I'll be curious whether any of the professionals here have a solution for you because I don't see how you are going to do it with soffits that come out beyond your cabinets. It's easier to accomplish when your cabinets are flush with your soffits.

Yes I agree but there must be something I can accomplish with moulding to "fool the eye"

A few years ago, I had a client with a similar situation. The lay-out worked fine, cabinets were in great shape but disliked the dated oak cabinet and soffit look. You're right, Karen, you need to fool the eye. In this case, we extended the same material to visually extend to the ceiling. Just molding would appear to be a half hearted choppy fix and out of scale. The black adds definition and punctuates the otherwise endless wood statement. The clients also understood the Biedermeyer period furniture look (black millwork mixed with wood). The black was also used to ground the toe kick (again, to define a line between cabinets and wood floor). In this case, we up-dated with hardware, new tops and backsplash.

In your case, I would just recommend:
- A backsplash - which lends some visual weight, perhaps in a dark charcoal. While clients fear a dark color, it gives the drama and grounding, often not achieved with the safe whites and mid range wood tone.
- Soffit treatment - could be as I show with my client, covering the soffit with the same material, layers of crown and accents in black. Or
- Soffit treatment - if you're more daring, you could consider painting the soffit charcoal which would appear as a recessed panel and framed with more of a squared Craftsman simple trim as top & bottom, wrapping the bottom to return into the cabinets (existing crown/trim removed). Scale is paramount here, don't wimp out, approx. 3". Smaller scale vertical trim bridging from new top and bottom soffit trim, laid against the charcoal, also adds breaks the bulk, adds interest and lends a Stickley touch. (Not ideal with the raised panel cabinets but it would certainly work.)
- Furniture - I see in the other room is darker, as well. This would also help tie the rooms together.

Just a few thoughts and photos.

Hover over the photo so you can see the enlarged version, showing the soffit. Also note the black light valance, toe kick and hardware.

Rhonda, what a great solution! Beautiful job.

Thanks, Patricia. Love your profile description.

Thank you Rhonda. I like the look. The wood build out next to the cabinets looks terrific and the black light valance is something I never considered.

You're welcome, Karen. We'll look forward to your after photos, as well.

People of America, you have excellent paints and more exclussive methods of painting.Moulding and painting is what you need.Good advices Rhonda.!

Right you are! Paint is a real miracle worker for high impact, low budget. Sorry, didn't hear your preference, Karen, if you are adamant about keeping the wood tone (like my client was) or considering a fresh new painted look.

Painting tip: When possible, I love a high quality / low cost combo. Who doesn't? If you can remove and reinstall the doors, remove and reinstall hinges and pulls and transport them to and from a professional spray shop, you'll save time, energy and money and get a great finish in the end that you'd never be able to achieve yourself. It sounds like a lot but it's not brain surgery, takes no special skills and you don't need to purchase as many materials. Be sure to number the doors in a discreet place (like the top or bottom of the doors) for the shop - a real time saver for you. I see you have face frame construction cabinets and will only need to prep and paint those and end panels.

Whattaya say, Karen, considering a new painted look?

I am considering a new painted look on my island but do like the wood cabinets on the perimeter. I do have a backsplash in a creamy gray durango stone. But I had thought of painting the cabinets too!

I also have a breakfast area that flows right into the kitchen area. I would like to have crown moulding in this area too. Would it be too much wood? Any thoughts?

I'd venture to guess much of that soffit serves no purpose - the problem is knowing which part. There's likely a run of ducting its covering - long and straight, and probably at the top of your microwave wall, if not elsewhere. The soffit was probably added throughout the rest of the kitchen for consistency.

Rhonda had a nice idea above, but it's going to make your cabinets feel top heavy - you've got about a 2 3/4 to 3 in. projection from cabinet face to soffit face. You'll have to come out an additional 3/4 min. to include that built-up detail, and that's too much in the space you've got. Plus, you don't have much vertical space to ease into that transition, as the top rail of your upper cabinet gives you only about 2 to 2 1/2 inches before you hit the soffit. Definitely - it's going to feel top heavy. Life's tough enough without feeling crushed by the weight of your kitchen.

If you're adventurous, I'd have someone explore what's going on in the soffits - cut into the drywall at the top of the soffit and see if the soffit houses anything, and if so, if it was framed tightly or if there's space to shrink its depth. Then crown over the exploratory holes if you've discovered you don't have what you wanted to work with, of... if you do have space to open up, well... there's a whole slew of possibilities.

Thank you.