i was 'forced' to have 42" cabinets stop short of my 9' ceiling.... a plumbing chase in one area was non-negotiable.

i'd do it again, as it would just cost that much more money to have even more shelves i have to get out a really tall step stool to use. honestly it reaches a point it's easier to walk to the basement and get something out of a cabinet down there.

does it look 'better' to go to the ceiling? yes, right now it does, its what's in style. styles will change and then the common dilemma will be about 'ugly dated cabinets looming up to the ceiling'. you can bet on that! if you think folks really hate on their older oak upper cabinets that are 36", wait til they hate on older cabinets that are double in height.

Close it up unless you are a friend of the dust bunnies!

Cabinets to the ceiling.

"Close it up unless you are a friend of the dust bunnies!"

And spiders, and dare I say... Mice??

:-b

None of the above. Open from the cabinets to the ceiling just collects dirt. Cabinets to the ceiling is just dead storage space. You have to get a ladder every time you want to get something out of the cabinet so high. I like a cabinet with a bulk head.

Cabinets to the ceiling. We have cabinets that don't go to the ceiling in our rental and when we moved in, the grease, dust and yuck that was up there was disgusting. And this wasn't a dirty place.

functionthenlook, if the highest cupboards are just left empty, and the bulkhead is just empty, those are both dead spaces. Neither requires more maintenance than the other. Cabinets are more costly, but you get usable space for your money even if you don't choose to use it; someone else might.

Cabinets to the ceiling. I don't want dust bunnies in my dinner!

I style my house for us. We are the ones paying the bills for the house. I want the home to be comfortable and appealing for us now. Not some unknown person who might like it or might not in the future. I don't have a storage space problem in my kitchen that I need the extra cabinets height. I want to reach everything easily when I am cooking. It is a lot easier to clean a bulkhead than getting up on a ladder to clean all those (to me) useless cabinets inside and out. I clean my cabinets a lot more than my bulkhead. Even when I do clean the flat surface of the bulkhead I have a special tool that I don't need a ladder. Everyone has their own preference and lifestyle. There is no wrong or right way, just what works for you. I just prefer to do better things with my time than clean useless space.

I have always thought that cabinets, or soffit, to the ceiling look much better than having a space up there. I don't really care what the trend is.