid my kitchen I took the cupboards all the way to the ceiling and had it trimmed out with large moulding. Yes, I had to use a stool to get to the top spaces but that's where you put things like apple peelers and cherry pitters! I live in a little French apartment. Oh what I wouldn't do to be able to redo the kitchen!
Now I'm wondering too what our kitchen looks like in the new house (I have no recollection and only have 1 bad photo to reference). It will need an overhaul eventually anyway but this has me thinking. I love that last kitchen image. mmmm…and I'm not sure what I would do.
Absolutely beautiful. I have a question and would appreciate any suggestions. I redid my kitchen a year ago. I wanted to remove the soffit but was quoted $5000 by the contractor. I have despised them ever since. I have found several solutions like yours by making it blend into the cabinet with molding. My problem is the soffit extends a few inches past the cabinet and there is no room for molding between the two. Any suggestions to blend in the extension as well?