Blum hardware holes are already drilled into all Ikea doors. On my upper cabinets, which are 14" deep, I bought Blum Aventos HF (expensive!) to have slide-up folding doors, and I put Ikea doors turned sideways (to become 15"h by 30"w). Three sets of them. kitchendreaming it is child's play to line something up to meet the pre existing holes, using any method of Blum + frameless, not just the one I described as my choice. Sometimes there are minor differences between Ikea's current version of Blum hardware and Blum's current version of hardware. Not a big deal. It is normal to ask your question, and yes I confirm that this can be done, without any difficulty: it's so easy it's numbskull simple. It's just a wall cabinet, a cubic volume, the simplest kind of box to build. I hope this makes you feel more independent and less dependent. In this thread I dislike the post above saying that using Ikea panels, and Blum hardware on wall cabinets not from Ikea, will somehow lead to not gaining the advantage or somehow losing the advantage. Sounds like weasel words from a salesman who is afraid to admit the truth and wants to create a dependency. OTOH, perhaps the poster didn't know that Blum is Blum is Blum. Hth

Fori - It's true, with these short ceilings, we would likely benefit from custom uppers - and with our small house, we might benefit from custom everything. The trick will be our mythical short budget (mythical because so far, it seems I want high-end everything). lol Which reminds me, we ARE looking at Barker's, too. They are frameless. I just ordered a sample cabinet and 2 sample doors. Too bad there's shipping fees to Alaska. The Lower 48 gets free shipping. Suzanne - thanks for posting a pic of Innermost. You kitchen is lovely. It's a tad crazy-making that they won't give the specs out, I really don't get that. Thanks, though, for the offer to check specific items. I just wanted to browse through the whole thing and see what their line actually offers and how flexible it can be. I've done a bit more googling and searching around Gardenweb - found Brookhaven and Deco Supreme to add to my list. I imagine those are high end options, at least for us? I can at least make some phone calls and see if estimates are possible without a fee..

Ikea with Semihandmade is a great option. We've been super, super happy with our Semihandmade/Ikea bath cabinet. Leicht quoted me $25k and Poggenpohl $60k for a 13x17 kitchen with no pantry pullouts, so your cabinet quotes don't sound bad at all. If you're like us, and Ikea won't work because it won't allow you to maximize use of the space, try getting a few custom quotes. I went on Houzz and searched by geographic area - found some kitchens I liked and made calls until I identified a few custom shops that came highly recommended. We haven't worked out all the details on the custom project, but it'll be a lot less than anyone else, will maximize the space, and will get us exactly the look we want.

Doing a quick online search of cabinetry makers in Charleston doesn't bring up any that advertise as Amish cabinetry makers, though there may be a few which you might find by calling individually. You will probably find a broader selection of Amish cabinetry makers up in Pennsylvania if you are willing to travel that far. QCCI is a one of the larger USA cabinetry companies that has an excellent reputation and is based in Pennsylvania, and I would recommend you checking with them if you are interested in top quality, traditional style. Plain & Fancy is another company that is located in Pennsylvania and has long held a reputation for premium finishes. Some people say it looks like their cabinets were dipped in the coating they are so perfect. Note that QCCI makes everything in house last I knew while Plain & Fancy at least in the past has utilized a third party for box components which means the interiors may not be as high of quality as QCCI's, though the coating may appear superior. Both QCCI and Plain & Fancy are going to be at the top of the price range, however. If you want to save money and look at local cabinetry makers, you have plenty of choices. My caution would be that cabinetry coatings that are not done in a factory where the cabinets are sprayed with two-part, post-catalyzed conversion varnish and heat cured may not provide the durable finish that you think you are paying for. Look for a company that offers a lifetime warranty on finish if you want a kitchen that will last for decades. I do happen to know a young cabinet builder who was trained in the Amish tradition out East and does impeccable work, but he is now located in Claremore, Oklahoma. His name is Tim Matveyuk, and he has a Houzz profile here: https://www.houzz.com/pro/tim-matveyuk/precision-woodworking-and-tile-llc Several of Tim's family members did tile work on my own home renovations and were outstanding. I discussed having him do my kitchen cabinets and really wish that I had gone with him because I ended up with some issues with the local manufacturer I selected that I do not feel I would have had with him, so it would have been worth it to me to go ahead and navigate the distance. I realize Oklahoma is a long way from Charleston, but you would probably save so much money working with him over a mass manufacturer that it might be worth your effort if you wanted the Amish look and quality. I did my own two-part, post-catalyzed coating on the unfinished cabinetry I ordered, so that was not an issue for me, but you could negotiate with a smaller builder like Tim to take cabinets to a professional finisher or to have the builder use a coating like Envirolak that is one of the few one-part coatings that tests similar to two-part coating durability.