No advice; I'm wanting to do the same. we have them in our living room with 9' ceilings and they look great. It's the #1 thing people comment on when they see our house.

I agree with your kitchen designer. I have 9' ceilings in my kitchen and I cannot imagine them coffered. They are open and airy which is why 9' ceilings are prized. Even if I had 10' ceilings, I wouldn't do it. Coffering is great in a living room or library/den. I just don't think it's a look that fits with a kitchen. Too busy? Too affected? Pretentious for a kitchen? I dunno. I just think your Kd is right.

Our builder veto-ed this idea when I suggested it too, said it would make the room seem too small/ceiling too low (9 inch ceilings here as well). We skipped it and are having them in the gathering room instead...

I have 8' 11" ceilings and I did this in my kitchen. I am so happy I did to be honest, it brings a warmer feeling to the kitchen and the blue paint takes it up a bit as well.

I think it depends on how deep the coffer is and how wide they are. You may not want to do very deep 2-foot square coffers, but a relatively open, shallow arrangement of coffers could be really nice.

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I'm with marcolo. Absolutely awful. Particulary if YOU like them. Who are you to have any say in the aesthetics of your own home? Certainly not a professional.

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I double heart the shallow coffers in the last image from marcolo above.

LOL!! Marcolo made the point beautifully. We've had members who have done it and it looks great. It is less airy, but not everyone wants an as airy as possible kitchen. Some want a more defined space, or to fill the area between cabinets and ceiling, or to carry through the ambiance of a detailed home into the "servants" preserve.

The problem with ceiling murals, tin ceilings and coffers in kitchens come when the spaghetti sauce explodes, but one has to figure that folks who have the money for decorative coffers also have the money for the disaster cleaning crew to come fix when something really upsetting happens.

It also has to make sense with the style of the house.

Our kitchen ceiling is 9' and has stained cedar beams. It's not claustrophobic. I've never had anything explode in any of my kitchens. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

You guys are mean. The OP asked for opinions and I gave one. C'mon, am I not supposed to? Then what's this forum for? Did I deserve sarcasm cause I gave my honest opinion on coffered ceilings in a 9' ceiling kitchen?

All the photos Marcolo posted are very grand kitchens, large, with elaborate and/or double-stacked cabinetry. All but one photo look to me to have 10' ceilings. Allison's kitchen is also very large, quite unique, french-themed, with one-of-kind unfitted cabinetry and a stunning custom hood, all of which together can support a coffered ceiling look. We don't know anything about the OP's kitchen, its decor, the house, the size. The one photo that Marcolo posted that looks to me to be a 9' ceiling that Marcolo titled "claustrophobic" (a word I never used) seems to me to have beams that are too heavy, that weigh it down - I wouldn't want to be standing under one of those beams in that kitchen. I stand by my earlier post and am taken aback at the response here. You coulda just said you didn't agree, and why, without the mean edge.

Important is the height of the ceilings AND the size of the room. A 20 x25 room at 9' can take coffers nicely. Also the detail of the room and the flavor of the room. Can be lovely and who are gw members to say what's pretentious, when painted white kitches with mucho windows can only be cared for with a steady, reliable staff. Chandy's get dirty. Take time to clean Do you think chandies are a little pretentious. If you want crystal sparkle in your kitchen, without stuffiness, keepit low. On table. On other flat surfaces,,, hurricanes can be plenty pretensious amid the bronzes on the sideboard. Wouldn't you think so, dahling?

Emmertae - did your KD say why she felt your kitchen should not have a coffered ceiling? It would help us to understand if there were specific reasons. As mentioned above, perhaps kitchen size, style, decor of the house. And don't forget the expense, maybe she was thinking about your budget--will you have to forego something else to afford the coffered ceiling. If your KD did not give you reasons, you should ask her, and then consider carefully her response, see if it makes sense to you. Let us know.

I love, love, love coffered ceilings. I'd also love to know what your KD's reason was for not wanting you to have them. We have a large great room planned with the kitchen on one end and the dining and living, etc. open to it. We have to have room separation of some sorts just to create interest between the space so it's not just one big expanse of white 10' ceilings. Another reason is for support with a possible beam. I was thinking of coffering either the kitchen or the living room for this reason. I think, in the right space, it looks fabulous and can define a space nicely!

How are coffered ceilings any worse than popcorn stipple when the pressure cooker valve fails? Lots of unimaginative/unskilled GCs love them!

Allison, I really like your kitchen! It has many interesting characteristics! Thanks for sharing!
As far a coffered ceilings go, I have to agree that it does depend on the size of the room.

Thank you for all of the opinions! I feel comforted by the fact that I should just do what I think feels right since people seem to come down on both sides of the issue. Our kitchen is a big space, so I do think it would look okay. I may, though, decide to put the coffered ceiling in the family room (we're opening up the kitchen to the family room in our remodel) to help define the space. Thanks again for all the quick responses. This is why I am so grateful for this forum!!

Allison - if you don't mind me asking, how big are your beams - we are thinking about doing 6x6 beams in our kitchen, but I am afraid they may be too small (and we have 9'6" ceilings). Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!

I love coffered ceilings too, especially like those in marcolo's last photo. I only have 8 foot ceilings and would like to have them somewhere.

Thank you, powertoolpatriot (lol!) and sarah.

The coffered beams are 6x6. There are, of course, larger beams between kitchen/great room and kitchen/breakfast area that are structural.

The kitchen is English, not French.

I too would ask - how big is the room? Will they encompass the kitchen and a great room and an eating area? How big of an area is that? Do you want cabinets to the ceiling or not? What other aesthetic ideas do you have planned for the space? What style is the kitchen and will they suit. Analyze the photos that Marcolo showed (I suspect some ceilings are higher than 9') and see if your room can take them.

I actually feel like the middle two of marcolo's photos have a little too much going on and could probably have gone without the coffers. The first and last photos they work well, probably because the space looks larger and there's less overwhelming detail.

Anyway, to the OP there are a lot of different way to do a coffer. If you like the look, I'm sure you can find something that works well in your space. I have a coffered ceiling in my living room and love it.

I never expected such a strong reaction to a simple question. I think it is a matter of space, style, and personal preference. I suppose it doesn't fit into the OTK philosphy so you are walking a fine line! :)

If you are considering it, just make sure the room is big enough to pull off the look, and also make sure there isn't too much going on elsewhere (no really ornate moldings on your cabinets).

How about some very shallow ones like in this photo (this is what i'm considering for my great room/dining room combination which is 18'x34' with 12' ceilings.

[Other design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/other-home-design-ideas-phbr1-bp~r_33)

We chose not to coffer our kitchen ceiling and instead used a soffit to create a visual break...it has the broken arch shape which is matched in the shape of the island counter and the vinyl flooring.

We did coffer the ceiling in the hallway between the DR and the library which matches the squares carved in the floor by the "antique brass" strips.

Our kitchen was designed with a "strapped" ceiling, a sort of shallow coffering that our architect friend had seen in a milking parlor on a Hudson Valley estate. To me it looks sort of agricultural, not formal, and I like the texture it adds to the room. The ceiling was made of fir boards with pine strapping, then painted.
Lynn

{{!gwi}}

I'm with palimpsest, both posts. If you do it keep it shallow, but make sure it goes with the house. Speaking of the rest of the house, do you have coffered ceilings anywhere else?