Filling in gap above kitchen cabinets

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

Just nearing the end of a kitchen installation.
Using standard height units, we knew that the finished units would come to around the bottom of the existing coving. Due to problems with levelling really undulating floor, the top has come a little higher than that.
We always planned to have this little gap filled in but wanted to see what finished kitchen looked like before decided how. We have a major spider problem in our house and this gap would end up full of webs!
The gap is about 6.5cm.
Builder says we should fill it with kitchen panels cut down.
Kitchen fitter says we should use plain MDF and paint it to match ceiling.
I haven't asked a decorator but they might well suggest something else .
We do have a load of matching coving spare but don't think it's the right thing to use.

Suggestions please.

This is not something that we are going to attempt ourselves, we will get a professional to do it.

Scribe a plinth cut to size above the units.
Your fitter should add a batton on the top of the units to attach the cut down size plinth (6.6cm, so you get to runs out of one plinth as they are 15cm) they should be flush with the door, then caulk to ceiling, thats the easy/quick way.
messy way ( little cheaper) is again to batton top of units and plaster board, fill joints and paint either ceiling colour or wall colour what ever you fancy

Is messy way cheaper as it's using plasterboard rather than kitchen panels?
We actually have a some spare end panel we could use.

Regardless of expense or mess, which would look better?

depends on how wide/long your panels are??
you dont want loads of joins and if you do have smaller panels then line up with the door joins.
just remember on the panels you should have 1 finished edge against the top of the door so you dont see raw material.
Ive done both on suppling and fits and both work so is down to you.
Attached is a wall one where i brought it out to hide the stair well in the kitchen side of the room creating a bulk head should be there look

I would go for white kitchen unit plinth panels. Kind of like what has been done at the side of the tall unit near the doorway. It would look more streamlined I think that doing a mini bulkhead/plasterboard thing.

Coving would work on the top of the units in the photo where the wine rack and double cupboard are and should blend in with the coving already at that height. Get someone to mitre and hold a piece up and see what it looks like.

We went for MDF and pointed it the same colour as the walls.

MDF painted same colour as the walls.

It's pretty normal to wind up with such a gap, particularly in an old house where nothing is flush. I'd put some coving up.

Kitchen panels will give it a "built in" look

I think the gap is a bit small to start painting it the colour of the walls.

I’d also suggest matching the units with trimmed down plinth, much more streamlined.

I had exactly this op. The gap was small. 9nly about 8 cm, the kitchen fitter scribed MDF and fitted it between the gap. It was painted white to match the ceiling. It looks fab x

Oh god, am I the only one reading and thinking, "Ah, just leave it with a gap"?

@vivacian leaving it would certainly be the easiest thing to do!
However apart from the gap ending up full of spider webs (seriously, I have no idea why every spider in the neighbourhood wants to live in my house) the extractor fan venting exits the top of left hand units (no photo) and into the roof void above on its way to the outside. It's the only way we could vent the fan.
So you see this tubing and it would be nice /essential to hide it

If any fill in gets painted, it would have to be the white of the ceiling and cornice, not the walls

I'm impressed you noticed it. I didn't even think about the gap I have until I read this thread. This is despite climbing on a chair every now and then to wipe it with a damp cloth.

@vivacian the gap looks quite neat in the photos. In real life it looks a mess!

I think cut down panels would look daft for such a small gap. I think the painted MDF/plasterboard or some kind of decorative (but simple!) trim would look better.

I think anything else but the units would look out of place, unless same colour as the units. If ur kitchen fitter can fill with some cuts from the units it would look best.

I have been in a few houses recently where they had a similar problem. One or two set the board back a little and put a strip of led lights up there, the sort you get to put under cabinets. It's quite an effect, one you can test before making it permanent!

I’d go for painted MDF, set back a little from the top of the unit, same colour as the ceiling. I’m envisaging it looking almost as though the cupboard is built into the wall.

I don’t know why but the kitchen panel ‘ceiling plinth’ looks a little weird in my minds eye.

I totally get why you’re doing this - we have a similar gap in the kitchen we inherited from our predecessors 5 years ago, I’ve never looked up there but it must be horrific!

Oh god, am I the only one reading and thinking, "Ah, just leave it with a gap"?

No..I just went to check and yes, our kitchen has a small gap, I’d never even noticed.

I found three lengths of surplus light pelmet (the thing along bottom of wall units) and balanced a length of it on top.
What do you think?
Unfortunately it rather highlights the dip in the ceiling above plain units but I'm not sure anyone else apart from me would notice or care

I would definitely use the plinth although obviously filling the whole gap

I've got a kitchen advert come up now!!

I'd continue with the same material as the units to streamline the built in effect.

I prefer it to match the ceiling.

Some people I have painted the ceiling and walls the same pale colour.

Have it attached with a few screws so you can easily remove it without damage, for example if you need to get at the extractor duct. Hiding the screw heads with filler will mean damage and extra work to try and blend in the patching.