Are kitchen soffits outdated?

Kitchen soffits are out of style, with fewer people retaining these fixtures in their homes and fewer still having them installed at all. Their outdated look often makes a room look smaller, and when building new kitchens, it's better to free up that space for a bigger and brighter feel.

What is the purpose of kitchen soffits?

What's a Soffit? A kitchen soffit is usually a boxy structure built to hide wiring, pipes, or other mechanicals, or to fill the space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling. Depending on the age of your home they may be very large and perhaps even extend out past the cabinets.

What can I do instead of soffits?

Extend cabinets to the ceiling. You could stretch your upper cabinet through to the ceiling without a bulky kitchen soffit. The height of these modern cabinets allows for the latest transitional design style and gives more space.

How can I make my kitchen soffits look better?

8 Ways to Deal with Those Awkward Kitchen Cabinet Soffits

1. Fill in the space with trim.
2. Fill in the space with a furr down.
3. Fill the space with trim in a contrasting color.
4. Get some really tall upper cabinets.
5. Add a second row of cabinets.
6. Add a window.
7. Paint the wall the same color as the cabinets.
8. Embrace it.

KITCHEN SOFFIT REMOVAL (PART 1) | WHAT'S BEHIND THEM? | SHOULD YOU REMOVE THEM? ExStepCousinInLaws

Should cabinets match soffit?

If you're asking us, then our answer is a resounding - YES! No matter which side of the soffit paint debate you landed on at the end, either wall or ceiling color, painting the entire soffit the same color is important in making sure it looks intentional and cohesive.

Why do kitchen cabinets not go to the ceiling?

Ceiling height cabinets are not easy to access as they are very high up in the ceiling. Anything up there at the top of these cabinets is quite hard to access hence you will need to have something to step on in order to reach these things. This also poses some very serious safety concerns.

Should I build soffit above kitchen cabinets?

Building a soffit above your cabinets can help you hide unsightly HVAC pipes, wiring, or plumbing exposed in the space between your upper kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. It's also a genius solution to fill that awkward space too big for trim but too small for more cabinetry.

How much does it cost to remove kitchen soffits?

The national average materials cost to remove a kitchen soffit is $0.25 per linear foot, with a range between $0.24 to $0.27. The total price for labor and materials per linear foot is $8.20, coming in between $4.99 to $11.42. A typical 25 linear foot project costs $205.04, with a range of $124.64 to $285.44.

Are soffits ever structural?

Technically, a soffit is any material that makes up the underside of a part of your house, including ceilings, stairs and cornices. Older homes might feature soffits as a decorative element, while other structures use soffits to hide things like structural beams, HVAC ducts or plumbing.

What is the box above kitchen cabinets called?

A kitchen soffit is a closed-in area above the cabinets. Soffits were a popular design included in homes in the mid-to-late 1900s.

Can you tile a kitchen soffit?

Tile It. Tile can make your kitchen soffit feel like a more contemporary feature and add interesting texture and color to the room. If you already have a tiled backsplash, you can use the same material for the soffit to give your kitchen a cohesive look.

How do you fill the gap between cabinets and ceilings?

You can build the cabinets to the ceiling (most expensive option), keep the area open (no cost!), build a soffit to match the cabinets, or add a drywall soffit.

What can I put on top of my kitchen cabinets?

Vases, vintage letters, and even books are ideal to display above cabinets. A series of pitchers filled with faux flowers is also an ideal way to fill the void.

Why do Kitchens have bulkheads?

A bulkhead is a lower portion of the ceiling and is predominantly installed for functional reasons: to conceal services, to project air conditioning and to mask changes in ceiling heights. But kitchen bulkheads can also serve as decorative design features, as well as defining the kitchen area in an open-plan setting.

How do you fill the gap between kitchen cabinets and walls?

As such, cabinet filler strips are the most effective way to cover large gaps between the side of a cabinet and the wall. However, they can also be the most complicated. Since walls are rarely perfectly even, the strips often need to be measured and cut to size with challenging tools.

Is it worth it to remove soffits?

No matter if it's functional or not, removing a soffit is a surefire way to make a kitchen feel more spacious, as well as allow for some phenomenal design options such as tall upper cabinetry, a mix of cabinetry in varying heights, stacked upper cabinetry, large range hoods, and expanses of backsplash tile.

How hard is it to remove soffits?

If you choose to remove your soffit, cut a hole in the side and look in there first. If it's empty, there is little difficulty in removing it. If it is full of pipes or duct work, the difficulty lies in rerouting these items. This means either opening the ceiling or the wall behind them to give them a place to go.

Should you paint walls behind kitchen cabinets?

To protect the drywall and for a professional finish, we recommend painting behind kitchen cabinets.

Can you put crown molding on a soffit?

Dress Up Cabinet Soffits

You can also box in the soffit space by framing it and covering it with a drywall surface. Other homeowners retain the soffits. One very simple idea is to run a strip of crown molding along the top edge of the cabinets.

Is aluminum or vinyl soffit better?

Vinyl is more easily affected by heat compared to aluminium. It can develop mold in damp climates. It's not as malleable as vinyl, making it harder to cut, bend, and install in varied spaces. Vinyl can become brittle if exposed to regular sunlight.

What do you do with dead space above kitchen cabinets?

11 Smart Ways to Use the Space Above Your Cabinets

1. Display serving pieces. ...
2. Use canisters to conceal clutter. ...
3. Or bust out the baskets. ...
4. Show off a collection. ...
5. Display cookbooks. ...
6. Store your wine. ...
7. Grow something. ...
8. Add another shelf.

Should kitchen units go to the ceiling?

The kitchen cabinets and molding do not go to the ceiling and the wall cabinets and trim will be just below the ceiling. Any crown molding or trim will continue around the room, above the cabinetry.

Are staggered cabinets out of style?

Staggered cabinets, like all cabinet trends, ebb and flow in terms of popularity. This style of cabinet design hasn't been getting much attention in recent years, either positive or negative. While staggered cabinets may not be the next hot design trend, neither are they hopelessly outdated.