Im not 100% sure if the terra cota tiles fit into the mold of a cape cod home. But im brought back to the fack that its your home. Unless you are renovating to flip the house i would say no to the tiles. But if you are planning on living there. I say go for it. Ive been a pro hardwood flooring specialist for over 10 yrs and ill be the first to admit that too much wood can be overwhelming. Kudos to you are the terra cotta tiles. I think that would look nice against your cherry cab. Post pics when your project is complete!

Arts and Crafts houses are gloomy even on bright days in Southern California. I don't think there's any way to be really true to the handcrafted style without. It's lighting lighting lighting, as you already know. I don't think dark counters will really make it that much darker--that is, even with light counters you'd still need lighting lighting lighting, so go with what you like ;)

Hi fourquinn I used a kitchen designer in Malden. Mike M. from Windsor Architectural Woodworking. He was wonderful. Very easy to work with (and I'm not all that easy, I'm very picky and I told him that right from the start!) He was so patient and easy to talk to and stayed within my budget. Didn't try to sell me everything under the sun! Since I used him I recommended him to quite a few people and all have been extremely happy. We are using him again in a large 3 family in Boston area. He just finished 2 apts for us and they came out great and he's working now on my Boyfriends place. I just spoke with him and he's doing a kitchen in Brewster so would have no problems going down the Cape. I'll give you the link below. I also worked with a stone Company in Billerica, Select Stone (Pati) who was fantastic to work and did a great job if your in the market for stone. They were the most helpful and so, so nice. They have stone there and fabricate and I traveled all over the place around here looking for my counters. They were the first I looked at and who I ended up going with. Best of luck with your new kitchen Here is a link that might be useful: WindsorWoodworking

My preference for maximum storage and function in small kitchens is frameless first, inset second, framed traditional overlay third (rarely acceptable by clients), full overlay framed last. I've done very small kitchens where inset cabinets provide more storage than any other option including frameless. There is no hard and fast rule. The available storage for inset cabinets will be equal to or greater than a comparable framed overlay cabinet. In small kitchens they can be almost as good as inset "when done well" Wall cabinets for inset are generally between 13 and 14" standard- no loss there in depth even in semi custom brands. There is a loss of 1-1/2" in height- that can matter a little sometimes. The places where any frameless cabinets shine is in drawers. A framed cabinet (inset OR overlay) will have 1-1/2 less usable width than a frameless. Height of drawers can be a bigger issue and is what to watch for. Many makers have a taller top drawer for insets than a typical overlay cabinet. "when done well" That means: 1) that as many cabinets are "combined" as possible with stiles specified as 1-1/2". Combine two cabinets and gain 1-1/2" width for drawers-every additional cabinet gains another 1-1/2" Besides combined cabinets look better AND are available in some semi custom brands. 2) blind or dead corners use smaller clearances since they can- since the door is inset 7/8" is gained in each corner (often blind or dead corners are the most efficient solution in a small kitchen) 3) when possible eliminate intermediate rails on multiple (3 and 4) drawer cabinets to gain height and configure drawer heights to optimum. This one is not always available at the lowest price semi custom-have to go up a level but can be a no cost option. There is a way around it in a brand that doesn't offer it with field install but that is another topic. Price: some brands charge 10% more for inset than framed overlay since all else is the same a typical kitchen is increased by 5-8%, some brands charge the same for overlay and inset, some charge 10% less for frameless but again only the boxes so 5-8% swing- then comparing a frameless brand to a framed brand, well that gets complicated but again there is no simple answer.