If you do a search on homeadvisor dot com, you will find ratings for cabinet makers in your area. I was greatly disappointed by our contractor who made us go to some warehouse in Anaheim, and got bulldozed into picking the best of bad stock cabinets with granite countertops. I stopped the process this morning. After sleepless nights, knowing I got bulldozed, I crashed! Freaked is a better word! My husband wants to save money, so I say "I'm willing to live with the horrible cabinets that are there rather than sell my soul for cheap stock cabinets!" So he says "fine!" Get bids!! HomeAdvisor dot com had a lot of options and I read the reviews. Like you, I am in Southern California. We purchased a short sale home, and it's a hot mess! $$$ everywhere!! I found a cabinet maker that actually spoke to me for a long time, and he is coming to give us a bid on resurfacing what is there and rebuilding to fit the new appliances. He had six reviews. All 5 star! I'm not a salesperson, and will not post his site, but you can find him or someone else like him if you search. Color me happy! Suzi

gailrolfe, When I said I found a Medallion dealer off the internet I meant I went on the Medallion web site and found the name of a local shop that sells them. Then I went there, looked at their products and talked to a cabinet salesman. They actually carried about 20 different lines of cabinetry so I was able to look at products other than just Medallion. Once my architect and GC have looked over the order I will purchase from them. I know many people on this forum buy their cabinets online and save money. IMO, the only successful way to do that is if you have a complete and very well-thought-out plan with impeccable measurements, if you are very familiar with the line of cabinets and all of its products, and if you have actually seen the cabinets in person. Every kitchen designer/cabinet salesperson I have spoken to has given me information or ideas that have been helpful to me, so I think it is a good idea to talk to several, even if you end up purchasing online. If you go to the link below (and let's hope you can--it is the first time I've ever attempted to link here!), you will see a partial list of cabinetry from less expensive to more. Not all lines have inset doors (and inset doors are generally more expensive), so you could start by looking up the various lines on the internet to see if they have inset and to look at their door styles. Then you should be able to get the names of some local dealers. Call them, go see the cabinets and ask a lot of questions. Most places really WANT to sell you cabinets, especially in these economic times. As for custom, it is best if you can get recommendations. You may even be able to get some here. If you can't get recommendations you will have to look in the phone book and go in blind, but you should always get references and see actual examples of a custom shop's work in any case. The custom bid we got was in line with our other bids, but many people here have been able to pay less for custom. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Relative cabinet prices

Thank you sprtphntc...gorgeous color cabinets-kitchen. In your 1st photo,(upclose) the hardware looks totally pewter or matt silver though not ORB...Can you explain...As I need rich very dark (but not black)ORB matte real iron/metal. I initially though matte black to go with our handmade black custom potrack, wroight iron stair wells etc..and not be matchy matchy with hardware but the black didn't look good with my sample wood and so I'll have no contrast but go with dark ORB. LOVE the look. I am so thankful I found this page/thread..Apparently I'm not doing what is the trend but I go with what I love which tends to be timeless IMHO, traditional with rustic leanings.

I am in SD. Cabinetry Design built gorgeous custom cherry cabinets with raised panels for our last house in 2004. They were better priced than a lot of the semi-custom lines we priced at kitchen showrooms and big box stores. I am currently waiting for them to build slab walnut cabinets for our new house. Light colored quartzite is hard to find in SD. In the Miramar area, check Amazon, Tutto Marmo, AZ Tile, Brazilian Exotic Granite, and Marmol, as they regularly carry White Macauba and some other light quartzites. In San Marcos, Granix and Brazilian Exotic Granite have quartzite. I visited those yards multiple times over the year and a half that I was planning the remodel to see what new shipments arrived. There were a few slabs early in the process that I wish I had bought, because it took a while to wait for new shipments that had large enough slabs with a pattern I like. I finally bought my slabs of WM at Amazon last week. Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinetry Design