Thank you all for your input. Jim, the first thing you should know is that Wood-Mode has told me that they do not stand behind how good or how bad their dealers or dealer/builders are. They consider the cabinet designer/dealer to be their customer, not the homeowner. I didn't realize that Wood-Mode and Brookhaven dealers are completely independent from the Wood-Mode corporation and not really endorsed by Wood-Mode. I had thought we'd have better project continuity using a design/build firm. That said, other cabinet manufacturers may be no different. I don't have experience with other cabinet brands. If I were shopping for cabinets again, I would ask about the relationship of the cabinet shop with the manufacturer. I'd want to talk to the manufacturer to see if they even accept phone calls from homeowners with questions about the products. Wood-Mode corporation doesn't want to talk to homeowners about its Brookhaven and Wood-Mode cabinetry. I think it would be very useful for anyone shopping for a design/build company to look at the five most recent projects that the company has done using the brand of cabinets that you are considering. Five kitchens would be my minimum. I would think even the smallest firm should be able to show you five completed projects. They should be recent projects so you can see the quality of work for the current crews they are using. A list of references with completed projects with scores of homeowners to contact would also be reassuring. It would even be great to see projects that are under construction. Ask about how problems are handled. When you visit those job sites or completed kitchens, talk with the homeowner, look not only at design but also at miters, attachments, details, color matching. Ask if there were any "surprises." Open cabinets and look at how the cabinets are attached (or not!). Look at how the cabinets are affixed to the wall. Are screw holes random and ugly? Is as much care taken with cabinet interiors as with exteriors? Familiarize yourself with building codes. For example, are the kitchen counter outlets done with 15 or 20 amp circuitry? If the design/build firm is also selling you appliances, are they actually authorized dealers and installers, or are they middle-men who really shouldn't be doing the installations? Don't accept, "We've installed Sub-Zeros before" as a substitute for credentials. I think a warning sign is when a company says, "We don't recommend you pull permits because. . . " Permits are a homeowner's minimum protection for at least the safety aspects of the project. Our building inspector volunteered this "I wish we inspectors could write up aesthetic issues. I'd give your contractor pages of corrections to do." I have also noticed that several random Wood-Mode design and build firms that I checked had unfavorable complaints listed with the Better Business Bureau. Some Wood-Mode dealers have histories with no complaints. That is no guarantee that all is well, but it is better than a history of unhappy customers with unresolved complaints. Not all unhappy customers will complain to the Better Business Bureau, but some will. The Better Business Bureau tells you about complaints from the past three years and gives some clues as to whether or not the customer was ultimately pleased or not with the project after filing a complaint. Additionally, make sure you have all details about cabinet interiors and exteriors in writing for every cabinet. One last thing, look at the edge moldings for boxes in cabinets. How well do they match your finish? Is a good match important to you?

I also agree: keep the molding and paint it the same color as the walls. I've seen examples of contemporary or modern furniture & decor working beautifully with that kind of treatment. I can't recall where exactly, but I'm pretty sure it was in one of Donald Kaufman's and Taffy Dahl's books on color/paint. The books are packed away somewhere, so I am relying on memory -- of an elaborate traditional room in a house in San Fransisco. The moldings were extremely ornate, and the whole room, walls + molding, was done in a soft grey or soft beige I think. The effect was stunning, and the room was a beautiful backdrop to the decor. Not only that, you'd be removing a valuable architectural part of your house (and an expensive one, as hosenemesis has pointed out) and, given the price of materials today, probably replacing it with molding of lesser-quality. Our former house was an Italianate Victorian, and the former owner "modernized" some rooms in it. Every time we priced out the cost of millwork to replace the missing or damaged molding and trim, I wanted to track down the former owner and bop him over the head with a two-by-four. We eventually sold that house, in a down market for full price, and one of the elements that the buyers found so appealing was the original trim. You simply cannot replace that kind of architectural element today. Well, you can, but it's going to cost you -- to really, really cost you.

I am so glad you like my floors so much! Funny, when first looking at the house, I wasn't sure I liked them. Now I *LOVE* them. Especially after my DH sealed them with a high gloss finish. YUM! No, you don't see anything between the wall and the ceiling, although I can see where you can't really tell what the heck is going on between the wall and ceiling. One reason I am really considering crown is the guys who did the knockdown on the ceiling...they did not make a *clean* cut between the ceiling and the wall. It is not noticeable in the dining/living room or the family room because the walls are painted a sandy white (and we plan on picking a more exciting color eventually, we are just overwhelmed right now and played it safe with the off white...but do you like that wall color? DH said maybe we should stick with it, because we want our floors to stand out...we don't want wall color to compete w/the floors. This is a topic for another thread, probably, LOL.)but in our bedroom, which is painted a dark, army green color...it is very noticeable. Also, my DD's room is painted a deep red. The line between the wall and ceiling is not "crisp." Can I do crown in only the bedrooms? Is that weird or acceptable? Also, in DD's room, I am thinking of getting funky and doing a black crown, even though that breaks the "rules." Her floor is a "Sambuca" colored bamboo...it is almost black. Her baseboard is the same as the rest of the house...almost 5" off white. Anyway, thanks for the continued help and support! I am very overwhelmed in this house, it is such a blank canvas which sucks when you are a) a decorating novice and b) on a tight budget! :(

Those look like very expensive cabinets being inset face frame and all the moldings. I think it looks great if it is your style that your business. I understand with wrapping cabinets it makes leveling or whatever word you want to call it difficult. Problem is sometimes you have to pick you visual doing that you want levels and to have the correct measurements. I agree that the counter to cabinet top should be it. If the counter is level then the measurement to the top of the cabs should also be level and the ceiling should not throw that off as the cabs were hung level then the moldings were added. I think you are correct in saying there is an issue at the point of measure. If your counter is level then 17" up from that should be level as it is parallel to the counter. If the ceiling is off it will effect the ceiling to cabinet top which again is parallel to the counter level. It should be off at the ceiling to crown measurements. You can go on Amazon and buy a laser level and tripod for about $150 and then will shoot a line across the entire room. You can start at counter height and work your way up to see where it is off. Picking a backsplash without a design that make this very visual will be difficult and the installer should have stopped and told you that. Hiding it and walking away for the next trade to deal with isn't professional. You have a valid concern it isn't an IKEA kitchen.