A pro tip for those concerned with the cost of their heating and cooling bills- any open space in your ceiling is being heated or cooled, whether you reap the benefit of that air or not! Vaulted ceilings in kitchens are undeniably upscale and chic, but they aren’t always conducive to a family’s lifestyle, especially in warmer or colder climates. In addition to the higher energy cost, Melissa also warns they are “harder to paint yourself” if you want to change the color palette in your home.
Vaulted Kitchen Ceilings: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly from Design Experts
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Published: February 14, 2024
Updated: January 2, 2024
Vaulted ceilings in family rooms and living rooms are an design feature that makes a home feel more grandiose and modern, but what about vaulted ceilings in a kitchen? As open floor plans are bulldozing their way through interior landscapes, combining your living space and kitchen can cause a vaulted effect on kitchen ceilings too.
“Incorporating a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen can add a rustic and grand farmhouse ambiance to your home,” shares interior designer Neha Kaimal. “When thoughtfully integrated with the space’s architecture, a vaulted kitchen can stand out and make a strong visual impact,” Kaimal notes. The end result is an open and spacious layout that is both incredibly popular and divisive.
However, some of the elements of concern include heating and cooling costs, the coziness of space, the cleanliness of cabinets and their installation, and how well they fit within our modern aesthetic. As with all things interior design, ultimately preference is the most important deciding factor, but the nuances of ceiling height may just spark a tiny flame of interest as you decide whether or not this is a pertinent trend for you and your home. We asked our readers and contributors their opinions on the subject, and they willingly shared their top nine pros and cons related to this interior style.
Read on below for all their valuable insights!
02 of Pro: Adds Character
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Besides the nuanced potential pitfalls of a vaulted ceiling, they offer a fair share of design benefits, the first being that they add great character to your home. One of our contributors, Summer, adds, “I’ve always loved my vault and haven’t noticed much of a difference in heating and cooling. Vault adds more character.” Like all things interior design, this is a matter of personal preference. As the photo shows, adding floating shelves instead of cabinets can rectify the strange spacing above the cabinets.
Interior designer Ellen Matthews adds that there is another benefit of vaulted ceilings. “This impressive feature is not just aesthetically pleasing, it also attracts potential buyers, ultimately increasing your home’s resale value,” Matthews notes.
03 of Con: Hard To Keep Cabinet Tops Clean
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When cabinets do not go up to the ceiling, you may be concerned with all that dust settling on top of your cabinets. Of course, a kitchen with vaulted ceilings will always leave a gap in your cabinet tops, creating dust and cobwebs that will eventually need attention. Homeowner Kristy shares that she hates cleaning the tops of her cabinets, but it’s a necessary evil. If you can commiserate, it may be best to avoid this trend.
04 of Pro: Lots of Natural Light
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Our dear reader Wendy shares her two cents on this debated topic, indicating, “If it’s only part of the kitchen that is vaulted, it may be nice if it’s allowing a lot of natural light in.” You can elevate the amount of natural light in your space by adding skylights that will transform the overall aura of the room. This particular design would be impossible without a distinct vault.
05 of Con: Too Much Echo
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Noise is an important consideration in a home with busy and playful children. If you aim to minimize the amount of sound you hear in your kitchen or living room, vaulting may not be for you. Designer Hailey strictly quotes, “No vault in the kitchen. It makes it more echoey and hard to communicate.” Speaking across a larger space can be challenging, especially in a kitchen with more square footage.
06 of Pro: Makes Room Feel Bigger
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“Vaultl! It makes the room feel so much bigger,” exclaims reader Rebecca. Traditional ceilings can be much cozier and intimate, but a vaulted ceiling ensures your kitchen soars to new heights. You can accentuate a unique ceiling design by adding panels, hanging statement pendant lights, and installing recessed lighting to draw the attention upward, which will expand the space naturally and make it appear much more spacious.
07 of Con: Inhibits Coziness
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Reader Kat offers a piece of advice that ensures you can appreciate the best of both worlds by providing details about what works in her home. She states, “We are very glad we didn’t vault the ceiling. The kitchen is 10′ and the living and dining room are 13′. It makes the kitchen have its own space which makes it cozier as well.” You can see here in the example shown that a dropped ceiling creates an effective division between the living area and the kitchen, which is quite purposeful.
08 of Pro: Incredibly Modern
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Creating the most aesthetically pleasing home interior is the goal of the moment, and the modernness of vaulted ceilings can help you achieve that. Wide-open floorplans are immensely popular, and a vaulted ceiling adds to the space offered by a home. This look is exceptionally chic if you include exposed beams for warmth and texture.
09 of Pro: Increases Volume of Space
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“Volume of space makes a huge difference! Vaulting is worth the expense,” says contributor Jon. Vaulting a ceiling in a kitchen can make a standard-sized space appear much larger, making it feel more sophisticated. Specialty details like this in a standard home are noticeable and swoon-worthy. If noise, clean cabinet tops, and heating and cooling expenses aren’t on your kitchen priority list, there seem to be no other downfalls vaulting your ceiling. Their grand appearance can instantly add value and dimension to a lovely home looking for a little more flavor.
