Back in the day, my late DH would suggest things and I would shoot them down (wish I could have a few do-overs). So he would say, okay, you come up with something! I realized it was some lack of confidence in me, afraid to choose something that would turn out to be a bust. So, I kind of get where your DH is coming from, but agree that the only way out of that dynamic is to turn the tables. I use "contemporary" and "modern" interchangeably because I don't know the difference. I agree that an all-slab kitchen has a modern/contemporary look. I have shaker doors and slab drawers and don't think the slabs look esp. modern or contemporary, more like utilitarian. I wonder if Spanish Modern is you liking some Spanish (Mediterranean?) elements, but want an overall modern look. My pendants have a Spanish look to them and not a single other thing in my kitchen has a whiff of Spain. They blend with the pendant in my dining room, so I'm good with it. As far as matching throughout the house, I wouldn't want to be bound by such rigid rules. Who is really going to appreciate that your kitchen doors match the ones in the bathroom?

Thanks for all the feedback on Ikea! I think the Ikea birch is definitely a bit softer than either the oak options or the AW prospects, which were maple and cherry. So I'm ruling out any of the birch doors including the Adel medium brown which seems to be the most popular one. I'm sure they do fine, but I'm still very nervous about using Ikea for a kitchen, and I don't want anything that I am likely to have second thoughts about. Our galley is effectively a corridor - it gets a lot of traffic and every single guest has to cross the kitchen to get to our living and dining rooms. I don't want to cringe everytime my 2yo rides a car through the room because I'm worried about door dings. I've actually just returned from my local store and picked up a sample of the Tidaholm (light oak) door, which I actually like a lot better than I'd expected to - in my small galley it has the feel of almost whitewash, less yellowish than in photos I'd seen. So now it's the dark Liljestad vs. the light Tidaholm.... I had just talked myself into the Liljestad based on a few of hte really nice kitchens on the finished kitchen blog. I know that lighter wood is probably preferable for a small room though. Hmmm, maybe I'll post a second appeal for advice once I get the layout from the designer who works for the installation company.

Most pros on the Paint Forum say that alkyds are yesterday's paints, and that 100% acrylic is the way to go, as white paint will yellow. There is a poster here who had her cabinets and trim done with oil-based paint and she is noticing an obvious yellowing on some of them, and she just had them painted less than a year ago. That is something you may want to consider. I am using SW Pro Classic on our cabinets, and it goes on so nice and creamy; it is actually a joy to use.:^) Have you checked out the Paint Forum?

Oh, that was me in the other link saying that I was very happy with Ultracraft. I have the Destiny line in my kitchen and powder room, and the Vision line in my laundry room and mudroom. Both are very nice! They seem to be well made, solid, finished beautifully, and have really nice full extension glides with soft close feature. The finishes are beautiful and very consistent. I didn't look at BRookhaven, so can't compare them, but I would recommend Ultracraft without hesitation. (Don't know anything about the Entree line, though.) Its funny - my KD (who sells several brands) had been to an Ultracraft training session and had watched a video of the manufacturing/laminating process, and kept talking about how impressed she was by the quality. I guess it depends on whose propaganda you choose to believe. It is almost impossible for the consumer to know the truth sometimes. Bottom line is that there are many good cabinet companies out there. Find a style/finish/price point you are happy with, and then talk to others who have used that brand to make sure there are no red flags. Good luck!