Thank so much you for your response. Do you see anything wrong (or anything right) with doing a 36" lower and 18" upper with 3" of molding?

I have to say, I didn't know this! Thanks.

This is a 15"/33" split with 2.5" crown. I wanted my cabinets at 20" above the counter.

I disagree with @User just regarding the size of the crown molding. I have 9' ceiling in my kitchen and 3" crown on my upper cabinets. My kitchen is not modern, much less "super modern". If traditional were measured on a scale of 10, with ultra modern being a 1, and ultra traditional being a 10, my kitchen would be a 6. I would not want a thicker crown than 3", For my taste, it would seem too heavy, but other people may feel differently. My stack is 33" + 15" + 3" crown (my ceiling is 3" less than the OP's).

I advise the OP to go to showrooms or look online at different size crowns in kitchens. You can also take cardboard shipping boxes and open them up and cut them into models of your cabinets and crown, tape them up and see which configuration you prefer. Given how much cabinets cost, this is not too much of a task.

Here is a 9’ ceiling with 30” plus 18” above, and 6” of a large cove molding. It’s a simple classic that I always recommend over a more detailed ”crown” molding. Here are some other custom stacked molding options that I‘ve designed as well. As well as different stacked proportions. There are a ton of options.

Woodsy Warm Kitchen · More Info

Cabinet Options · More Info

For 9’ ceilings, 6” gap for molding, with 48” single doors, then 36”+12”, then 33”+15”, then 30”+18”. You have 3” more room to add in somewhere.

Thanks so much for the last two replies, very helpful. Would you suggest a certain kind of crown molding for a craftsman type home? I am using shaker style cabinets. I have a very simple craftsman style home, not a lot of woodwork that might be associated with craftsman. Just simple and basic (but still beautiful!)

I prefer a simple large cove, as shown above, or a simple angled crown, often referred to as a ”shaker” crown. Use a riser to achieve the height needed, and to adjust to out of level ceiling issues. Again, there are a ton of other simple stacked molding options that your kitchen designer should go through with you, to see your response to each, and see what you like.