I have the stacked cabs like you decribed, but with frosted glass. I have lights up there but since their halogen, I hardly turn them on. I don't display anything there, but in your case, with clear glass and vintage pitchers, I'd get the lights for the ambiance when entertaining.

All my lights; cans, UCL, pendants and the halogen pucks are on their own separate dimmer switches and hardwired. I like having the options. Not overkill since they're never all on at the same time.

I don't think you'll regret getting lighting for top cabs. I went with the recessed pick LEDs. Like anitamo, I use all my lighting, including the display lighting.

Thanks so much! I'm going to see what the electrician recommends for up there and the cost, but leaning that way.

The relatively high cost of lighting my display cabinets gave me pause, but I am so happy I went with it. I only have 3 glass cabinet doors in my kitchen - one full and two at the top. Since it was a splurge to go with any glass, I thought I'd take full advantage of the look with lighting and I would have regretted not doing it. The displayed items come to life with the lights on.

Most evenings I only use my under cabinet lights, the hood light & the glass cab lights. It gives the nicest glow to the space & highlights what I have in the cabs.

I don't like much on my counters and have an uncluttered decor style but I enjoy adding a seasonal touch of color in my glass cabs. It's just enough to add a personal touch and accentuate some treasured pieces.

I'll be the lone dissenter. I think it makes the space feel like a jewelry shoppe rather than a working kitchen. But I didn't want "bling" in my kitchen either (I will confess to a fondness for "pop", however), so take my fuddy duddy opinion FWIW. :)

I have a similar cabinet layout but only 8' ceilings. I put accent light in the uppers to "lift" the cabinets visually and to show off my collectibles. I almost NEVER light it up, but in the scheme of things cost-wise, it wasn't a huge line item on the electrician's quote and it's better than having a shadowy space up there.

This pic was taken on a gloomy winter day. As zeebee noted, the lighted cabs do tend to lift the eye.

My ceilings are only 8 feet high.

Fouramblues I think you captured my hesitation. I didn't want the kitchen blingy. But the house is shifting more from traditional to transitionAl so I'm on the fence about what will fit in best.

I have the same set up as you farmdrmr and going with LED tape (not as bright as undercabinet) inside those uppers on a separate switch. I got all of the LED lights from InspiredLED who were super helpful in the design and shipped to me in a day. With the undercabinet lights it wasn't a huge change in the cost to add those upper ones. Can't show you as we're just in the remodel process now.

Your "treasures" will not show well at all at that height without lighting. All of my display cabinets are lit with led lighting. As others have noted, the lighting also helps to visually expand the boundaries of a space.

I think it depends what style you want. Transitional to me would be glass cab with lighting. Traditional farmhouse I wouldn't do glass in an upper cabinet, I'd use it for storage. In the end you need to decide if you're trying to stick with a style just because you "should" or because that's truly what will make you happy. If you love the way upper cab lighting looks GO FOR IT! If you really love a traditional kitchen, and want to achieve that look, start by looking at your inspiration pics again.

Thanks amber you are right! That's where I'm struggling. Inspiration pics all have inset cabs, but we had to do overlay. Inspiration pics mostly have soapstone, farm sink, bridge faucet but we are having undermount blanco, leathered granite and pull down faucet. My interior doors are two panel raised stock doors instead of inset panel that had to be custom ordered. So the sum total is that the whole house had to take a step away from strictly traditional due to cost. If I had an extra $25k in budget we would be traditional all the way. Hopefully it ends up something I love even though it isn't "new old"!

Okay, here's my opinion! You don't have to listen! I think you want a farm kitchen with old feel. Inset is wonderful and all, but it's only one element of an old kitchen. I think with bin pulls, a simple counter, etc. Etc. You can still get the farmhouse feel! Here are some that are a little transitional but could totally go old farmhouse with a few tweaks..

-open bookshelf, wood, cup pulls, glass lighting, bead board or subway tile.

I just want to point out that these INSET kitchen even look transitional to me with the glass in upper cabs..

I'm not dissing any of these kitchens since they were all pictures saved on my phone!!! I think if you're trying to keep with more traditional, even with overlay you can do it. To me the hardware makes a big difference, I wouldn't do paneled end cabinets (just flush), can you add feet to toe kicks?, maybe put an appliance pull on the false front of your sink for a cute farm towel, maybe vintage-y floral? Get you some glass canisters for flour, sugar.... You can still totally pull of the look without inset! If that's what you want GO FOR IT!

Eta I think getting the proportions for the upper cabs is important, too. Square or long rectangle. I think the side looks more transitional. Gosh you would think I hate transitional... I promise I DONT!

Amber, thank you so much!! I'm working on how to pull it all together and looking for some additional pics to show husband, these are huge help! Just selected granite I think - honed Milky Way perimeters and possibly honed arabescato Montclair marble island. Next dilemma is that kitchen has six ft opening to living room where we were considering stone to ceiling. But I think that looks a little too rustic with the marble. Each choice impacts the next, but I'm trying to tie it all together! I thought I knew my exact style but once you are in process and budget starts to impact some choices I have to make sure it still stays cohesive - proving to be tougher than I thought. Or maybe I'm just waaaay overthinking lol! Thanks again so much GW is amazing!

1929spanish - be still my heart with those green cabs, I love them!!!! Mind sharing green paint color if you know? I'm going to work that green into my mud laundry area cabs if I can where I have a vintage cast iron double drain board sink I'm installing as my utility sink. I may be more excited about it than anything else, lol!!

Thanks. My kitchen isn't for everyone. The cabinets are Dynasty Omega in Pesto. Your utility sink sounds great. We installed a 1927 concrete laundry sink outdoors and I love it. Needed something modern for the kitchen.