Ayr Custom Cabinets in Nappanee, Indiana. The absolute best. Check their website. My kitchen was done perfectly by Ayr. Everyone I know is totally in love with my cabinetry. Ken Miller is the guy. Nothing is too difficult. He will read your mind and know what you want. Beautiful work. Also check the kitchen of 'loves2cook4six'. They do travel so give them a call.

OOOH! Those face-frames ARE mitred bevels! They look almost like old window panes. NYC, I don't know what your budget is, but I'd bet those frames will cost you! And, until Marcolo pointed them out, I didn't even realize they weren't standard face-frames. I wonder if that can be achieved by applying a beveled moulding overlay on top of the frames? The doors seem deeply set, and applying beleveld moulding would achieve that look. "If you find the thread" - yeah, I really WISH GW had a better search function! My guess is that whoever copied them beveled the entire 3/4" rails and stiles, instead of just beveling the front edge - that would definitely leave a visible gap. That or Redroze's frames are full bevels, but the actual doors are set into the cabinet carcass rather than inset between the frames (unlikely). From the pics it looks like the bevel starts 3/8" in from the face. With a good tablesaw this can be achieved, as long as you have the patience to measure very accurately. I actually had to do this to fix / shore up the framing where the old and new roofs meet (HORRIBLE GC/contractor experience - I learned more about bevels, mitres and roof pitches than I ever imagined I would need to know (or that any good builder would have REASON to figure out) - not fun!) Crown Point - this is what I really wanted when we were going with a Craftsman look - their Arts and Crafts Designer Series matches the wainscotting in our Breakfast Room perfectly! But, due to budget we are going Mid-Mod (simpler doors, painted = MUCH cheaper than complex doors in QS oak or walnut). But the new kitchen is in an addition and I'm making it look like it was added in the 1950's / 60's (instead of 2010). Kennebec - If I ever win the Lottery I am building my dream house in Maine and having them build all my cabinets! WillTV introduced me to Knight Kitchens in Vermont, and here's what I like (haven't contacted them yet): Their STANDARD construction is 3/4" furniture grade MAPLE - including the cabinet BACKS! Almost unheard of today! Drawers are all 5/8" dovetailed with Blum soft-close bottom-mounts and bottoms can be upgraded (important since I plan to store my dishes in drawers). And their standard finish is Conversion Varnish. I was planning to order unfinished and use Fine Paints of Europe's Hollandlac, but, depending on the cost, CV is the ONLY other finish I would ever get on cabinets. So, based on what they say on their website, I definitely like Knight because their "Standard" construction is the way cabinets used to be made, and a very expensive upgrade with other manufacturers.

The deal where you order a cabinet w/o glass is called "glass ready." It's more economical to buy the glass you want locally and it's easy to install. I have to ask: who does the cooking/clean-up at your house? You have some really strong opinions on stuff like pull-outs, so I hope you're the one who has to cope with crawling around on the floor to reach the thing at the back of the cabinet as well as the person who has to find the step ladder to remove heavy appliances from over the fridge. I get your frustration, but pull-outs and drawers are engineered to carry heavy loads and perform just as intended, which might be called "ergonomically smart." Personally, I love having my dishes in a drawer just opposite the dishwasher vs where they used to be over the dishwasher pretty much over my head. When I can open the drawer by the stove and locate the right pot at the back of the drawer vs having to crouch down and unload everything in front of that pot and then re-load afterwards, it makes me a much happier and more efficient cook. God knows I spend enough time in the kitchen without increasing that time with mindless make-work. As for construction, you need to check out the terms "particle board," "furniture board" and "plywood." You really aren't going to want all-wood cabinets for structural reasons. "Furniture board" (a variation on particle board) has a sort of standard quality, which is "good to excellent." Both plywood and particle board come in various grades ranging from crap to excellent and one should not be mistaken for the other. FYI: This many kitchen cabinets, in a roughly 11-odd feet x whatever kitchen plus these china cabinets (glass ready) cost us $14,000 3 years ago. They came from Home Depot. We did the install ourselves. Note that we have a pantry with pull-out shelves on the bottom half, a lower corner unit with a super-susan (the best!!), and an "easy reach" upper corner cab. Under the peninsula is all drawers. Because we have such a small space to work with, as do you, we chose frameless cabinets which gives you just that little extra space when every inch counts. Amish cabinet makers are awesome, but they don't do frameless as far as I know.

tncraft, There is lots to like about Alder. It is native and it is the opposite of endangered. It is a softer wood - as is Douglas fir, which is used in some beautiful kitchens shown on this forum (farmgirlinky's for example). Being softer means it is more likely to show dings if banged. I think it is beautiful. A while back Fine Homebuilding magazine had some examples of Alder being used. This is a link to pictures of Alder and examples with different finishes: http://www.google.com/search?q=alder&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=vY&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=rh_JTsK9L7OK2QWLx6j-Dw&ved=0CEsQsAQ&biw=1216&bih=643 It may be easier just to use the search term Alder in google - This was one of the first sites to come up. OG