will you paint the exposed walls the same color as the crown or will it contrast?

I would NOT be concerned with a different paint sheen, as long as you have the same sheen on the new trim and crown. The difference between the cabinets and the crown won't be that noticeable.

@Lyn Nielson

The walls will be painted a different color; they are currently a warm white, and we might keep them the same color. Our trim is all painted in SW Pure White.. The kitchen is open to the family room. which has 5 1/4" crown molding, as does the rest of the first floor of our home. We put a 3 1/4" crown (same style) in the powder room. We have a two-piece crown in our 2-story foyer, composed of the 5 1/4" crown over a baseboard (turned upside down).

For the kitchen, I was thinking about using:

• Kraftmaid flat stock to go about 1 1/2" high and bring it out even with the doors (we have full overlay doors)
• topped by Kraftmaid bead molding
• then use height of about 6 inches of the skin, set back slightly from the bead (about 1/4")
• then go with a 4 1/2 inch colonial style molding that matches the rest of the molding and paint it the same color as the rest of our trim- which is SW Pure White.***
• I would take the 4 1/2 inch crown moulding around the entire kitchen.

Thank you, @Lyn Nielson. Just to clarify, you think I should paint the Kraftmaid flat stock as well? If so, could I not just purchase all items in pine from my local lumber store and then paint them all white? I have never seen this done - painting the crown instead of using the manufacturer's crown pieces (or perhaps just not noticed it). Although this is a DIY project, I like to keep my standards high for DIY projects so they look professional when completed. Do you think painting the crown pieces will be a comparable look to purchasing Kraftmaid 's? Or does it not matter since it is not noticeable, since it sits higher and farther from the sight line?

Whatever you use, rough stock or factory finish, just make sure that the same plane is painted the same color and sheen.

Everything above the factory finish on the cabinet doors the same color and sheen. all around the room at the same level. Once you prime and paint it will all look great!

If you have 9’ ceilings, you do NOT do 12” of crown. That is insanely out of proportion. You do 48” of cabinets with a 6” stacked crown. That equates to 30” cabinets with 18” cabinets on top, or the already pre-stacked transom cabinets that come that size.

Your cabinets are 42" . You could have simply planned better, created a FLUSH soffit, and then trimmed the meet/ soffit and crown painted in an exact match to cabinet white. I would NOT trim any of the cabinetry or crown in a different white from the Kraftmaid .

A nine foot ceiling is a lot easier with a 48 inch cabinet : )

IMO a 12" crown is too much crown why did you not do closer to eht eceiling even by a few inches and IMO best if the crown matches the cabinets and not too fancy. Since you already have crown IMO you should have matched that to the kitchen. Sorry but 12" crown is too much