Pictures?

Sorry lol, technical difficulties.

They are called: soffits. Soffits often hide industrial elements such as plumbing, ductwork, vents, wiring, and pipes.

They create the transition between the cabinets and the ceiling. And/or conceal utility elements.

This post makes me feel old.

Lol

Hahaha, don't feel old. I just was not aware these were called soffits. I was aware of soffits on the exterior of the house, as we had to repair it due to wood rot. I did not know that was the same word used to describe them in kitchens.

I was curious if there was a purpose for them, or if this was just the style at the time my house was built in the late 80s/early 90s. I'm not a huge fan and was wondering if I could remove them to bring my cabinets up when I eventually remodel the kitchen. But I might be stuck with them. :)

OF COURSE, You can remove them. We have raised the ceilings by a foot in two kitchens by basically taking out the soffits. In the second kitchen, there was so much spaghetti of electrical and gas and doorbell line, that it ended up being a much more expensive change. We also then took the cabinets in both kitchens fully up to the ceiling, to increase ourstorage space. I think the biggest issue you might find is a gas line that needs to be moved. Obviously, this isn’t a do it yourself job. In one of the kitchens, when we took out the dropped ceiling and the soffits, we found that the roof was not supported correctly through that area and had to put in a beam. That was quite a shock. Oh yes, and in that kitchen, we also found a leak from a roof vent down into the wall. That we would have never found without taking that kitchen down to the studs.

Of course you can take the soffits out. It might be a very easy job or a harder and more expensive one, depending on what the builder hid up there.