Ikea cabinets are very high quality. If they don't carry a door/front style that you like, pair the boxes with fronts from Scherr's or others that make many styles of fronts.

Kraftmaid Vantage is a great product. FROM A DEALER. Stay away from box stores for any of that. Fabuwood is just a imported stock line, with very few options. It isn't even semi custom, although they will try to play that it is.

For the ikea cabinets is there any level of customization? Im also terrified of having to do all the planning ourselves since Im not sure if Ikea stores help with that?

Ikea cabinets are all custom in terms of style, drawers, etc. I would do Ikea over anything from the big box stores

I do like Ikea and I think they are a great value, but they are not custom at all. They are a stock line. There are some Ikea "hacks" that might provide some level of customization, but you would want a skilled installer lined up before ordering. They are very limited in their box sizes compared to a custom or semi-custom line. They do have a wide variety of stock door styles and finishes and you can order custom door and drawer fronts from other manufacturers. With certain kitchens, particularly u-shaped, designing within the limited selection of cabinet sizes could be challenging. If pursing Ikea, I suggest finding a designer who is familiar with the line.

Any recommendations on a custom/semi custom line?

I agree with the suggestion to find a good cabinet dealer. I personally never had a great experience when my clients have wanted to order from a big box store. Many mistakes and delays. Once you find a reputable dealer, you can explore their lines. Most have a variety of lines from inexpensive stock to pricier custom.

When I initially started my remodel, I visited a LOT of kitchen cabinet stores.

What I found was that the variation was in the price points they carried so that Kraftmade might be the most expensive line at one store but the least expensive at another.

As others have said, it really is the designer that is going to be the difference between bad, okay and potentially great. Also - a great kitchen is a collaboration between you and whatever designer you hire.

The issue with IKEA is that there are limited options in terms of both sizes and styles. It also isn't that inexpensive unless you are doing DIY because it is geared for DIY including the installation which is different than standard cabinet installation.

I think reviews on the internet are really a mixed blessing because almost always people with a horrible experience are the ones who post. I am currently trying to buy a new vacuum cleaner - had decided on a Miele model and then got frozen into indecision again based on some negative reviews on amazon LOL. But I will no doubt wind up ordering it based on some personal recommendations

I would not have considered IKEA because I have a small kitchen and really needed to eke out every bit of space as well has have some very custom features. I wound up going with a custom cabinet maker recommended by my designer and so I have no fillers and a lot of custom stuff that is suited to my needs - for example I have toe kick step stoop so that I (as a short person) can reach the top shelf. I have a side door on a cabinet so that I can slide my KA and Cuisinart onto the counter instead of having to shlep it from storage.

There are a lot of middle of the road cabinets around. The issue is that even in a mid priced cabinet, choosing some options can lead to a fully custom high price. Just like choosing Ikea, and doing custom doors, and a custom hacked installation will put you into a standard mid priced cabinet line. A good kitchen designer will educate you on all of that, and the tradeoffs of each line, and each door or upgrade in each line. Manufactured cabinets are available nationwide, but shipping really confines many to only the nearest regions to them. It's helpful if you share a hoped for budget, a desired look, and a general nearest city location.

ikea worked great for my small kitchen and budget. I am not sure what I would have gotten better if I'd gone custom - but I don't have any corners, it's a one wall/galley-ish kitchen, and I liked their doors fine enough. Because I went with ikea, I was able to go for the countertop I really wanted.

I would suggest going to IKEA's kitchen planner design app on their website. You can put in your kitchen dimensions and play around with how the sizes would work for your kitchen. Had we had an IKEA locally, I would have gone that route. Cabinets are expensive... Also, frameless is GREAT for functionality as well as making the kitchen most efficient with storage. I also like the look.

@DeWayne is correct about cost. Originally I had assumed I would be going with one of the mid range brands like Kraftmade, Omega or the equivalent. It has been awhile since I did my initial research.

My designer told me that the cost of fully custom would be the same or less than using a semi-custom with all of the expensive upgrades.

But I think a good kitchen designer is the most critical element - beyond designing the most functional (and aesthetic kitchen) they also spare you from a lot of the agony that some people have to go through. I agonized over selecting knobs/pulls but I didn't have to give placement of them a nano's worth of thought - just an example.

I ordered my Front + Center doors online to replace the worn cabinet doors in my laundry room and was surprised at how high quality they are. The old doors were partial overlay, but I increased the size so they look like full overlay. They completely cover the old cabinets, so it really made my laundry room look a lot nicer. So even if you don’t buy the highest quality base cabinets, getting higher quality doors does make a big difference.

I really .appreciate everyone's .feedback and welcome anymore. @DeWayne , For context, we are in Brooklyn and are doing a close to gut of the floor that has the kitchen and living room. the kitchen is about 14 1/2 by 9 1/2 L shape with an island in the center. We have very high ceilings 10 '6- and that is the point that makes me think Ikea may not work for us as we will need two levels of cabinets to go to ceiling height.

A 126" ceiling needs a 42" cabinet with a 24" on top, and 6" of molding. That is the closest 2/3 to 1/3 ratio, using standard available sizes. Most stock cabinet lines will not work for that as they do not have a full incremental progression of the 24" size. By that I mean a 12"Wx24"H, a 15x24, a 18x24, a 21x24, a 24x24, a 27x24, a 30x24, a 33x24, a 36x24, a 39x24, a 42x24, a 45x24, a 48x24. Most good semi custom to custom brands will carry all the size progressions in both height and width, to make getting a good fit with minimal fillers, possible. They will also have modifications that allow varying depths, and many have the ability to adjust widths as well. So you can have a 34 1/2" wide by 42" H by 14 1/2" deep cabinet, if that is what would best fit the design.

So, a good screening question to know if you are dealing with a line that can do all you need would be, "Does this line carry a 24"Hx27"wide cabinet?"