I sort of like the wood plank version. I like the horizontal lines a lot. Maybe you can improve the lighting in the wood room so it won't seem as dark.

1. Open end. The panelling does add a cozy effect though. Can you afford to lose the storage in that cab?

2. Molding at the ceiling to match the wood. Someone else may have a better solution.

I like open too
and possibly a fake wood beam to transition the ceilings?

I like it open... what about a wood beam to match the ones to the right?

What will the cabinets look like? Will they be wood, or something else? I think that might be a factor in your decision.

Ditto, remodelfla. Open definitely and using a wood beam that matches the ones to the right to make the transition.

Hi mcmjilly, remodelfla, celineike, and breezygirl, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

The cabinets will be shaker style maple in honey color.

I will lose some storage space when I remove the tall 24" utility cabinet at the end, but I'm making both the drawer base and the wall cabinets (on both sides of the range hood) wider (to 36"), adding an open shelf wall cab at the end, and will have an overhang under the countertop for the kitty bowls. So, all in all, I don't think the storage space will be compromised much.

A fake beam... I'll give it some thoughts. Maybe I can stain it so it's the wood color on this side, and white on the kitchen side. not sure about the underside. Or maybe this is just be too funky...

Esthetically I like #1 *much better, Its a cleaner elevation. You go from looking at one material with a uniform rhythm to looking at four different materials, mostly on different vertical planes. You will have a good viewpoint of the bottom of the cabinets (when seated) and the sides and backs of your countertop appliances. Lighter and more open it may be, but "messier" as a resolution.

There *is* a compromise: Instead of drywall and end panel use the horizontal wood to sheath the two vertical parts in the same layout it was originally. Its more open but gives you the uniformity of the original.

+1 to palimpsest. The second version will be jarring and unpleasant IRL. From the wood room, it makes the kitchen look like a bowling alley, but with large blocky elements jutting out at you. Plus the jumble of materials issue. You need the uniformity.

Hi melissastar, palimpsest, marcolo, good to hear more opinions. Thanks!

palimpsest and marcolo, was the following middle ground solution what you would recommend?

Many have mentioned a "beam" for the ceiling transition. I kinda like the "beam" to be shallow to allow lights and line of sight to go through like shown above. The deep "beam" (or header) would look a bit too obstructive, right?

Now that I think about, actually, the below solution will result in the least amount of work for us for now because we don't need to touch the right side at all, but do you think it looks way too funky having the headers at different heights?

I would open the wood walls over the doorways, but leave the walls in. I might possibly widen the doorways, but otherwise leave the wood up where you were thinking of putting sheetrock. By making the doorways taller, you will have more light and air passing back and forth and you will see your kitchen light fixture better.
I like the tall cab and would not remove it. I don't see a great improvement to see the entire run of counters and sink. I'd possibly open the doorway up to the cab/counter depth, but not all the way to the bs. The view you want to be focused on is still to the window, not your kitchen electrics and faucet.
I'd do the beam or a T molding like you would transition a floor where the ceilings meet.
I love open floor plans, but don't think that opening up in the way you proposed will gain you an advantage.

Ouuhhh! Good compromise. I like the first of the last group. Open, but still has the character of the panels!

I still like it closed of as in the original but of the compromises, I like #1 best of this group.

I would try another for completion. Just remove the area over the doorways. That will still provide a clean end to the sink run of cabinets. See how that looks.

Wow, I never thought there could be so many options. dianalo and palimpsest, I think this is what it looks like if I simply remove the part above each doorway. (This way, I'll leave the tall cabinet at the end of the sink side run.)

Hmmm... now I'm debating between this option and this one (the 1st option in the second group):

Of these two I like one again. More open, but "clean" with strong verticals but continuing the horixontal of the wood sheathing.

I don't get what the value of showing off the end of the cabinets might be. Yes, you might get a marginal amount of added light, but if you want that room to be light and bright, you're not going to do it with wood walls.

Plus, just removing the area over the door gives you a simpler, more logical structure. The drywall on the left of the room stands out from the rest of the walls, which is OK because it transitions into the rest of the drywalled area. By contrast, widening the whole opening has the room saying, "Look at me, I'm wood!" "No, look at me, I'm a countertop!" "No, no, look, I'm a cabinet!" Too much.

marcolo, the main value added by exposing the end of the cabs is now I can put kitty bowls there under the over hang of the countertop. As of the current design, I will have the bowls under the breakfast bar.

But it's not a big space (24" wide), and I probably want to keep a stool in there too, so it can get crowded. Also, by the rate we are taking in stray cats (we have just grown from two to three), a more open feeding zone may work better. Funny how these little details may sway our layout decisions, but in the mean time, I'm glad that I'm thinking about it now instead thinking what I should have thought of after the kitchen is up.

Well, now I'm feeling more empowered to explain why I like option #1. I like it because the snippet of kitchen you'll see from the "wood room" is framed in wood. It feels like an intriguing image as opposed to a set of competing finishes that are trying to fit in with the wood room. Separate but not jarring. (I hope that makes sense.)

Plus, I can imagine feeling very cosy siting in the wood room and admiring that glimpse of kitchen and wondering what the rest of the room is like.

I also like the one with the panelling better. (#1) You lose the sense of the room with the cabinets all hanging out.

Hi mcmjilly, plllog, and palimpsest, I think I see what you see now... okay, as my DH said last night, let me sleep on it. We have a couple of more days before we go in and re-do our order before the cabinets go into production.