Merillat

Can't afford it but absolutely love it:

http://www.henrybuilt.com
http://www.violapark.com

Best resource. Your local custom cabinetmaker. You might be surprised how reasonable it is the have built-in-place custom cabinets. The can't compete with IKEA, but at the prices of these units, they can probably do better.... and because they are fixed shops, they typically are more reliable that your average contractor. Installed... And with local customer service. Think globally, act locally where possible...

Ditto Quiltmaster. If you get a quote of a mid-grade made-in-China brand from one of the Big Orange Big Box Stores, you'll likely find a local cabinetmaker who can do it for a similar price, but completely tailored to your space and tastes. I was so surprised by how (relatively) reasonable it is. If you can't go with re-used or re-cycled cabinets, go with a local maker.

Quiltmaster, you took the words right out of my mouth.
I think many people would be surprised to know that custom built cabinetry from a local craftsperson, including great personal service, comes in around the same price as the mid-higher end lines from big box stores.

Naturally, the level of detail, choice of materials, and finish will affect the pricing but compare apples to apples - comparable wood species, construction style, hardware, etc. - and I think you'll find your local carpenter to be quite competitive with off-the-shelf or semi-custom lines.

Does that kitchen look upside-down to anyone else, with the light cabinets on the bottom and the heavy, dark ones on top?

I used a small, semi-custom, made-in-the-USA cabinet company for my kitchen. I won't promote it here because while their product was good, the overall experience of dealing with them was not. They sell only through independent dealers,, so any problem that came up on my job had to be filtered back through the (dishonest) guy who sold the cabinets to me. When things went wrong, the seller blamed the cabinet maker and the cabinet maker blamed the seller.

I would advise dealing with a local, fully custom cabinet maker who has a local reputation to protect.

I totally agree with Quiltmaster. Having worked for a local cabinet maker, I can totally vouch. Plus, who doesn't want to give back to the local economy?
www.americraftinc.com

Ditto Quiltmaster!!

Would love to have seen Crown Point Cabinetry in Claremont, NH on this list ... They do amazing amazing work!!! and ship all over the place ... they are local to me here in Springfield, Vermont

http://www.cliqstudios.com, made in Wisconsin. They sometimes have free shipping specials, and the cabinets come fully assembled. Reasonable prices, very nice quality and no MDF. They're also great at helping you select your layout.

www.jmkitchencabinets.com They are in Los Angeles. They are a true custom cabinetry fabricators and designers. They have a great show room and will soon be getting a look at my cabinets. Great prices because they are the direct contact and they do not finish or paint the cabinets. Contact Tony there and tell him Abel sent referred you to them. True service with a smile.

I don't think I've seen 50's style sliding door cabinets anywhere. Anyone know a source for those?

WordGRL. Those are usually the easiest doors to fabricate.... I would contact a woodworker and they could do these in their sleep. If you are handy with the router its a breeze once the panels are cut to size.

we remodeled the kitchen and have Wellborn now.....love it!.....smiles

I plan on checking with local cabinetmakers when I renovate my seriously flawed kitchen. However, at least two I've consulted with farm out installation, which is a major turnoff for me -- it not only raises the price significantly, but if the cabinetmaker can't be bothered to install his own work, I don't trust him.

Agree with the local option, but to give some numbers behind it from a recent kitchen installation ... Big Box $14K, one local cabinetmaker was $10K, another was $8K ... if anything the big box store quality was lower, and if I went with more frills on the moulding, I suspect the big box store would have been even more uncompetitive.

Bottom line: Go local, and get several quotes.