Here is the opposite wall with a desk area

If you are going with staggered cabinets, I would suggest making the refrigerator cabinet taller simply because it is deep storage and can be used for infrequently used larger items like big stock posts, turkey roasters etc. those typically won't fit in an upper and sure can fill up premium space.

I think it looks nice as it is. If you do too many cabinets with a staggered upper height, then I think it minimizes the impact of the ones you've already selected. It's like a woman with too much jewelry on, if you catch my drift. I certainly wouldn't do the fridge cabinet as it's so close to the other ones you've already raised.

If you do decide to do the ones on the opposite side of the window, I think you need to reconfigure the cabinets so there are cabinets on each side at the lower height with a cabinet raised in the middle. But that's the most I would consider doing, if it was my kitchen.

I think the bigger concern is the location of the dishwasher. If someone is cooking, this arrangement is going to be super-crowded if someone else is loading/unloading the DW. That's something I can't wait to change about my current kitchen. What a bottleneck. I'd move the DW and dish storage to the other side of the sink.

Thanks Funky, I thought about changing the dishwasher location also. The right side is definitely very cramped with appliances.

I have staggered cabinets and love that look. I'd also suggest moving DW to the other side of sink. What about adding a glass front to some of the cabinets? In my kitchen, my corner cabinet is glass, and I like the look.

Move the fridge to the end of the sink, and run move the range over to the right on it's wall. Then it can be higher and it's not so up-down-up-down-up-down. Staggared works best when there is some breathing room and logical progression. That also gives you the more logical progression of food through the different zones, from cold storage, to water, to heat. You'll walk less and be more efficient.

first off let me start by saying I'm no expert on
kitchen cabinets/design.

that said, would you raise the higher cabinets to
eliminate the 2" space between the molding of the
cabinet & the ceiling.
just seems like it would look better & be less
of a dust catcher. as is, it would be difficult to
clean.

best of luck.

definitely move the dishwasher! and I would make the fridge cabinet taller instead of the microwave cabinet.
I also would take the microwave and put it in the island with a large drawer underneath. That is where we have ours and it will make your kitchen look and function so much better. It's really hard to get to your pots on the stove with the microwave in the way. A hood really gives you so much more space, we love it this way!
We also have a pullout trash next to the microwave and I love it b/c it a great work area to reheat food and easily clean up by opening the trash and sweeping it all into the trash.

oh, we were worried that we wouldn't like the microwave down low instead of up higher but honestly it's been perfectly fine

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. We did end up moving the dishwasher but everything else stayed the same. I would love a range hood but don't like the metal ones and a custom cabinet hood plus the extra install charge for the venting was way more than we could spend unfortunately.

That narrow little area is going to be a pain in the a** to paint! I just painted above my cabinets today and I have about a foot. You do not know how many times I cussed that area (and hit the ceiling with the roller !)

May look good, but anyway to build those to the ceiling?

I'm not a fan of staggered cabinets - I crave storage, and couldn't bear to not bring everything up to the ceiling.

I also don't care for angled corner upper cabinets. I got rid of two of them when I remodeled my kitchen, and put in easy-reach instead - much better use of the space!

I agree with hollysprings about the fridge placement. As it is, your range/fridge wall is pretty crowded (though it's hard to tell for sure without dimensions). Giving the range more breathing room allows for nice big drawers on each side.