Here is another closer picture. I do like platter where it is and green lantern next to it. I think the red planter is too red he likes cabernet sign more than me!

I' m no decor expert, but maybe my idea can get you closer to other better ideas.

What about hanging a picture or a mirror on the wall on the high part of your ceiling, then moving those objects you like to the lower part? Centered on the ceiling peak?

"doesn't look right because there is too much stuff, it is too small, too
busy, and I don't think any reconfiguration will ever make it look
right."

Put my name to this, too. I love the idea of the prints. (Those are lovely.)

Take all that stuff down on top of the cabinets. You have a great space and all that stuff up there is distracting. If anything, go the pretty wall prints route and call it a day. You might also want to consider painting the wall a fun color.

I agree with all the others, leave it empty and merchandise below.

I agree. Maybe some storage baskets.

I completely agree with kwsl' (and am really happy to say that was my thought too!). I definitely wouldn't replace what's up there now with something else sitting on the cabinets.

Thank you, thank you. I do like the print idea, now just where to find them. And the baskets would be good too. I plan on painting it the same green as my DR or slightly darker. DR is SW Rice Paddy. Maybe one shade deeper/darker. Without all these things up there it I wouldnt have to worry about clashing. Just hate that I wasted money. Maybe I will try to sell some. Others I can take back as they were recent purchases

I'd only put baskets or other containers up there, if they are actually functional. Plus be prepared for grime and grease, so nothing of great value.

Maybe a large clock?

All I can think about is the dusting.

I agree it needs to be more monochromatic, or at least have some design elements repeated. What about wine bottles or vignettes of 3 cohesive items of complimentary shapes and colors in varying sizes?

There are too many independent focal points.

If you love these items, I would work with them on a long table, or in photoshop to get the right combo.

I also see a wine theme and a sea theme. I would try to come up with a common theme for the entire space.

Keep in mind you may be able to attach some things to the wall above with 3m picture hangers (the velcro-like strips). I had a ceramic conch shell attached to my wall in a cohesive display with resin starfish (not real) and framed prints to fill up an odd space. If you can take your displays up the wall, that will give you a lot more options. You can add wall pieces in different sizes to make any kind of vignette you want.

This is not easy for most of us, but it could be spectacular if you take the time. Look at pics on google, houzz and pinterest to find a display to mimic. I would also suggest crate and barrel, and pottery barn based on the items you have. Lay everything out on a long table or the floor or on the computer if you are good at photoshop.

The easier option is to do the framed prints. You can buy high resolution photos to download from a stock photography site and print them on glossy paper, let them dry and frame them with big mats. For example, I always wanted a lighthouse, but since that was impractical, I downloaded high res pics and printed/framed them, then hung them next to my window so that it looks like I am looking out the window at a lighthouse. It makes me happy anyway.

I think you need more stuff. Just complimentary stuff that accents what you have, not "special" stuff. You can combine the themes - I see it done at pottery barn and crate and barrel all the time.

Or you could hire a designer to do it for you if you don't want to suffer through this yourself.

You'll still have to dust it.

I don't mind the look of things above cabinets. But they get dusty and greasy so have it be things you can clean easily. Having it all be one color or design or style helps. Like for example, I found a bunch of broken copper pots, kettles, pitchers and canisters in my folks basement when they moved, totally useless stuff, but it all looked good on top of my cabinets because it was all copper. I'd also paint the top the same color as your front room. Totally cool color!

Put me in the camp with putting nothing on top of your cupboards.....won't have to worry about dust, grease or clutter. A hint that I used to to.....line your cupboard tops with wax paper...it lies flat and can't be seen. When it comes time to clean....throw away the wax paper and put new w p up again. Saves getting the greasy dirt off your cupboard tops.

Your home is lovely. I am drawn to the colors in your sitting area. My first reaction was that there should not be anything on top of cabinets and to paint that wall to crate a cohesive focal point. So yes paint the wall.

i think the empty space will look better to you once you paint the walls- i would also paint the ceiling- even if it extends into the family room.

i personally would not buy a lot of prints for up there- i would probably try to work with what you have...

include the chardonnay sign if that's what your hub wants! i would take all down and put up slowly- maybe do it yourself when he's not around so you don't feel like you're 'annoying' him with your many changes! :)

everything looks too lined up as is... i probably would put less stuff up there. i am terrible tho at visualizing things like this tho- that's why i do stuff like this by myself- so i can change it lots of times until it looks 'right' to me! so, i would try the sign on either the far left cabinet or the high one, but would put a taller something/s in front of and/or behind it...or try the platter angled on the far left cab with the lantern on the side either slightly in front of or behind the plate. i don't know if i would use the red vase- that might look better on the peninsula.... i can't really tell what the 3 things are on the far right- would probably eliminate them. i think smaller things look better when they're all similar, like the lanterns in the pic above...

I wouldnt put anything on top of your cabinets, especially the taller cabinet, I think that plate especially looks out of place as that cabinet is already taller than the rest.

Your home is lovely btw.

If I put anything, it would all be the same color. For example, a collection of white pottery, a collection of blue/white ware, a collection of green/white ware - you get the picture.

I have the SAME problem...15' ceilings and to make matters worse, my cabs are only 30" :( I would love your cabinets.

I have a consistent theme above the cabs; I won't show pictures because I would get slammed with criticism but I'm certainly interested in how you approach this project.

It's way too busy with kitsch. Your cabinets are lovely so let them shine with nothing above except lighting right on the top of the cabinets (led strips) and paint on the wall.

A nice color that makes your cabinets pop would probably shine on its own.

I would suggest leaving the entire top blank afterwards for a while so that the quiet space settle in. You can always add one large item later.

It doesn't look right to you right now because of clashing colors and the scales of the items are too small so they feel like fillers instead of intentional.

I don't think it looks cluttered at all. If anything it is the one thing every few inches in a line make it look not finished. You could gather the items to the short end, style them better and add taller items where the ceiling space increases. I agree what goes back up needs to be taller. I am not sure your mix of items meshes with the rest of your decor for some reason. Maybe it is the green is not right? Empty would not work for me. A cohesive collection of pottery, a plate collection...the space needs to look stylized not empty thus unfinished and not like a spot to hold where you didn't have space inside cupboards. IMHO--but it comes down to personal preference on this issue of empty space above cupboards.

I am amazed at the great talent here. Thank you for all your suggestions. I realized that I don't like it empty. My neighbor has her empty and I never liked it. It always feels so barren and not very comfortable/cozy in her home. A little too stark. I do like many of your ideas. The pictures sound intriguing. I also never would have thought that the platter above the highest cabinet was wrong. I moved it to the lower spot, got rid of the ocean things, put a basket up there and now it looks 'better'. Not great, just bearable. I do love the idea of same color pottery, like white, against the green paint. And the scale I have is obviously wrong. My husband likes baskets, but he said not all baskets up there. He does live here and I have to get his opinion, but he's very good about letting me ultimately do what I want. So, now I have direction. And I can't thank you all enough for your input. Going to start with painting it and seeing then what might actually work better/worse with that. I'll be back with photos!!

It sounds like you're on the right track and are figuring out what you like.

I always believe in functions, so I'd use baskets or containers to actually store/hide stuff in there, as well as using it store and display some large platters, trays, or ceramic pots or pitchers.

One thing I think would work well is some framed art that stands tall behind some other piece(s). Not necessarily hung on the wall, but even just sitting on the top of the cabinets. I think you can get some height and interest that way. I'm not crazy about this angled piece, but something large like this:

It's a matter of scale. I would put nothing on top of the cabinets and instead find a few large scale pieces to hang on the wall above the cabinets.

I have 7 feet from the top of my cabinets to the ceiling. So, most of you are suggesting that the space be left blank?

Thanks

decormyhomepls, I don't like empty either. :-) When I posted awhile back asking for ideas for above my cabinets, quite a few folks said I should leave that space empty, but that just didn't "do it" for me so I decorated up there. As for dusting items - well, I have to dust elsewhere in the house, and I don't mind giving those things above the cabinets a once-over occasionally. I have not noticed any grease buildup.

I have skimmed the responses above, so you may have already mentioned this, but if the tops of your cabinets are recessed, you can add old books or boxes for your items to sit on and give them a little more height so they stand up and out a bit more. Just be sure that you can't actually see the books/boxes from down below. That's what I had to do with my items - I've got quite a few old, unloved books up there boosting up my display! When I was considering what to do above my cabinets, I made quite a few treks to places like Home Goods and wandered the aisles just looking for things large enough that would "go." I would not suggest doing that, but take your time and collect things that you really love.

I'll bet that your things look better in person than they do in photos. That's definitely the case with my cabinet décor. Somehow in the photos (all taken with my phone) things tend to look too small and "lost" (particularly when taken from a distance), but in person they look absolutely fine and appropriately sized for the space. I think cameras tend to distort!

Here's just a couple of pics of the kinds of things I've put on top of my cabinets. It makes me very happy to see my things up there day in and day out, and I'm glad that I went ahead and decorated the space. It's not for everyone, but it is for me.

So the consensus is that I should remove this clutter and leave it blank?

The picture is my mom's home town of Naples, Italy and the other crud is souvenirs from Italy over the years.

Your feedback is appreciated as I don't want my kitchen to look like crap.

mustangs, i wouldn't leave yours blank either... i think what you have looks nice- the only thing that i can say is with the picture hanging on the wall the way it is, it looks like it was hung off center from the oven cabinet... i might see what it looks like propped on the cabinet rather than hanging... hard to comment on the other items, because i can't really see them, but it looks nice the way it is grouped and things are behind and in front of others which is often more interesting than items more lined up in a row.

tr does remind that it often helps to prop items on boxes and things to add ht, especially when the cabinets have substantial crown... the crown on mustangs is smaller, but i would try propping the picture on something anyway since it sits at the back. i have a large african carving sitting on top of a builtin entertainment center (tall ceilings!) and i have it propped on left over tile stacked about 4" tall...

Busybee, THANKS for your comments. It's the picture of the picture that's off :) It would make me crazy if it wasn't centered over the cabinets. My cabs are cheap builder grade, I would give anything to have them replaced with 42" and nice crown molding like TR's. $30,000 was the estimate I got from Lowes :(.

Mustangs, I'm pretty sure my cabs are cheap builder grade too - considering what we went through recently to have them redone when the finish started cracking and splitting! (All that is taken care of now though.) Anyway, I like the items over your cabinets and agree that there needs to be something there to fill in all that height. I also think your cabinets are quite pretty!

Hi Mustang's, I like what you've done over your cabinets. It fills the space nicely, with something special. (It also gives the OP an idea of what one large art piece hanging on the wall will look like.)

ML (see you in BJs!)

I would take the plate off the tall cabinet. I don't think you need to draw attention to it. Pick one fairly large thing for the cabinet on the left. Propping the green lantern up on books so it's more easily seen from below as others have suggested would help. Then I would play around with other items to come up with a group of maybe five that can go in the center of the other side. Do this on your island so you don't need to keep going up and down the ladder. Layer some of the items, so they aren't just in a row. Your home looks very pretty and inviting. Hope you find an arrangement you're happy with.

Thanks TR's

MaddieLee, (see you in BJs!) or Liang's Bistro again!

Obviously not the consensus mustangs but yes, I would take everything off the top of your cabinets as well. (And I love Naples, even though I had my appendix taken out there when I was 14!)

Right now, I'm not planning on putting anything above my upper cabs, but this could change when confronted with how they will look when actually in place. Cathedral ceilings, so the cabs won't go all the way up! If I do, I hope to work on them coordinating either color or theme-wise. (or, both.)

Edit: I love that picture of Naples, and it means something to you. If you don't find a place for it above your cabinets, there should surely be a place at lower eye level somewhere, yes? I hope?

@mustang,

I'd remove the greenery so not to distract from the Naples picture.