No, they will reach the ceiling in spots, and other spots will have gaps. Never attempt this. It's the mark of amateur design. Always go with shorter cabinets with a compound molding to bridge the gap. Even a modern style cabinet needs a plain filler that can be scribed to the inevitable out of level.

Haha... Good advice. What would you consider optimal space between counter and bottom of wall cabinets?

Hi---

You'll need 18" between counter and bottom of wall cabs.

Good Luck!

Agree with Sophie.

The space between the countertop and bottom of wall cabinet is driven by the appliances that are selected - at least in part. If you have a range or cooktop, then building/mechanical code says that you must adhere to the specifications of the manufacturer regarding clear space on either side and above to combustible materials (cabinetry). This is for cabinetry around the cooking appliance and the spacing could be different in other areas of the kitchen - assuming it would not look odd.

So for instance if you used the Wolf 36" gas cooktop (not range top) then the installation specs say that for 7" on either side of the cooktop any cabinetry must be 18" or more off the countertop surface and cannot be any deeper than 13". The 18" includes a light rail if one will be applied to the bottom of the cabinet. The detailed installation instructions for all appliances will provide you this information and will generally include a drawing as well.

Cabinet sizes are designed as a system. Top alignment height of uppers aligns with the top alignment of tall cabinets. With an ''standard'' 84" top alignment height and standard 30" cabinets, you will have the standard 18" between the counters and uppers, whose bottom alignment height is 54" above the high spot of your finished floor. With a top alignment height of 93" and 39" cabinets, you will still have the standard 18".

For a modern style kitchen, often the distance is increased to 24" by using shorter cabinets and mounting them higher. That has it's drawbacks as it places the easiest to access storage in the kitchen at a height where only the first shelf is easily accessible.

You can install 42" cabinets down from the ceiling 1/4" leaving a shadow line that will hide the ceiling variances.

Yes, you can install 42" cabinets in a 92" ceiling just as Madera writes. You can do anything you want, it is your kitchen. Only a amateur designer would look to the ceiling and say, wow, your cabinets and trim are off 1/8", tear it out and start over...........

As I am only 5' tall, I have installed all my kitchen cabinets whether they were 42" in one house and only 36" in another, 15" above the countertops. I adjust the height of any cabinet over the cook top or stove accordingly to meet code, it is the only place there may be a code. But for upper cabinets the 15" is perfect as I can actually reach the 3rd shelf. Even my tall friends like this idea for them as well. This also lets you have a little more space at the top to install a molding to the ceiling.

15" only works if you have a separate area for small appliances. And take into account the overall height of a room. It makes it feel awfully cramped to have such a small clearance. Which is one of the reasons that many contemporary style kitchens increase the space to 24" as noted above.

Wow a contemporary style with upper cabinets 2 feet above the countertop? That would be 5' from the floor.

Here is an in progress photo of 42 inch cabinets in a small kitchen (10 x 12) with 8 foot ceilings. If we did not have the full height pantry cabinet, we would have dropped the uppers by an inch or slightly more to allow for a flat molding at the top. Our ceiling is relatively level but we will still need to disguise the gap in a couple places.

This isn't ideal but remodeling an older house (1933) on a tight budget requires compromises. To be honest, the top 12 inches of these cabinets will be virtually useless but this set had 42 inch uppers and it fit the space we had.These are reused cabinets from a demolition sale and finding a cheap, available set which matched my wants and the space was a challenge. I'll sacrifice the perfect proportions to accomplish a good kitchen for $2,700 spent on materials and appliances.

Linda, How high are you base cabinets. I appreciate your picture. I'm trying to figure out what size to make my cabinets. I want a little moulding at the top,