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We have stacked cabinets. We have a vent hood that goes all the way up to the ceiling. Our ceilings are 10 feet and I think it looks awkward to have a vent hood chimney that goes a great deal higher than the cabinets. I do use the very upper cabinets for stuff that I seldom ever use like the wicker steamer when I make gyoza or the cake pans I use when i make a 6-8 layer cake.
I guess it might be considered "Post-WWII Grocery Store Chic?" :-) Maybe even with some sawdust thrown on the floor for effect. Fly-paper hanging down and a screen door that slams behind them when people come in or go out.
The screen door will need a push bar that says “Buy SunBeam Bread.”
I like simple, practical cabinets. My ceilings are standard 8' ceilings and I'm tall so I went all the way up. Short cabinets with an 8' ceiling wouldn't make a lick of sense.
Also, that example photo in post 7 represents everything wrong with the world to me. Not only does that kitchen freak me out but I guarantee I'd hate the rest of the house that surrounds it too. Open concept = cheap IMO.
I am a short person and like my shorter cabinets. I can reach everything I need using a small step stool for the very top shelves. Besides, if my cabinets went to the ceiling, where would my cat sit while surveying her domain?
I agree with OP that the first kitchen photo with the different height cabinets is annoying to look at. The cabinets tops drag the eye all over the room with no place to settle. Look down and there you have the floor that ends too close to the island. It reminds me of the multiple roof lines found on a Mc Mansion. It has 12 lights lit but still looks dark. Kitchen also has no walls, no door and no window.
The second kitchen has one higher point over the stove so there is a focal point that makes sense. A beautiful kitchen that a person can really cook in.
I like the third one best. Clean lines, cabinets up to the ceiling so no problem with dust and grease building up on there. Lots of counter space to work. Still, no window, weird open hallway to the right.
I think people who hire an interior designer like to get strong opinions, as long as they match theirs or they have been told "this is the right person" for them. Some people really have no idea what kind of cabinets or flooring or anything else should be selected, they trust experts.
I am a person with pretty strong opinions about colors and flooring and style but looking at cabinets that go to the ceiling in the photo posted I'm against them now and never even thought about the issue before. So thanks for that, in case I build a new home soon. That's a future "maybe" with lots of choices I'll leave to the spouse. I actually prefer making floorplan choices.
I have 2 "musts" for a home which makes it both simple and difficult when looking for a new one. I MUST NOT SEE the kitchen from the front door. I do not like open floorplans. Second: The living areas must face south so I see sunshine all day. Those are my two "must haves" and the kitchen we bought (came with the house) is still "in need of reno" 10 years later. Nothing to be ashamed of but could be better, just not willing to go through the hell of re-doing it.
Realtors say kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Not for me or spouse. Maybe what they really mean is "bad kitchens and bad bathrooms do not sell houses".
I am a short person and like my shorter cabinets. I can reach everything I need using a small step stool for the very top shelves. Besides, if my cabinets went to the ceiling, where would my cat sit while surveying her domain?
LOL love this! I'll bet your cat really enjoys his perch.
Re: cabinets looking like a box on a wall. Personally I think that's a silly reason to hate a cabinet, but hey to each his own. . A cabinet that touches a ceiling also looks like a box on a wall. Because that's what a cabinet is.
Hope you were just being a drama queen with the remark about your blood pressure going up. If not, go see your doctor right away! And you might consider starting a different side business if you have that sort of reaction to other people's decorating choices. Otherwise the first time you get a client who wants a kitchen cabinet you "can't bear" you'll end up in a hospital.
As for my own opinion, I think all styles can look good, depending on the house. Cabinets up to the ceiling aren't my taste, but I've seen some houses where it looked nice.
Personally, I prefer the shorter, staggered cabinets. I like display areas, but that may be because I have lots of things I like to display.
I have a lot of large silver pieces that I've inherited over the years, and they look great on my cabinets. We've never had a problem with dust because we use the pieces all the time and regularly take things down or rearrange the pieces. (My theory is life is short, use the silver. If you inherit a soup tureen, make soup!) So if we see a little bit of dust we wipe it away before anything builds up, just like we do with the counter tops.
If I had the silver hidden on some top shelf behind a door we probably would forget it was there and not have as much fun with it as we do. So display areas are what we prefer. But to each his own.
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. A cabinet that touches a ceiling also looks like a box on a wall. Because that's what a cabinet is. 
