SFGate

Dytecture Definitely ! that would make great use of that upper space.

Jennifer Smoot I have seen this done with 8' ceilings and it looks great. Just keep it all proportional so you don't loose too much real cabinet space in the lowers.

All About Closets I assume you like the look of two separate cabinets rather than one tall one. There will be an increase in cost to have one on top of the other. If cost is not an issue go for it!

Think about what you will put in the upper cabinet and make sure the height is appropriate. The small cabinet does not allow for much vertical adjustment when compared to a one taller cabinet. Go easy on the clear glass as it will look messy if you need to use the space for storage rather than display. Keep in mind the crown will reduce the usable height of the cabinet as the crown has to bridge the face of the cabinet to the ceiling.

Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal aim for 3" ht crown, 12" ht glass area & balance 27" solid. As "all about closets" suggested, think long & hard about the amount of decorative open glass you prefer. Some folks have pretty collections to display, for others it becomes their worst nightmare. Better to have solid doors if you are not sure.

Matt Sanford Homes Here in San Francisco, we typically have 36" to the top of the lower cabinets, including counter tops. Then by code we have to allow 18" of space over the counters to the underside of the upper cabinets. If you have 8' ceilings (or 96"), then that should leave you with 42" for upper cabinets and crown. I would suggest 30" cabinets with 10" cabinets on top, and that leaves you about 2" of height for use with 3" crown. Hopefully the ceiling is level, which is a whole other discussion.

I would start by talking to a cabinet distributor and tell them what you want. Or get a GC over to your house and let him figure out the details! Just be clear what you want and he can figure out the rest.

Dezign Studio Inc Some kitchens have 39" upper cabinets. If you want single upper cabinets, then you can have 39" upper cabinets with crown molding 3" or shorter using a mounting strip.

cgillis Thank you for all your advice! Fortunately we are building so we can make the space what we need! I definitely want a beautiful mosaic backsplash so I didn't want to shorten the area between the upper and lower cabinets. Undecided yet as to whether I want clear or frosted glass on the small uppers. Think it will help break up all the wood of a large kitchen and thy are beautiful when backlit at night!

cgillis Oh and I'm thinking just open glass display on the small upper parts with solid wood doors below. Just couldn't find the appropriate picture. I'm not neat enough to have full glass cupboards but have some lovely crystal and such from wedding gifts that would display lovely in the small areas on top!

cgillis Similar to this but not as ornate.

Mary Dancey Interiors The look is lovely. If you have a large kitchen with lots of cabinetry I think that you could do this with smaller uppers, but if cabinet space is at a premium you will be losing out on useable kitchen storage.

Urbana ~ Designer Ellen Crystal The kitchen in your inspiration photo is likely at least 9' ceiling ht. the crown is a luxurious 6+ "... then the glass uppers likely in the 12-15" ht range. Balance likely 36" ht for solid doors.

Take a look at cabinet showrooms in your area & bring along this photo... if you can show them the direction that inspires you, should be able to show you how to achieve by way of showroom & portfolio. achieving this look is complicated, but an experienced person can help pull it all together.

just remember, there are at least 30 % more cabinets in this kitchen, so reflected in the final costs!