If you don't buy the Chinese made house brand crap from either one of the big boxes, then you may be OK. You can still save some money on some national brands that are good quality. However, once you throw out the Chinese junk, the selection goes way down and you may not find the look you're going for. On something that's 12' up in a foyer that I have to wrestle to get out the scaffolding just to change a bulb on, I want the best quality possible as I don't want to have to involve myself in a difficult or expensive replacement. For a kids room whose tastes will change overnight, something of a lesser quality may be in order. But, for the ones that are going to be there for the life of the home (like recessed lighting) I don't want to have to budget twice because I cheaped out the first time.

You're probably hearing about "local custom cabinetmakers". Sometimes you can get quality cabinets & service less expensively through a local custom cabinetmaker, but not always. There is a lot of misleading information out there that makes it sound like all local custom cabinetmakers are less expensive and of higher quality than larger manufacturers (like Bertch, Omega, etc.) What's the real scoop? Some local custom cabinetmakers are less expensive Some local custom cabinetmakers have as good as or even better quality Some local custom cabinetmakers are good installers, businessmen, etc. Unfortunately, you may not find all of the above in the same cabinetmaker! All of this is regional as well...not just the availability/cost/quality/service of local custom cabinetmakers, but also the availability/cost/service of those from the larger manufacturers (quality should be the same, regardless of location for manufacturers). Here's the "blurb" I usually post when people start asking about "local custom cabinetmakers": Just a word of caution..."local (custom) cabinetmaker" is thrown around here a lot with the implication they are all superior to or at least as good the various cabinet manufacturers. Some may be, but there is no guarantee. "Local custom cabinetmaker" does not necessarily equate to "high quality" or "low cost". There are many very good custom cabinetmakers out there, but there are many not-so-good ones as well. Just b/c someone is a "custom cabinetmaker" does not make him/her a good cabinetmaker. And, it's not just their skill at cabinetry...how are their business skills? E.g., How are they at meeting schedules? Do they stay within the cost they quote you? How do they deal with issues? What is their warranty? What recourse do you have if they drop the ball? Sometimes you can go "over the heads" of people at cabinet stores or even go to the manufacturer (at least for warranty issues), but you might not have that option with a local cabinetmaker. If you go this route, be very diligent in your research for the specific cabinetmaker(s) you are considering (they are not all alike): Contact several recent references, including at least one who had problems so you can see how the cabinetmaker handled those problems. Ask about: How was the cabinetmaker at keeping to the schedule s/he promised? Did the cabinetmaker stick pretty close to the cost estimate s/he gave them (no hidden fees, undeclared upgrades, etc.)? Did the cabinetmaker let them (the customer) see a sample of their cabinet door w/finish for approval of the finish, quality, etc. prior to completing the entire order? How did the cabinetmaker handle construction issues? How did the cabinetmaker handle installation issues? Contact several not-so-recent references, ask them how their cabinets are holding up (joints, face frames, drawers, doors, finish, etc.). Try for some at least 5 years old and at least 10 years old....

Made in China? Google Cliqstudios manufacture "Indiana" Warehouse? Sure looks to me made from scratch. Be careful on big box stores. Most of the cabinets for plywood box is a up charge 20%. Make sure the face is a hardwood. I did my masterbath 10 years ago from lowes. They looked great but cheap as hell (Cost was not cheap) Got sucked in with the dove tail drawers also bought two linen cabinets. SHOCKING vinyl contact paper fake wood grain on the outsides of linens. Also when screwing them together the screw went right through, split the inter frame "Pine" Total junk! However they don't sell this brand anymore but something tells me they were exclusively made for lowes? Also google Kraftmade reviews something must be going on over there, More for less?

I went ahead and laid out the kitchen for you with all the walls accounted for.... I honestly don't know how anyone does a floor plan without all "obstructions" in place. The plan designed for you goes too far down into the room with that pantry at the end. Since there is a slider to the outside you will have to leave room to get out the door. In this plan I used a 78 x 36 table set at 41" from the slider - I also shortened the peninsula by 6" ( this would leave about 48" from the table to the end of the peninsula ) That is the maximum I would do for it. Now seeing all the space and island would not work unless you truly opened it all up and even then it would look odd. Hope these help: If you did a round table instead and kept it towards the living room you could have more usable floor space and then you could put a pantry all the way at the end - or move that window and do a longer plan... Good luck!!