cara For in wall speakers, you should look at www.hometech.com - they have basic speakers that produce good sound and run between 70 and 90 dollars per pair. You can also look on Amazon for closeouts and sometimes find good deals (check for Polk and Jamo closeouts. As far as how to hook it up, the first device you need is a speaker selector. They sell them on the hometech site and you can also look on amazon. You should look for a selector that has both volume contols for each zone as well as impedance balancing. If you don't care about controlling volume in each room you can get by with a cheaper unit like the one on hometech, but I would not recommend that. The selector will allow you to take a single input source (from a power amplifier) and distribute that to 4, 6, or 8 pairs of speakers depending on the size selector you buy. See the Sima SSW-L6EX Speaker Selector for 6-Sets on Amazon for an example. It costs about $175. The next device you need is a power amplifier. This device will take the output from a stereo receiver (that has your CD player, MP3 player, etc connected to it) and amplify the signal so that you can drive all the speakers hanging off the selector. Make sure that the receiver you purchase can drive a load impedance of 4 ohms. See the Niles Audio SI-275 High-current stereo amplifier on Amazon as an example. It costs around $575. The connections are easy - the output of your stereo feeds the power amp, the power amp feeds the selector, and the selector feeds the room speakers. This setup should meet your needs. If you want to remotely control the stero equipment, they make devices that can do that but walking over to the central location works too! Best of luck.

HoosierGirl, go ahead the rest of us will appreciate it. I never understand why when someone asks for something here, gets it and then doesn't come back to comment at all. My only guess is that since the OPs name is unfamiliar they couldn't find the post. I don't always remember to click the box to get responses in my inbox and the last couple times I did remember it didn't work.

Thanks for all of the help -- while all of these are great, sweeby and ging9, your style is really what I am trying to find -- where top cabs come down to counter top. I would love to someday just reach in and get the dishes and plates I need rather than only being able to reach what is in the first shelf most of the time! DH is concerned about loss of counter space in front, but I love the idea that this configuration keeps that section of the counter "clutter free" by design. We tend to live by piles and I am trying desperately in this new design to avoid the tendency for that by having designated areas for mail, homework, etc. that does not include all of the counter space in the kitchen!

mydogDaisy - LOVE those built ins! They are just beautiful! Yes, I too would be paralyzed with the thought of decorating that whole thing. I assume you are thinking artwork or mirror over mantel. I like that you did the TV to the side. That is ideal - our TV is above and only because we have a low ceiling is it not too high - but many folks with a high ceiling and a tall mantel put the TV up and it's just not comfortable to watch at that angle. What type of fireplace is that? A gas insert? If so, what brand? I have posted many questions on the "fireplace" board but no one has responded. I'm considering it for my own to avoid the soot and smoke damage to my white built ins. Have you used it yet?