Here is the view from the other side

It's not really apparent to me from your pictures. I wonder if you just paint the soffit with the high gloss paint if it will look like part of the molding?

Personally, from the angles you're showing, I think it looks fine. I can barely see the "soffit." Can they just put some molding over the soffit that would hide the dry wall? I'm thinking it might be sort of the reverse of how you had been planning it. Is it that big of a job for them to take it out and start again? Could there be any damage to the cabinets. As many here will tell you, if it's not what you want, then by all means you should have them do it the right way. But I can see how you just want to move on.

personally, I kind of like it. I makes it look like old fashioned built ins. Not like molding just stuck up there.

But it's your house and if it really bugs you, then have them change it.

So is the soffit part molding or dry wall? Can you get a picture staight on from a slight distance? I think it would be easier to judge that way.

By the way...your cabinets are gorgeous!!!!!!

I'm with everyone else - if it really bugs you, get it fixed as you have to live with it. But, I absolutely love your cabinets and the molding looks very nice. Even with the mistake, which happens, they did a very nice job. I might add another trim piece at the top to make it look more decorative, if anything.

Actually it doesn't bug me. Its not what I originally wanted and I think it would look better in the planned configuration but I don't think this looks bad. (Its not something most people would even notice.) I think it looks fine but I wanted to get some opinions about whether Im kidding myself into thinking it looks okay just because I don't want to delay.

Redoing it the way I want would be A LOT of work.

It looks just fine to me. If it does not bother you, I don't think I would go through the redo. I can just imagine the mess and the time involved in a redo. If you do not really care for the soffitt, how about just adding another piece of molding at the soffitt as has been suggested? I don't think I would have them redo it, though, if it did not affect the spacing between my cabinets and countertop. If I still had at least 18" between the two, I would let it as is. It is really a beautiful space.

Well, I hate to go against all those positive responses, but I don't like it. It looks like it's installed backwards (which it is). I think they need to make it right. It looks off-balance

That said, you probably won't notice too often once the kitchen is put together and working.

Good luck.

I quite like it. It's a bit different but not in a bad way!

I love it-- I think it screams "custom" and "high-end"--- I will consider doing it that way on purpose in my next kitchen!

From your pictures (the angles of those pictures), I think it looks a little odd. But as others have suggested, maybe if were painted the same color / finish as the crown it mightn't be an issue. ???

I can absolutely empathize with that feeling of "I don't care, just FINISH!" But I do feel the need to say that if it bothers you now it will only continue to bother you more and more in the years to come. Wait, I should've used the caveat "in my experience" it will only continue to bother you more and more in the years to come. I fear every time you enter your kitchen you'll see that mini-soffit and be ticked.

In our den (where we have built-in cabinets which they are s-l-o-w-l-y in the process of "finishing" -- not holding my breath) the carpenters seemed surprised I wanted them to build up the top of the cabinets so the crown would rest against that built-up part and the ceiling -- "are you sure you don't just want the crown on the cabinets?" Yes, that's why I had the cabinets built the height I did, to allow for the two-piece crown -- I figure I ought to know as it's my house! Honestly. With my son in a backpack I finally climbed up the stepladder with some pieces of wood and crown and showed them what I want, which is what they are now doing.

The white piece is the piece of filler they're using to build up the tops of the cabinets / bookcases so the crown can straddle it and reach the ceiling. When it's all caulked / puttied / painted it should seamlessly blend in, and then I'll be happy with it!

Maybe that's what can be done in your kitchen?

That being said, your cabinets look beautiful! I can totally see why you're anxious for it to be done -- your kitchen is going to be gorgeous.

I'll be holding a good thought for you!

i like it, too. it doesn't matter what you originally wanted, it matters whether you like it now; if you don't, then you are entitled to what you asked for.

this is a tiny thing compared to yours, but i'll share any way. initial painting was done before cabinet installation. the painter painted my soffit with the trim paint instead of the wall paint.it was a mistake. much, much easier to rectify than yours. but i think i'm going to keep it because it may be a nice accent that ties together my walls of cabinets. i hadn't intended it, but sometimes there are good ideas you hadn't thought of. :)

Ohhh, tough call! The kitchen is gorgeous overall. But I kind of agree that it is backwards looking. For a "built in" look, the piece that touches the ceiling should be wood, not drywall. How about adding a teeny piece of molding at the very top? Then the teeny soffit would look like a wood panel. It would look like an intricate crown of many layers. We had a baseboard like that in our old house. It had several "steps" of molding, flat expanse, molding, flat expanse, molding. Might something like that work? It would be an easy fix. You could tape some trim up there to get a good look. At the very least, paint it the same as the trim, so it looks like trim.

Francy

I like it, too! I think it looks thoroughly "custom" (in a good way) and high-end, and I'm not sure I'd like that same extra real estate sandwiched (which I think is what you mean you intended) between the top of the cabinets and the crown moulding. I'd MUCH rather have it between the moulding and the ceiling, as it is. (I wonder if they did it that way because they felt it looked better that way as well?) If it really bothers you, couldn't you just have them add another tier of crown moulding, to make it look like one very deep piece of moulding?

But I would just leave it if it were my kitchen (and wouldn't I LOVE to have that kitchen!) And with those gorgeous cabinets, trust me, no one but NO ONE is even going to ever notice what's above them!

ps....I LOVE LOVE LOVE your door knobs! What are they and where did you get them?

Thanks so much for your input everyone - your making me feel better about it. I figure its really aweful then all of the detail orientated posters on this board would be the first to tell me.

I agree it looks backward, I would have preferred it the "right" way and Im sure my contractor will fix it for me if I make a stink. But it doesn't bother me too much so I think I will let it slide.

I don't think adding more molding would make it look better b/c of the deep profile of the existing crown. If anything, I don't want to call more attention to it. In the current set up, it sort of fades in the background. (which is why its hard to see in the photos)

Thanks buffettgirl - the knobs are from Restoration Hardware. I looked all over for "better" crystal knobs but these won out as a favorite.

Sonicstef, I think it looks good! What your mini soffit does is echo the bit of wall above the heating vent, and above the molding on the left hand wall (maybe a door crown?) It might be "wrong" but one could prefer to consider it an excellent design choice :)

And if it doesn't bug you other than by not being what was specified, I wouldn't risk changing it. Your cabinets are just too gorgeous! Keep them gorgeous!

I so totally understand the second, third, fourth's...guessing oneself.

In this case, I think keeping it the way it is is the best option. It really looks beautiful, and compared to the option of having to rip everything out and start over, not only are you looking at a fair amount of time involved, let alone somebody's expense (though not yours- SOMEONE has to pay), you really risk incurring damage to the cabinets and the glass doors and I don't know if your flooring and countertops are in, but something could easily fall and gash one of those surfaces...

If it looked bad or off, I would tell you (since you asked), but honestly, I LOVE how it looks and I bet you can hardly wait to start filling those cupboards!

It blends in so well that I can hardly tell there's a soffit there. In fact, I couldn't if you hadn't told us. Everything looks gorgeous to me. I love your cabs and the knobs are perfect. Lucky lady! Are you going to post on finished kitchens?

Some mistakes are "meant to be". But only you can decide if this is one of them.

I think it looks beautiful as is. Talk about "letting it go" one of my friends ordered cabinets and she swears they came in a slightly lighter color than she ordered -- rather than send them back she kept them, and she loves the way they look.

Thanks everyone.

I will post when my kitchen is finished. Im hoping that will be quite soon :)

Looks gorgeous...would never have noticed the error if you had not mentioned it...guess I am not as TKO as I think...LOL...:-)

Looks good to me. It actually took me quite a while, after reading several posts, to figure out what was wrong! Go on and enjoy it. If anyone asks, just tell them you're on the leading edge of a whole new design trend in crown moldings!

I like the fact that it looks different. I actually wouldn't have even noticed that it was "backwards"-- and I doubt anyone that enters your kitchen will notice. Those cabinets are stunning.

I say live with it for a while, and if it bothers you- add a trim piece like others' have said.

You have the best mistake I have ever seen!!!!!

I think I would leave it, and I am the Anti-Soffit Lady!!! I really hate soffits, but I could barely see it. I see that it is a bit backwards when I really look at it, but as the others say, if you paint it the same color/gloss as the molding it will just look like part and parcel of the package and not something that was unintentional.

I can't wait to see your final kitchen posts - those cabinets are beautiful and if my ceiling wasn't pitched (and I hadn't decided to get rid of my soffit AFTER ordering my cabs) I would love to have your uppers in my kitchen!!! Beautiful!

I am also anti-soffit and I wouldn't 'take it out if it were in my kitchen. I would paint that section with no texture and to match the wood trim or add a piece of trim across the top -- either over it or adding to it. The chances of something getting messed up and creating another issue in the process of ripping out and redoing something that doesn't bother you isn't worth it to me.

But I agree that you have to be happy with it.

Is the soffit drywall? Or is it the filler pieces?

In the photos it looks nice.

However, If it's the filler pieces up there, I agree with others....add another smallish crown molding or inside corner molding up there. It would look outstanding!

If you keep 'as is', I like how it creates a "shadow line" at the ceiling. My vintage 1910 home has 'dropped crown molding'(picture molding?) at the ceiling that has the same effect as this. I think it was done that way to hang pictures from wire.

One other point: If the installer had installed them they way you wanted, the filler pieces might have created a dark joint line. That, I would not have liked! If the fillers had a profiled edge and were meant to go OVER the frame, that would be good.

As a kitchen designer, with inset type (painted) cabinets, I try to avoid joints as much as possible.

i think it looks really nice...there may be a good reason they installed it that way...rather than just as a mistake. i see that ledge as the perfect place for christmas lights...or garland.... very beautiful kitchen
kren

I think your kitchen is stunning . . . and I suspect that the soffit issue is one of those things that after a while you won't notice. Your cabinets are beautiful . . . are they totally custom? I'm looking for cream colored cabinets and am having custom priced out, but also wondered what was "out there" in semi-custom in a cream finish.

Your kitchen will knock everyone's socks off, and I predict no one will ever point up and "Whaa?" They'll be too busy ooing and aahing.

I agree with others who think it looks a bit backwards, if you really look at it hard (which probably most people won't). If it were me I would add a piece of molding at the top--something quite small and simple like a 3/4" quarter-round, or even smaller if you think that fits the proportions. I do think it looks unfinished and/or like the nstaller didn't understand molding (which they didn't!). That way they will "fix" their mistake but it won't take long, and everyone will be happy!

But the kitchen IS gorgeous and this is minor. enjoy!
Holly

I'm sorry to have to agree with the minority and I would fix it. Not only does it look funny, but it creates a ledge to collect dust - which is a definite negative to those of us who are "house-keeping challenged". But mouldings are something I care a lot about and notice in all of the homes I go into. I have 2 pieces of layered moulding over my cabinets and it's one of my favorite things in my kitchen. I'm one of the anti-soffit crowd - so ANYTHING that resembled a soffit would be a no-no.

I'm finishing the process now and there were some things that I felt I could live with and others that were not negotiable - you can see from the responses here that it's a very personal decision. The important thing to remember is that after all the effort and $$$, YOU have to be happy!

The cabinets are absolutely gorgeous - can't wait for you to post the final pics! Beautiful!

Looks beautiful to me. If it really bothers you, add another piece of moulding to it, as hollylh suggested.

I think it looks fabulous!
Just a little bit different in a very, very subtle way. Kind of like inset cabinets to the non-TKO. (What is it about them that makes them look so upscale?)

I believe it looks fine but, I vote for fixing it. If you are like me, it will drive you crazy every time you look at it.

If you really wanted it to look like crown, and not ceiling, I'd vote for NOT ripping it out (huge potential for mess and trouble w/ dinged finishes, etc.), and instead simply adding another piece of molding flush w/ the ceiling (maybe something tall enough that it can sit on the ledge of the first crown molding). Like a multiple-level crown.

Or, add another piece of flat molding just to fill in the ledge, and bring the "soffit" out to be flush w/ the front of the crown.

And I think I might definitely try paint a section w/ the high-gloss, and pretending it's cabinet wood, not ceiling drywall.

It should be fixed but as other have said I think adding a smaller piece of moulding or another smaller crown would do the trick. This would be all you would need and it would the look like one piece of crown moulding when finished.

Thanks everyone for the input. I think Im going to leave it. Its grown on me. Kompy's post put it in a totally different light for me - my entire house has plaster cove crown with picture rail underneath. This is sort of a modern update of that look. So that makes it a lot more plalatable to me since its in line with the rest of the house.

Its probably not clear from this photo but adding more molding will not really do the trick. If anything it would look worse to me to add small molding over large.

Yes, it will collect dust but my house is full of molding over windows and doorways that collect dust in the same way. Its just one more thing to keep clean.

Ive made my contractor redo a lot of his mistakes so he has been saved this bit of work thanks to the input here.

Thank you all sooo much for responding!

Hostagrams - My cabinets are custom by Plain & Fancy. The semi custom options weren't that much cheaper when I factored in the double height and other features I wanted. And I really wanted an inset cabinet so custom was for me.

I KNEW those had to be P&F cabinets! Sometimes it's hard to tell from pix. But when I saw yours, I just knew. They're Kent Beaded Inset, right? I'm a P&F dealer and i just love the finish on their cabinets! They're irresistible to touch!
Kompy

sonicstef, I know you've made up your mind but you seem to keep collecting votes so let me add mine to back your opinion to keep it. Not only does it not bother you too terribly much right now BUT if you were to try to change it, I think you or your installers are very likely to do some damage. Those are GORGEOUS (or should I be saying, "GORGES"?) cabinets and I will say that you or your installer would have to be shot for rendering any harm to them. Sorry for having to say this, but it's true. There are naysayers telling you to have your installer undo this - well, I just don't believe anyone walks around looking at ceiling lines. And if they walk into your home with your beautiful cabinets and their attention is trapped at the ceiling line instead of those amazing cabinets, well, they're nuts! :-)

So, you have our permission to go on and enjoy this. I looks lovely. Besides, as Kompy said, you have your own style now!

I had to look at your photos twice to even find the soffit, finally saw it in the first one (in the bank of cabs over the fridge).

End result, knowing how I hate construction...I'd keep it. And I don't think I'd add another molding, that might take away from the integrity of the crown you've got. Your kitchen is lovely so be proud. ; )

Susan

This is kind of a simple answer but I just recently had an issue with my granite where they cut the hole for the wrong sink. I was unsure as to what to do and got great advice from this forum.

What I finally decided was that the final outcome I wanted was that when all was said and done what I would say about my kitchen was "I LOVE IT" and **not** "I LOVE IT ....BUT"
And whatever I needed to do (including a 2wk setback to rip out the entire ceiling and raise it up 18"..LOL) I was going to do.

I hope that helps!