I noticed some of the suggestions were for jars, etc. --- however, if you will look closely, it is not a shelf above the cabinets, but WALL. It is best to keep this area clear of pictures, or any other type of art work. If you feel you 'must' decorate it in some way, then perhaps a wallpaper border, stencil or try painting your own slogan on it. Countertops (again my opinion) is they should be kept as clear of junk as possible, canisters are fine, and they should contain some personal items to add your personality to the area. Completely bare countertops can tend to look cold and impersonal.

Okay Brittany, made any decisions yet?

It's always pretty to have vines along the top of your cabinets. And you can mix in decorations. Also, you could take advantage of all that space and put baskets up there for storage. Some of the baskets could have vines or flowers peeking out to give it some decoration. Chalkboard labels on the baskets would probably look nice with your kitchen.

I painted my kitchen a cheery cobalt blue with bright white trim and then used blue, white, bright yellow vintage accessories.

Thanks everyone! I am thinking of painting it a little darker shade of brown and perhaps doing the crown molding. Thank you!

I sooooo agree with Lin and indianpatti. Nothing on the soffit, and definitely NOOOO stencils, baskets and word art please! You've got the beginnings of a nice classy kitchen. Add some thick crown molding up there, add under counter lights and remove some of the stuff from your counters.

If you have the budget, remove the big overhead light and replace it with can lights and some pendants over the island.

Any idea about how much it would be to change the lighting? I don't have a huge budget, but it is definitely something I would love to do!

If there is a lighting change, I would recommend 4 inch recessed halogen cans. Do at least four or more. You don't need a center fixture but the can will do a great job of updating and think the crown is your best bet. Everyone has an idea of what is best, but you live there and I think the crown will add value should you sell. Do not personalize it.

Whatever you decide please do not use "fake greenery" :-)

Really people, this person spent big bucks and you think a $4 cutesy sign is a good idea?

My daughter also has "wall" for a soffit (not an open space) and she did use word art and put a family prayer "Bless us O Lord and these thy gifts" and wrapped it around two walls like is shown here. It looks nice. She also painted the walls an olive green first - and the word art was in gold.

I also like the idea of painting the soffit a medium/darker brown. Or if you want to add lots of colors - go with orange.

Choose one of the darker colors from your backsplash and use word art. A local college art department is a good source for this. If you use crown molding, and do not do the whole area, it may not come out to your liking. Purchase parchment paper and cut out "molding". Use painters tape and live with this for a few weeks. You could try the wall art this way also. Markers come in many colors... could help you decide. Worth the few dollars to see which way everyone in the family votes.

P.S. Houzz has a wonderful article on trays right now... choose a color from your backsplash and corral your smaller counter things! :)

How about a mural of blue sky,clouds, and a window with white trim, to frame it, so it looks like you're looking through a transom window

Put doors up there possibly sliders and make storage space. We put in new cabinets and put them all the way up to the ceiling.

The counters are not crowded, I don't see anything on there that shouldn't be. It just looks busy because the backsplash looks busy in the photo. I'm just afraid that if you paint the soffit a dark colour it will accentuate the fact that it is such a large one, is it the same colour as the rest of the walls? I cant tell from the photo.

I'd have some kind of tiles with hanging space for saucepans and utensils etc.

decorative plates or just nice decor to compliment your kitchen

darker color and crown molding! Show us your results! Bye for now

I agree with Indianpatti! Your kitchen is absolutely lovely, so keep your choice simple. The examples Indianpatti gave you are perfect... adding crown molding (the color of your cabinets) while keeping your wall color soft, will jazz it up without creating a "busy" effect. Using this crown around the whole space, kitchen and dining/breakfast nook area, will pull the spaces together elegantly. Task and pot lighting would be a beautiful addition also. Simple and elegant.

If you don't want to spend lots of money to make another row of cub-boards and it might not work anyhow because there are heating-ducts or something in there , I would paint it the same colour as the cup-board fronts and no crown-moldings unless you want to put crown-moldings all around the whole kitchen. You don't want to draw the eyes up to the bulk-head and the same colour as the doors would give the whole wall a clean look.
For the lighting you could buy 2 hanging lamps that get connected at the center where your light is now and have 2 nice chains hang down from hooks atop the bar section of your counter.
Never mind the stuff you have sitting on your counter. It shows the kitchen is actually used for cooking !!

We make decals that work well with that space.

You could do small landscapes, or patterns, depending on your theme.

There are so many vinyl easy to apply decals or rub off stencils available in anything you can imagine. Verse or words are popular create your own space. I live at the lake and chose fish to add color and interest on the header over my island.

I would either ad signs and art, or build shelves all the way around * about 6" wide, and put items of interest on them... it looks too barren now. Also, I would opt for some nicer looking corbels for your bar instead of those angled 1x's.....

Could you not paint the soffit the same color as the cabinets and add molding and handles to make it appear that the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling? Just a suggestion. I would be interested in what others thought. It seems like it would be an inexpensive fix.

Just noticed the soffit overhangs the cabinets. So maybe that won't work.

I like the idea of the soffit being the same color as your cabinets. It being a different color than your cabinets draws attention away from your lovely backsplash. I would definitely add LED strip lighting under the upper cabinets. It washes the backsplash with light, making the backsplash be the centerpiece, gets rid of shadows from the overhead light, adds task lighting, and makes the whole kitchen seem warmer and more welcoming. I just installed cabinets in our kitchen and before the LED strip lighting went in the kitchen seemed cold. With them it is really warm and welcoming. Good luck!

My wife and I love to travel, so I created mileage signs to our favorite places we have visited, including family and friends homes.

Leave it alone! It looks great just the way it is. Adding plates, stencils or decals will take away from your kitchen and draw the eye to the ceiling.

I think your kitchen is beautiful. Adding anything to the soffit will take away from the clean lines you have. Wouldn't change a thing.

I'm sorry, but YUCK on the stencils and plates and stuff and more stuff. You have a lovely, clean lined kitchen, and "cute" would ruin that.

If you can afford it, and the soffits are not hiding bad surprises, like heat runs or ventilation, then add cabinets, as some of the photos show. Otherwise, try to visually disappear the soffit by painting it the identical color as the cabinets, and call it good.

Textured painting or some stencil painting. May be create a story line or something related to cooking.

Brittany Millan... Now that the holidays are over you should be ready to go to work on your kitchen. After reading all the suggestions, and looking at your picture again, I have just one more... move your plant to the front corner of that counter, then think about what bright color would make you happy the rest of the year. A nice plant, or big bowl of fruit, in that space... someone suggested lemons, but apples, pears, etc. would work. Just one splash of color (maybe some in your glass front cabinets to echo) would make you happy. Something living always adds a good touch to a space. Do you have a bright pillow color from the rest of the room? Use that for the planter or bowl. Enjoy your beautiful kitchen! Happy New year to your family.

Ellen is right, there is not enough colour in the kitchen. If you don't have anything of your own, go to TJMax or Marshalls or Ross and find some beautiful Italian or Portuguese matching canisters and a bowl for the counter and bright something's for the glass fronted cabinets. If you stop worrying about the soffit it will just become a part of the room you no longer notice. Good luck and Happy New Year.

Better lighting. Either canned or track from Ikea. Nothing over cabinets.

Add industrial bar stools

Brittany, I can definitely help you with lighting, but what were you looking to change? Are you trying to update the decorative pendant or install some recessed lighting with under cabinet task lighting? Three decorative pendants over your peninsula would be a very nice touch.

I'd use 120v remodel recessed cans http://www.affordablequalitylighting.com/indoor-lighting/recessed-housings-trims/120v-recessed-cans/120v-4-non-ic-at-remodel-can-ch99rat/ with a white trim http://www.affordablequalitylighting.com/indoor-lighting/recessed-housings-trims/recessed-lighting-trims/120v-4-recessed-trims/120v-4-baffle-trim-c993-w/. Go with a 4" housing since your kitchen is a bit smaller. The price ranges from $5 to $9 per housing than about $7 for the trim. Give our customer service team a call and we'll be able to help you find what you need 1.800.865.7221.

I like Ron's idea :) leave it to a photographer to come up with something for the viewing pleasure :)

Crown molding near the ceiling will give it a pop.

I like gm construction and design 's idea of the wall stencil (those stick on ones) but I would actually put up a nice quote, something along the lines of:
http://www.thesimplestencil.com/customize_your_vinyl_wall_design/474/home__where_the_happiest_memories_are_made.html

:)) just looked at the list Connie. They even have them for foyers. Although I don't need to put any words like this http://www.thesimplestencil.com/images/cached/panoramas/930/38.jpg in my foyer. When our house was being built, I came and wrote the words in black pen on the wood of the threshold before the door was installed :)

Many years ago I painted the soffit an accent color and hung family photos. It still works for me.

90% of what I do is kitchens. I'm assuming that the cabinets are new, and the soffit is staying. That being said, you can "wrap" the soffit in white wainscoting. The white will bring the eye up, and make the ceilings appear taller, and the cabinets larger. I am attaching a picture with beadboard wainscoting, but you can do just about any type. I recommend topping the soffit area with crown molding. Good luck!

Try painting it a color that contrasts the cabinets but also brightens the room. All you need is a ladder and some paint and you can be done in no time. Also, you can add different objects that reflect the kitchen style you want to evoke. A western themed kitchen could have western knick knacks.

Very nice, dezign!

Wide crown would eliminate a lot of the issue and add value for re-sale.

I have some ideas with my products, shipping and installation is no problem.

Tree... Please post these beautiful pictures on this weeks "photo wall" Houzz site!

Paint it dark brown and hang a collection of white Ironstone plates and platters