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It’s called a soffit, from the French word “soffite,” which refers to the underside of a ceiling. In common usage, however, it’s the word for the enclosed space between the top of the cabinets and the kitchen ceiling.
What is the space above kitchen cupboards called?
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 do you do with empty space above kitchen cabinets?
11 Smart Ways to Use the Space Above Your Cabinets Display serving pieces. Use canisters to conceal clutter. Or bust out the baskets. Show off a collection. Display cookbooks. Store your wine. Grow something. Add another shelf.
Should I remove kitchen soffits?
Removing the cabinetry will protect the cabinets and give you more space to work with for the renovation. After you remove the soffit, you will now have more space and design options for your cabinetry. Removing the soffits can also free up more storage space on top of the cabinets for your kitchen.
Why is there space on top of kitchen cabinets?
Use your kitchen cabinet tops as a space to stash things you have no room for elsewhere, like picnic baskets, decorative objects, or extra cutting boards. This works especially well if your kitchen, like this one, has an expansive space to fill.
What is the space below cabinets called?
That small area under the kitchen cabinets where your foot goes is called the “toe space” or “toe kick”. The toe space (also called a toe kick) needs attention too when installing kitchen cabinets.
How do you fill space between cabinets?
For gaps less than 1/8-inch, it’s acceptable to use colored caulk or other products that come in a tube. If you plan on refinishing the cabinets, you can also use wood putty that dries hard to fill gaps or cracks. If the cabinets do not need finishing, apply color-matched caulking to the gaps.
How do you fill the space between cabinets and ceilings?
Fill in the space with trim If the gap between your upper cabinets and the ceiling isn’t particularly large, you can fill it in with trim running along the top of your upper cabinets. This makes for a cohesive, built-in look, and a lot less potential for collecting dust.
How do you fix the space 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.
Is it outdated to decorate above kitchen cabinets?
As a general rule, if you have under 2′ of space above kitchen cabinetry, very tall armoires or built-ins, don’t decorate the space. All too often, doing so dates you to the 1990’s and the area does nothing but catch dust.
What is the difference between a bulkhead and a soffit?
Soffits describe the area between the top of cabinets and the ceiling. Bulkheads describe the structure that fills in that area. Instead of empty space above cabinets, bulkheads are solid and box-like structures that fill in that wall soffit.
What is an interior soffit?
A soffit is an exterior or interior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of any construction element. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of beams, is the underside of eaves (to connect a retaining wall to projecting edge(s) of the roof).
What is a drop soffit?
What is an interior drop soffit? It’s a lowered portion of the ceiling in room; it can be structural or purely cosmetic. What are the reasons for designing interior drop soffits into a room? Defining space. The soffit’s material or geometry can define a space or function within a room.
Is greenery above kitchen cabinets outdated?
Greenery Kitchen Greenery above cabinets is always in style! That is, of course, if you have a green thumb. If your green thumb isn’t so good, don’t worry, add some faux plants and garland instead. One of the best things about greenery and plants is that they almost can be classified as art.
Do kitchen cabinets have to go to the ceiling?
It is prudent to surmise that kitchen cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling are great for aesthetic purposes. You can decide to have some lighting in the front cabinets in order to avail some modern look in stark contrast to working with the open space just above the cabinets.
What is a cabinet door rail?
A rail is a long, slender piece of wood such as a board or beam. In a cabinet frame, the top and bottom horizontal pieces are referred to as the rails. Rails are combined with the vertical pieces of wood, which are known as the stiles. Each door frame or cabinet frame has two rails, one on top and one on bottom.
What is a cabinet rail?
Rail – A horizontal framing member of a cabinet face frame or door. Reveal – On a framed cabinet, the distance between the outside edge of the face frame and the outside edge of the door. Stile – The vertical-framing members of a cabinet face frame or cabinet door.
What is a box cabinet?
What is a kitchen cabinet box and how are they made? When your designer or builder is talking about the cabinet box, they’re talking about the physical cabinet, excluding the doors, hardware, and trim. A cabinet box consists of a toe kick (if it’s a base cabinet), floor, shelves, sides, back and top rail.
