Suggestions for kitchen cabinets

We have a fairly good size kitchen that will need a lot of cabinets if we remodel. We looked at Kraftmade and Woodmark at Home Depot. Husband read up on them online and found considerable amount of criticism. He read that Starmark is good. Not loving their website, but can go look at local dealers who sell their product. Is there such thing as good quality middle of the road cabinets? I have read that the problem with custom, which is not necessarily as expensive as one would think is that the finishes are not as durable as the factory finishes that are done by the big cabinet companies. 

Can anyone recommend a kitchen designer?

I think first you find a good designer and then you talk about cabinet suppliers. There have been threads about this in the past, so probably can get recommendations for local designers to interview. Budgets vary widely. As far as cabinetry, I have Merillat Classic, mostly because Merillat was the company the builder was using. Classic is the midrange  line for Merillat. Construction quality is decent, finish is holding up nicely after five years. Lots of finishes both stain and paint available. I think Kuiken Brothers stores show Merillat cabinets? Not sure where the closest one is. (In my previous house I had painted 1940s cabinets installed many owners ago so new cabinetry was a novelty in this house.)

I think all Home Depot cabinets aren't real wood....try looking for a small specialty cabinet shop...my contractor recommended a place in Roselle...and the wood did not match..I don't remember the name of it...but I wouldn't recommend them.

We bought our cabinets from Jaeger Kitchens in Union.  They have a variety of choices at different price points.  They have held up well and we still get compliments.  John Gasper is a certified kitchen designer there and his cost is included in the cabinet cost.  Dave Greene (MOL advertiser) installed them, did a great job and was a pleasure to work with.  Certainly the most reliable and communicative of all contractors I've worked with.  Dave is at (908) 612-9053 or dave@dgreeneconstruction.com

Definitely shop around and find kitchen firms that carry a variety of brands at many price points. We found a designer we liked very much but just couldn't afford the line he carried that met our needs.  So i did a ton of online research on the type of cabinets I want (frameless semi-custom with a specific door profile) and found some other options along with local dealers.  Price for the less expensive line we are looking at seems about 2/3 of the first line.  And we also have a lot of cabinets.

Also check out gardenweb.com, lots of people with cabinet opinions there.

We haven't committed yet so I can't recommend anyone, but Direct Cabinet Sales in Clark had a big showroom with a lot of cabinet lines.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone.

We are using Peter Couch at the recommendation of our contractor. His company is Quality American Cabinets (made in NJ actually) and he came in at a very reasonable price for custom cabinets. He did the design as well. His little showroom is in Denville but he will come to you. Our kitchen isn't finished yet so I am not giving a recommendation of my own yet. He really does seem to know his stuff. we were getting really frustrated early on in the process trying to get a sense of what the darn cabinets were going to cost and getting numbers all over the map or not getting any info back at all on some! Good luck. Check with me in 4 weeks and I'll give the final review.

^^^ as suggested by the post above, custom cabinets are not necessarily more expensive than some of the brands mentioned.  It's worthwhile getting at least 1 or 2 comparison quotes.

Yes I recall the consensus about custom cabinets. I guess I am concerned about 2 things. We have a lot of cabinets to put in, and, I recall reading somewhere that the finish on custom is not a durable as finish done by factory. Just wondering who else has had experience. Plus, can anyone recommend a creative designer. I feel that the guys at kitchen stores are kind of cookie cutter in their design. But then, maybe it is because I am trying to keep the cost down. 

Is anyone going with more open shelving above the counters in place of cabinets, either for the sake of a less heavy/boxy appearance and/or for the sake of keeping cabinetry costs in check?

I go back and forth in my mind about the practicality of all that open shelving in terms of keeping both the shelves and the things on them clean of dust and grime, but I really love the way it looks and the more open feeling of it, never mind the potential cost savings.

Has anyone done it and regretted it?

I would find the dust an issue. I do have glass fronted cabinets above the counters on one  side of the kitchen, and I use those for storing whatever seems most attractive, such as rarely used wine glasses, old ice cream sundae dishes, and enameled casseroles. It gives a somewhat open appearance, looks nice, and suits my style of housekeeping.

Wouldn't work for me. I am kind of sloppy. I want all of that behind closed doors.

Hi Jasper -- we have those small open shelves on either side of our kitchen window. Daily-use dishes are stored on them (one stack of plates, one stack of bowls, etc.), so untidiness isn't an issue.  Not sure I'd want much more of this, but it was a great solution for this spot, since enclosed cabinets would have boxed in the window. Can't really describe it, but open shelves keep the window more open.

I know what you mean, iwasmim, and I quite like that idea. We will definitely go with at least some glass-fronted cabinets if we opt against more completely open shelving. I just like the lighter feel and having somewhere to display the pretty things.

We stayed at a beautiful B&B in New Hampshire once where they simply took the doors off of their upper cabinets, and it looked nice. Mind you, this was a relatively rustic kitchen in an old, historic home, but it definitely worked well there.

A few yrs ago a retiring architect said that Ikea cabinets are quite resonable quality at a fair price.  Their doors suck.  So you can add custom doors and touches to get your look.

Yes, I remember reading that here about Ikea cabinets.  Is there a good selection of box sizes? 

Yes.  Best to take a rough layout of your kitchen to Ikea and ask a for prelim plan. if they still do that.  Morning midweek if possible.  Ask when their annual sale is.