Thanks, Kelli! I like the idea of the beadboard on the island tying in with the beadboard on the soffit, and I love the idea of making the cabinets appear taller. :)

I liked the items which were above the ledge.

Me, too, noorlina - they add personality!

Exactly Manon, I instantly had the feeling of "this is HOME for someone"

If you don't mind a contractor and some dust.. I would take the soffit right up to the ceiling.Pinch it back to flush with cabinets. Add a bead of crown trim where the new drywall begins. That bead of trim, and the soffit portion below get painted exactly as your cabinet white. The rest above is your wall color. In other words.... it will all be a flush wall, except your cabinets will appear to be much taller, and a prettier proportion for the height of the room Don't worry about the cold air return up there, it can come forward into the new drywall.If you do this, your kitchen, especially near the arched doorway, will appear smoother. Change the hinges and pulls to a satin nickel. Yes!! to a rug under the table, there are fab indoor/outdoor textures that look like high end sisal and are easy care. Yes!! to a great pendant light over the island, something that shares the feel of the light over the table, or a longer narrow version of the same light. YES to adding some upholstered chairs round the table but keep them free of skirts. A great Ikat print would look super! Get an extra for the desk. Speaking of which... One great big mirror, instead of two? Yes! PS In the end a little dust is worth the trouble. You'll be amazed at your result.

Not to confuse you...you need two trims! I will try to dig up a picture! You need a small bead where the cabinets meet the existing soffit, after they are pinched to flush with cabinets, and another where the soffit will change to wall color! At any rate, it IS worth the trouble (:

I like the items above the cabinets, I think they tie in nicely with your decor AND it looks like someone really lives there (which is ironic, because normally I do NOT like stuff above cabinets!). But I do think something needs to be done with the soffit to make it blend in more. I like Kelli's idea of using bead board on it like she did in the image she linked to. Add some nice chunky crown molding to the top of that, and it'll look like your cabinets are really tall. But I'd probably leave the items up there.

I love your kitchen but it doesn't quite gel together. I would remove everything on your ledge then paint the soffit the same colour as your cabinets. You could put some pieces back but limit them to 3 items on each side and don't use anything dark in colour. Choose something green or blue pots. Green is nice in a kitchen. Also you need a large vase of flowers on the work top next to the sink. Then maybe a green runner on the table and some flowers on that. Or if you want to keep it black and white then put white covers on the dining chairs. I have a similar kitchen.

I think your kitchen looks beautiful. The only change I would make is to put beadboard around the island, painted the same color as the cabinets. I think the most important thing about decorating is using things you love to express your personality, and you've done a great job here.

Your kitchen looks beautiful. Looks like its from a magazine.

I agree with some people: if you can't remove the soffit altogether, either have it moved up to the ceiling line instead (if it's housing important pipes etc) and install upper cabinets under the new soffit ($$), OR just paint it the same colour as your cabinets and install some crown moulding at the top of it, to make it look more a part of your cabinets. This is your cheapest option. I personally don't like the beadboard idea on top, looks out of place (and I am a beadboard person in the right places), I personally wouldn't do that. I also agree to do something to make the island more of a focus. I did that to ours, similar to the picture shown by an earlier poster, and it was a huge improvement. Very easy, just apply thin strips of moulding, can even attach with "Liquid Nails" or other glue, and paint it all out white, or a dark colour. You'd be amazed how much of a difference it would make, for very little money!

I would add some crown molding at the top and bottom of the soffit and paint the soffit with a contrasting color, perhaps picking up a color in an adjoining room. Then I would add some rope lighting to accent your collection that you have already placed on the top of the soffit. The contrasting color and lighting would bring down the height visually and highlight a horizontal line. I like your collection that you have on the soffit!

love your kitchen and the display above the cabinets;just edit it a little bit. make the home yours with your personality;not something cookie cuttered from some magazine.it's like white cabinets, three years from now everyone will be painting because it is soooooo 2012.

I am the odd woman out. I like your display, and I would paint the outer face of the ledge with a simple arts and crafts design with the same background you have now and white and a darker shade, maybe a third shade very near the background color.

I would add a library ladder at the soffit level in a finish to match your existing hardware and then add a row a cabinets with crown right to the ceiling! Why not make full use of your space. If you like your display items put glass fronts on the new upper tier cabinets and place your items there.

God luck!

count me odd out too.. without the collection on the soffet the room looks very unfinished..with the wooden pieces and the metel on top brings the room into balance with one exception., add some color around the room and maybe some colorful plates or platters and bowels on the island ,table, desk, and soffet..not much money but lots of punch..use your favorite color for the accents...

Nice kitchen. I don't mind your display. It gives your kitchen personality, but you need something to "ground" the kitchen area so the objects are complementary and not focus your eye up. I like the idea of refacing the island, but I would pick a dark rich wood tone so that it looks like a piece of "furniture" itself. (similar to the desk and table) That would also look great with the granite top. You can easily switch out the outlets to dark ones. Make sure you paint out the base board around the Island to match also so it's right to the floor. You should have three island stools and of a style the fits the space better. The currant stools look Asian and aren't consistent with your style. Lastly, paint the vent above the ledge the wall colour to make it disappear more. Nice space you have there. Good luck!

The soffit is too thick - it looks forced. It needs to be thinner and have a cap and crown, The crown should be about 1/3 of the soffit thickness (rule of thirds). This one (my own kitchen) is framed w/ 2x6's and has recessed lighting for the counter ("short" cans for the small thickness). I don't see where your counter lighting is. Also, on the left side, don't just cut it off square, do a 45 angle like here. it looks like it is returning to the wall more gradually. Excuse the pic with the messy kitchen, I was testing my new camera.

Unless the soffit really bothers you, I wouldn't invest the money to change it. How about fewer, larger items rather than so many smaller things? I have a soffit in my kitchen -- really in three separate sections -- the solution I finally landed on was to place a large wicker basket in each section, filled with training silk greenery -- so full that you really don't see the baskets. This fills the empty space, but it doesn't become a focal point. Good luck!

I think your kitchen looks fine. As for the ledge I think you could edit the items with things with more color. I personally believe the only thing your kitchen needs is some color.

Wow, I woke up to so many amazing comments this morning! Thank you all! I am so grateful. I am seriously considering all that has been suggested and I can't wait to share all of your wonderful ideas with my husband! :)

Like myself, you seem to like antique/rustic type items as evident by your current display. But if you're wanting to change that ledge consider refinishing it to look like an old wooden beam. It would play off the the wooden desk, table, stools, etc. you already have going on. Also, I think the room needs some softness. Maybe some curtains or upholstered dining chairs/stools and/or a rug. Lastly, if this was my kitchen I would replace the backsplash to something slightly darker more stone like.

an artist friend of mine had a similar situation and placed her paintings above the units - it looked great and a really big arrangement of dried wild flowers in a basket

Take a look at the picture where the soffit meets the arched door........ now picture it if all that open space was closed in. Any contractor will tell you soffits are used as a cheat in most cases. If you look at housing construction in the eighties,nineties, and compare it to now, you no longer find soffits. But with a little dirt, a little dust, some trim and paint ,,,, it is a dated thing gone for good! I just close one in an eighties house and it looks so much better, nobody remembered what it looked like before! There are fads, and there are lasting trends that develop over a decade. You can ignore fads, but trends are important, and ignoring them usually means you end up with dated surroundings. Kitchens have gotten cleaner and simpler, clutter seems less necessary. If you're a shelter magazine saver, go back even five years and you will end up tossing them! And sorry..... take a pass on dried flowers, as they will set you back to the eighties... unless you want to go there. Bonus? No dust!

Although I truly like the items on the ledge and think there's nothing wrong with the ledge, I would still suggest if you do not like it at all to choose ceramic tiles which you think would make you satisfied and let them make the ledge pop.

It already looks better without the clutter above. Your kitchen is lovely and the what I would want is to have people admire the tall ceilings. We are building a new kitchen with 12foot ceilings and we are getting the cabinets built to 10ft with a bulk head above, I hate dust and figured this was a way not to have a void up there. Good luck in your changes

I like the items - just not the soffit so much. If you like the idea of beadboard, I would consider using it to reface the ends of the cabinets (near the desk) and theback of the island as well to make it tie together. I would also like to see some warm wood tones somewhere in the kitchen to bring the theme of the items on the ledge down into the kitchen. All in all, you're lucky to have such a great space to work with - everyone has give you some great ideas.

I agree with edhall more wooden accessories will definitely make a difference, positive one for sure:-)Maybe a wooden bowl with green scented apples in it.

Actually I have a few wooden items similar to the ones you have. which I really wish I could display them. But my kitchen cabinets are dead brown. And yours are very nice and not "too much" in my humble opinion:)thus I suggest you keep them and I believe they reflect one of your interests.

As I said before, I wouldn't do a thing - it looks beautiful. I love the combination of the clean lines in the kitchen with the rustic accessories and furniture, old and new together. It looks warm and inviting. You should be giving advice, not asking for it.

Thank you everyone for your comments. There are some really great ideas. :) Wow, luvbdr, that is so very sweet of you. Thank you so much. :)

What about some uplighting on the soffit? I have cabinets that do not go all the way to the ceiling and I had an electrician put a plug way up high and I have lights plugged in that I turn on and off by a switch. It looks beautiful at night when the lights are dim but the top of the cabinets are lit up! My lights are hid by some crown molding so you don't see the lights or the plug. Just another idea! Good luck!

Hi Vb, if the ledge is bothering you then there is a good chance you probably lean towards the new transitional contemporary aesthetic. I too have trouble with the busy-ness of ledges. One of the least expensive remodeling tools I have is good drywall work. If it is bothering you and can't be remove I would consider closing it in with drywall and painting it out to match the cabinets as if the cabinets where continuing to the ceiling. Trim the top out with flat base molding for a finished look. You can also draw the eye down from the ledge by making the island stand out more. There are some great cabinet paints out and changing the island by adding more cabinets and painting it a dark color will help move the attention to the center of the room.
Good luck with your space !

I get such a kick following these threads, but I do think Houzz should add a separate link for professionals to respond. I often have the urge to scream in the same way I want to rip my own hair when a client says "well, my girlfriend Becky says I should..." I shall and usually do just say this: If you ask enough people, you'll eventually get the answer you want. It just may not be the answer you need. So I would say to vintage bean as I would to a client: It's your home, it's your money, and you have to live with your result. What do you want the result to be?" The answer generally is 'I want it to look good/better"! Okay! That's what I thought!...... let us review..........!

Jan Moyer - that is a great comment. I could not agree more. I find my desire to comment lessened as they get lost in among lightweight and anecdotal comments. Unfortunately, I think many people are only looking for lightweight and anecdotal design solutions.

Vintage Bean - I get the sense you were not looking for affirmation of the existing and that you wanted to make a change. If so, the constructive comments with change solutions are your best bet. Good luck!

I like the idea of a separate place for professionals to respond (although, I can usually tell who the proffs are by the responses). A simpler way would be for their Houzz moniker to reflect their professional status.

Some of you may be too young to remember a movie with Michael Douglas and Demi Moore ( Disclosure). Great story shortened,... Michael Douglas is in a world of you-know -what and he keeps getting these pop up messages on his computer that are signed "A. Friend". All they say are SOLVE THE PROBLEM.....( ps..rent the movie, it's great.)
That is what great design, functional design, comfort and beauty, and style, are about. First solve the problem. There are no perfect people, no perfect houses... solve the problems as BEST you can, within your budget. Plan. Be willing to save. Be willing to wait. Get help!!! Every design effort following well thought out solutions to problems, looks better, is easier, and delivers more punch for your dollar.
Signed..." a friend "

Old post. August 2012

An update 3 years later! We ended up covering the soffit and island with panels and molding. We painted the new soffit to match the cabinets to give the illusion that it is all one piece. Then, we painted the island grey.

The thing that hits me as wrong is the scale of the ledge..is it concealing something? The thickness or height of the shelf..it sort of draws the eye up to the shelf instead of the things displayed there...can the thickness be reduced?if not then one possibility is to add some trim...perhaps crown moulding..creatively ...to make it appear to be part of the cabs may help

Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions! ritasj, please see my updated photo above! We actually already did what you suggested!

I think it looks great! Your home is beautiful!

I don't know with your vent up there if this would have been a better solution. What you did may have been less expensive, but lighted glass cabs would have added more value to the home.

Glad to see your update that looks very nice. I was about to point out that this is 3 years old. Houzz's key word generator pulls up old threads based on what a person is reading, and most people don't bother to check the date before responding.

Thank you so much for your kind comments. :) decoenthusiaste, if I had it in the budget I definitely would've done lighted cabinets in top. That look is gorgeous.

It always comes down to the $$$ with me too!

Your kitchen is beautiful. If you bring your vintage items back, may I suggest that they have a theme i.e. a collection e.g. old jugs etc. If you ever decide to let go of the sofit and then fill in the space all the way from the top of the cabinets to the ceiling, I love the idea of white frosted glass cabinets as suggested above. IKEA has them and they are comparatively inexpensive.

Could you tell me where you got those barstools? I love them!!

Thanks so much everyone for your comments and suggestions. :) The barstools were purchased from Hayneedle.com about 3 years ago.