Kitchen wall cupboards are a necessity for most kitchen spaces, mainly because they provide invaluable storage space.

There are a lot of decisions to make regarding the position and configuration of this kitchen cabinetry and you’ll need to decide whether you want cupboards that stretch to the ceiling, or shorter cupboards that leave a gap at the top.

Your first consideration should be how much storage you need; while an extra shelf or two may not seem like much, in a space-challenged kitchen it can be a crucial addition. Next, think about how each choice will look, because while you could be forgiven for thinking that a smaller kitchen would be best kitted out with smaller (and shorter) cupboards, these can actually have the opposite effect. In fact, an old design trick dictates that in a smaller kitchen, having elongated wall cupboards, which stretch right to the ceiling, can make the room seem larger than it really is. If you dress the cupboard doors in a slick foil finish to reflect the light, this effect can be further enhanced.

By comparison, shorter wall-hung cupboards that leave a gap between cupboard and kitchen ceiling can appear ‘incomplete’, depending on how high your kitchen’s stud is and how much space you have to play with at the top. One trick is to create a false bulkhead that sits on top of the cupboards and stretches to the ceiling, therefore doing away with the gap and giving the kitchen a more streamlined effect.

The last consideration is a purely logistical one – how easy will each type of cupboard be to hang? While ceiling-height cupboards can be easier because you can often hang them from the studs in the ceiling as well as the wall studs (in order to share the weight of the cupboard), you do have to think about whether this is practical. If your kitchen has a cornice and you want to install ceiling-height wall cupboards, you’ll have to remove some or all of the cornice, and that may not be possible. Even if it is, you’ll likely have to repair the wall board below to make sure it meets the ceiling – some cornices are installed so they cover a gap between the wallboard and ceiling.