We have very different cabinets between rooms. In our kitchen we have painted/glazed/distressed (creamy with chocolate glaze) perimeter cabinets and a stained/distressed (very dark stain) island. The doors in that room are the same (mitered). Our mudroom/laundry has red stained beadboard cabinets. One upstairs bath also has beadboard in a nutmeg color stain. Our master bath has the same door style as the kitchen but a much different stain. I think that using the same style throughout the house is okay if the cabinets are ultra-traditional, but I think it is much more "fun" if you change it up a bit. I don't agree that the same stain or the same door from room-to-room is the only way that you can achieve harmony or a congenial finish.

Thanks folks! All good input. I just emailed my brother, who's an architect, and his suggestion is: Keep the built-ins ONLY on the long wall. Don't wrap them around on the short wall flanking the wood stove. He would like to see bare wall there (with a firewood bin on the right and the chair/ottoman on the left of the woodstove.) What do you think about that? Regarding door hardware: I was thinking no hardware, actually... just those push-to-open thingies :) Color: my brother suggested stained or painted almost-black (playing off the slate woodstove wall). Palimpsest suggests wall color. I would have done white just cuz its my fall-back. I will have to think on that! Depth: The built-ins as drawn are about 11" deep. We don't have any A/V equipment deeper than that, so no need to bump any part out. I'm also not a huge fan of bumped-out cabinetry in a more modern setting. I know I said I wanted to keep it cottage-y, but it still has to work with my modern furniture :) I could probably be convinced if there was a really compelling argument, but my druthers is for simpler, usually :) Height: I considered varying the height (taller on short wall, etc) but I felt like going taller made the already small room feel a lot smaller. DIY- yes, we're building these ourselves :) .... although I think we may buy the doors from Scherr's. We have a really long project list to get through this year!

Sorry, Patricia, the crank pasta machines stay. The penninsula stays, also. There is not enough room for an island or wall ovens. The sink is at the only outside wall and it will say at the window with a view of a creek. An unfinished attic is above the stove. We are both in the kitchen prepping, cooking, and cleaning up at the same time - not one prepping then one cooking. We need more space at the stove and primary sink. This design gives us each a contained workspace without crossing each other's path constantly. . . and takes us out of the walkway. Walking through the living room provides access to the rest of the house for anyone who wants to avoid the kitchen. We view the refrigerator as the appliance that we spend the least amount of time in front of. It's close enough to the stove and the penninsula, and acts as a landing spot for both prep and cleanup. Changing the doorway also brings the kitchen closer to the deck. The only real inconvenience I see is at the doorway when the dishwasher is open. Cabinet style was a secondary consideration. Our experience with a number of purely kitchen designers is that they design great features but won't be using the kitchen with another cook once their work is done. We want and need to be able to function in our kitchen. My question involved how well inset cabinets at the penninsula would blend with full overlay slab cabinet doors. So, here are photos of the current space and preliminary measurements for the redesign. There doorway at the left will be 30" and the fridge will be about 6" to the right.

Thanks, Patricia! That’s my goal today - get different shades of Cheating Heart mixed. Regarding shiplap walls: We actually ended up hanging the shiplap over the drywall. We live in the country along the southeast coast and it fits our setting here by giving our new home the “old” look like I wanted. I couldn’t love it more! Thanks for your input!