Well you could choose different door handle color and just deal with the hinges yourself if you really want something other than brass. If you like brass then use it as I see nothing wrong with it. I think brass goes with anything. In my old house my master had brushed brass and brushed nickel faucets/towelbars/towel rings and I used brushed nickle for the knobs and handles for the cabinets there and the mirrors. So even if you wanted to use some with a silver finish you could get something that has a little brass on it and tie it in. The door to the bath had iron handles and black hinges. Here is a pic where you can kind of see it: Towel bar has outer ring in brushed brass and the point that holds the ring and the rest is nickel. Some brass finishes and others that I think would work well too. Bronze Brushed brass vs. shiny (not sure what your hinges will be). antique brass Black also would look good. I'm not a matchy match person though and I don't think I could do all the same color on all my fixtures in the house. In our new house the baths are brushed nickel, door handles are ORB and light fixtures varies from iron look to antique brass, and brushed nickel in the baths. Kitchen faucet is brushed stainless and the pendant above it is antique brass with an amber shade. Bath knobs and pulls will be brushed nickel, not sure about the kitchen, but I'm leaning towards ORB, pewter, or antique brass due to the dark cabinets and wanting it to not stick out too much.

You can have reverse raised panel, or a veneered panel. With reverse raised panel, the wood will be "stripey" as it will be composed of many different strips of wood to achieve that solid panel. With a veneer panel, you will get the prettier grain pattern. Veneer panels are generally on top of a MDF core although it could also be plywood. MDF is preferred for veneering as it doesn't have any grain to telegraph through the veneer and spoil the look. If your panel is recessed on both sided, then you have a veneer panel. If the recess is only on the front, and the rear is raised and the wood is stripey, then you have a reverse raised panel. One is not "better" than the other, just more expensive. Veneer has long been used in furniture flat panels and using it in the recess panel is a perfectly fine choice.

I would worry about drilling new holes, too. Is it the finish of the hinges you don't like, or the whole style or functionality? If it's just the finish, I'd try giving them a good cleaning and then painting with a good metal paint. Then you know you'll have the perfect size. If that's not the issue, many people have had good luck with sources like Lee Valley hardware. (leevalley.com). They have an online catalog that has several pages of hinges. I'd call them and see if someone there can point you in the right direction. Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley

jejvtr - thanks for the pics! The partially concealed ones are the ones I always think of when I think of hinges - I mean they're the ones I grew up with myself. I really want the totally concealed kind though...although it's possible I could just give up and go for the butterfly hinges like I have on the upper cabinets but I'll try not to give up just yet! Seems there are so many down sides! antiquesilver - those pics are really helpful, thanks! And therein lies the rub - mine have a frame all around the openings. So hey - this analogy works for me!: mine are more like a regular door in a house (that people walk through). There's the door, and the frame next to the door, and they're flush with each other, and connected by a hinge, rather than the hinge being connected to the door and the wall next to the door (like in your case). Your pics make me very curious about seeing more of your cabinets from afar. I'm so curious about their style and colors. I love your cabs' interior paint...and what backsplash do you have? More pics, please. Yes that is a pretty massive hinge! I've saved the site though, thanks!