Frankly, for case goods, once you are going high-end you might as well go with a custom wood furniture maker. I've done that several times and obtained gorgeous, well-made (and American-made) pieces styled just as I wanted them and didn't spend as much as I would have had I bought the same kind of pieces from a high-end furniture maker. For example, John Landis Cabinetworks made my dining room table, chairs, and side piece and I was able to slightly shorten the distance between the seat of the chair and the top of table - and double the batting in the seat cushions - in order to address being short-waisted and not wanting to feel like I need to sit on a telephone book when I am at my own dining room table. If you want to see what was made for me go here http://www.johnlandiscabinetworks.com/diningroom.shtml and look under Brigham - the website shuffles through the pictures - when you click on cabinetry, I think mine is the second one - a cherry piece with slightly curved legs and no hutch (these pictures were taken when just built so pieces have darkened) and the table (plus one chair) is the third trestle table that scrolls through when you click on dining tables. This was the first trestle table he made and he used to have it named after me! But no more. Anyway, the furniture is gorgeous, very well-made, unbelievably comfortable (those chairs are what sold me - great, great, great lumbar support - I can never get my guests to leave!) and not as expensive as the "retail" prices on the website suggest.

Woodie2 - Central Jersey mcmann -- South Jersey deemarie -- NORTH Jersey (Go JETS!) Just bought a vacation home in NC, so I guess I have dual citizenship here!

Yeah, I remembered JoAnn's as soon as I posted. Duuuh. I'm way down here in the middle of nowhere, the only place to buy fabric for 70 miles is Walmart, and they don't carry rib-knit. What's worse, our nice, middle-size, handy Walmart is being replaced by the "super" variety, and the fabric clerk says their department will be smaller in the "super"-sized one. I believe her because the last "super" Walmart's craft department I saw was a joke. Ooooo-kay, 'tis off to Joann's I go! Cheers, J

I am also north of the Valley (in TO) and spent a very long time researching cabinets, GCs, etc. I found that no one was truly unbiased because every GC I contacted worked with specific cabinet companies or local cabinetmakers. All the KDs I spoke with were also affiliated with certain cabinet lines. Even the interior decorators in the area worked with certain cabinet lines/build firms. No one I found was totally independent. I paid one KD for a design and posted it here for revision. He is in Westlake and works with Crystal Cabinetry. I then paid for a revised/more detailed layout from a design/build firm in TO. They primarily use Greenfield cabinets and their construction costs are very high. I also got quotes from a number of cabinet lines locally and from over the hill. In the end I decided to use a GC that we used first on a smaller bathroom remodel and a cabinetmaker he recommended who is in the valley. They did a great job (love the GC, really like the cabinet guy a lot) on the bathroom so I am using them for the kitchen. The absolute best layout advice I got was here on GW and it helped that I had a very clear vision of what I wanted before I worked with anyone. Cabinet style, finishes, appliances, plumbing and countertop materials were decided on by spending countless hours researching and looking at photos online. We are starting in 3 weeks- appliances have been bought (go to Pirch in Glendale for amazing selection/assistance), stone has been purchased and all plumbing fixtures ordered. I only need to choose backsplash and hardware. Good luck!