Here in my little corner of South Florida the pendulum has swung , of late, to more contemporary designs in the kitchen.  This means less ornate with clean lines.  I love it but I realize it's not for everyone.  What if your whole house is more classic and traditional?  Your kitchen should always work with the architecture and theme of your home.  This is exactly the case with a job I am working on now.  This Florida home has a kitchen open on two sides, the dining room and the family room.  Here's what it looks like now.She's selected appliances which are slightly different and will be integrated into the new plan.  Because the kitchen is smack dab in the center of the home there is not much natural light, so no dark finishes.  We have about 95" to the soffits.  Last but not least, because the kitchen is so open and visible we need WOW!If you blend the tropical locale of this beautiful home with its traditional decor you find that  British Colonial or Bermuda Style is the perfect solution.  During the reign of  Queen Victoria, British subjects stationed in the British Colonial outposts of the Empire that included Singapore, East Africa, India and the British West Indies, brought with them their language, principles of government, architecture and furniture. There was just one little issue, climate.  Certain details had to be modified to accommodate the heat!  Some of these details were the use of light airy fabrics, lots of  big tall windows and high ceilings.  In addition to this they had to take advantage of local resources like mahogany, cane and bamboo.  So here's what we're gonna do!1) MOVING ON UP- We're going to remove the soffits so we can take advantage of the  high ceiling.2) LET THERE BE MORE LIGHT-  We're going to add lights above cabinets, wherever possible and more efficient fixtures in the ceiling and under the upper cabinets.  Cabinets will be a combination of medium and light stains with some cane detailing. 3) X MARKS THE SPOT-  You will frequently see the X motif as a part of the BC style so we are incorporating it into the design.4) A LUSH TROPICAL ISLAND- This tropical island has to grow.  We have the space to make it bigger and more funtional but we don't have the space to add the columns or legs that would make it look like a piece of furniture.  Instead we'll raise it off the floor and add some furniture feet and moulding.5) CROWNING DETAILS- Nothing says traditional like crown molding, columns and pilastersSee  a working elevation below.  Notice with the X detail, less is more equals WOW.  We're still fine tuning the details but I'll Keep you posted!