I like the last option best.

The cabinets floating in space are the problem. They are too disconnected from anything. You could continue the soffit around the perimeter to connect them, then use larger cabinets. Those are too small scale to balance the negative space you're leaving. Or, then you could use a conventional corner cabinet under the soffit to link the areas with more cabinets. That would give you more storage as well as have more continuity.

Or, get rid of those dinky cabinets entirely in favor of open shelving. If you have a pantry elsewhere, this would be a great look that's very now.

i think soffit with molding above each of the uppers is better. but that's because i like the wall space it gives you with the hood so that you can take your backsplash all the way up vs. the cabinet soffit.

I dont care forthe chimney style hood below cabinets. Doesnt make sense. Have you considered built in hood? Like the one with the red range only hide the vent hood completely?. I agree the cabinets need something to tie in to...unless you could consider open shelving?

Thank you all for your thoughts. Just to answer some of the questions.

1. Open shelving - LOVE the esthetics, but I don't think it would be practical for our family. While I am neat and orderly, my DH is more...creative! I fear that I would constantly be frustrated by the disorganization.

2. If I did the two small soffits, can I run backsplash up behind the hood and have it at cabinet height everywhere else? I don't know if I want an entire kitchen of tile.

3. If I did the last option, I would definitely switch to a built-in under cabinet hood. These are really rough drawings, and I couldn't find the option to switch the hood chimney out so I just shrank it.

I am torn, because I slightly favor the two small soffit option, and my husband slightly favors the last option with more cabinetry.

Thanks again!

I like the last one, but I think it would need to have the type of hood that's in the picture, rather than the chimney style. If you're tied to the chimney style, my preference would change to the separate ones.

This post was edited by cal_quail on Mon, May 12, 14 at 20:46

I got a lot of help with a similar issue recently.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1120575620725.html?5

I like your Houzz inspiration. I think it looks good because they've used a wide crown molding to minimize the blank space of the soffit. Would that work on the sink wall soffit too?

Then I'd use a chimney hood with a wide chimney. Some are just too long and skinny, and that's going to be accentuated by your tall and narrow cabinets--three in a row! I'd also bring the window treatment up to the crown as shown in the photo, though I bet your soffit interferes with that. Or I'd add the large top molding on the window as shown in the photo with the red range. You want to create the illusion of taller windows. I think all that brings a cohesive look to the soffits, windows, cabinets, and hood.

I wonder if someone with great spatial abilities could find a way to make both walls look like they were designed as a whole. The Home Decor forum might be helpful with that, but maybe moreso the Remodeling and Building a Home forums, which have some really talented posters. Post everywhere! You've been struggling with this a long time!

I think continuing the soffit on the other side, plus using an L shaped corner cabinet, and linking the cabinets together with a very minimal valance across the windows, plus a wood hood could work to relate one side of the space to the other. I'd inset the valances just a tad so that you'd get a bit of a jog in the crown molding to add interest, but not be too much detail.

{{!gwi}}

Trying image load again.

Nice.

Thank you all! I really appreciate the input. In the logical part of my brain, I know that extending the soffit into an "L" probably makes the most sense. From my emotional perspective, I don't generally like soffits and I am worried that I will be disappointed with the look of the extension.

The mock up really helps, live wire. If I do that, should I make the new part of the soffit 24" deep as well?

I am still torn, and I need to make up my mind! I feel like everything is a compromise, and I am sad to make a compromise on this kitchen. Sigh.

Rebecca, I so understand where you are right now and maybe this will help a little: I was absolutely sold on cabs to the ceiling. Done deal, nothing to talk about. Yup.
and
(without going into a whole boring discussion of why) we couldn't make the crown trim fit with the cab trim at. all. Tried and tried. But I had to have the cabs go to the ceiling. And then someone here (Jakuval maybe?) showed some pics of their cabs not to the ceiling and I allowed myself to realize how much easier it would be to let go of my imagined desire and embrace what the space and design was calling for.

Now I have beautiful uppers not to the ceiling and I think they look great. Maybe accepting your soffitt as necessary will help you, too? And maybe you'll find the right work-around yet!