Hi Kelly,

One option would be a soffit around the perimeter of your kitchen into which both the cabinets and the exposed beams would die into.

A bulkhead is a good device to use. Without a bulkhead, one is left to attempt to fit upper cabinets in the spaces between beams, or hold the uppers to several inches below the beams.

I like the solution of centering double door wall cabinets on the beams taking them to the ceiling then notch the doors to go around the beam. I have not found an image of it. Probably because it's not that good of an idea, but guests would be amazed.

Great idea, Mark. How about if the doors were glass...? Then you could see which shelf holds the flour...Potential for the Parade of Homes show...

i've seen photos of a beam heading straight into a cabinet... looked like those joke 'axe in the head' things you get for halloween. i think a soffit is a better look.

We ran into the same problem when we renovated our kitchen a few years ago. Four reclaimed oak beams spanning the width of the kitchen ceiling, and then what to do with the cabinets? Our contractor's suggestion (which was the best option) was to have the top of the cabinet crown molding just below the beams, which are about 6" off the ceiling. It looks much more authentic this way, like the beams were original to the home.

The other challenge with interior beams is to make them look structural and space them like they are truly beams. And use them in a manner consistent with the architectural vocabulary. None of this fiberglass silliness:

This sounds like what ive been imagining. I'd love to see a pic to show our builder.

Sorry, that last comment was to Diana Bier Interiors

Hi Kelly, I'll try to take a picture and post it. Unfortunately I'm not very tech-savvy!

Kelly, can you give me your email address and I'll send you some photos?

I have no idea without seeing the actual space

If the crown moulding is as wide as the beam is thick, couldn't we just butt it up against the beam? I'm not sure if I've made that clear. Wish I could draw.

I prefer soffits same as ceiling with beams

Keep ceiling unified, then start the cabinet flow

Odd

I like ceiling beams. I really, really like ceiling beams ... but I totally agree with you that the "ending spot" in a kitchen can be problematic. I think getting the beam too close to the cabinet is a mistake -- too busy? Is that it? The only option I like in the above pictures is the one in which the beam ends in a soffit.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and advice.

The refinement of crown mouldings and the roughness of hewn beams are an apple and an orange. Do one, or the other, but not both. Unless you like tension and conflict...

On the other hand, if all of the beams are encased in finished wood, that's a horse of a different color. Or possibly, a mixed metaphor.

Mark,

We had that in our garage. We had a wide span and over a few years the attic floor above sagged a bit so a steel beam and posts were added and the cabinets went to the ceiling so the doors on those two cabinets were notched.

Sofit! Anything else above looks like a horror film with the beams winning over the cabinets. Crown moulding and rustic beams together are a bad pair IMO.

We have the same problem with the beams coming into the wall at the wrong places for cabinets. The wall gets so low at that point too that closing in the rafters/beams would have really lowered the ceiling too much. Even a soffit lowers the visual line a lot.

Sigh...still looking for a solution.

In lieu of a soffit, a filler strip to match the cabinets, which is the depth of the beams could be installed between the cabinet top and the ceiling. The beams could terminate against the filler strip.

It's a cabinetry version of a soffit.

I like that concept. And we could maybe put some LED strips in there somewhere.for some uplights.

I like some of the soffit pictures and don't like others. Personally I eliminated the upper cabinets on that whole wall.

@artistsharonva: what height ceiling and soffit was used here?

IMO for a kitchen I like the idea of a tray ceiling for the beams. The tray defines the "kitchen" space, and also gives the perimeter cabinets something to terminate into. Multiple ways to make it work well, but that's my initial opinion