Decorating Above Kitchen Cabinets

Decorating Above Kitchen Cabinets:

It sounds simple, but it can be a daunting task.  I have kitchen cabinets that go up to the ceiling, but they do extend beyond the 8' ceiling area into my "cathedral" ceiling area.  This leaves me with about 30" of space that I need to decorate above my frig cabinet.  I also have a completely open area above a large entertainment center in the living room that needs decorating.

Here are some tips and ideas that I've found useful for me:

How you decorate above your kitchen cabinets depends on whether you have soffits or not:

• Do your cabinets go all the way to the ceiling?
• Do you have soffits between your cabinets and ceiling?
• Is there open space between your cabinets and ceiling?

You don't want the area above your cabinets to look cluttered.  Usually less is more when it comes to decorating your kitchen.

IF YOUR CABINETS GO ALL THE WAY TO THE CEILING:

Use a nice crown molding, like pictured below (from my own kitchen).  This eliminates any gaps that will be between your cabinets and ceiling, making a nice transition.  It doesn't have to be a large molding either.  Mine is a medium size crown molding, approximately 2 1/4" high.

IF YOUR CABINETS HAVE A SOFFIT BETWEEN THEM AND THE CEILING:

• Again, make sure you use some type of molding between the cabinets and soffit (if there is room, and there usually is, but it may not be much).  How much room there is depends on what type of molding you can apply.  Even if you can only add a 1/4" piece of trim, it will cover gaps, etc.
• You usually paint the underside of the soffit the same color as the ceiling, and the flat part of the soffit the same color as the rest of your wall.
• Try painting the soffit a contrasting (or complementary) color to the rest of your kitchen.  If you kitchen is yellow, paint the soffit blue (or vice versa).
• Paint the soffit using a rag or sponge technique.  This can be done even if the rest of your kitchen isn't painted that way, adding a nice contrast.
• This is a bit spendy, but wrap your soffit in the wood of the cabinets (see photo below).  It can really add some class.