Thanks for all the tips. I had decided to run a oak moulding border
around where the gap was since the rest of the trim will be oak but
then my brother stopped by and after a lengthy pros and cons session
talked me into drywalling it. I don't have any junction boxes except
where the old flourescent lights were. I'm going to be putting
recessed lighting in instead and therefore won't have to deal with the
old boxes. If I do need to move stuff I can move the boxes into a
laundry area where it will be accessible.