I am not sure on manufacturers and pricing, but one idea that I have seen used on GW is a mixing of upper insets and lower overlays. It really looks quite good, although I don't have any photos saved. If I had known/seen this look sooner, I probably would have gone this route, rather than all inset.

Good luck!

We did Shiloh cabinets in our summer house last year. At that time they had no upcharge for inset. They're good quality, dovetailed drawers, slow close, etc.

Oh wait - I went to grab the link to their site and sure enough, they still have no upcharge!

Here is a link that might be useful: Shiloh Cabinetry

Where do you live? Custom could be really cost effective depending on your location- people here may be able to give recommendations.

Surprisingly, I found local cabinet makers to be WAY cheaper than the big companies. Shiloh was the only one that came close, but they didnt offer exactly what I wanted. The local guy is doing exactly what I want, fitting it to my kitchen exactly - no filler pieces! I have several quirky requests, and a couple of one of a kind pieces that I couldn't get anywhere else.

I have seen the uppers done in inset and lowers in full overlay and it does look very nice. Try candlelight or mouser for inset. Don't know about the quality of either from first hand experience though.

I have custom (no brand name) beaded inset cabinets. I think the upcharge for the beaded inset was only like $800 or $900 (About $500 for the inset and around $400 for the bead). My cabinet total including installation was a little over $8000. so maybe a 10% upcharge. Something like that.

TIP: I did increase to the 15" deep upper cabients with the inset, otherwise my plates wouldn't have fit. Be sure to measure your plates before you order you cabinets if you go with inset.

I just ordered Shiloh inset cabinets. There was no upcharge for inset, beaded edge, or glaze. Paint was an upcharge. I also went back and forth between rails(stiles) between the doors or butt doors. I spent the extra $800 for butt doors (lots of doors). I also saved money by going with flat front drawers instead of 5-piece fronts and plywood drawer boxes instead of dovetail. At the end I decided to go with a light rail, as well, and that was "thrown" in by the cabinet shop and would have cost about $350 more. I would have paid it but free is good.

The cabinet shop I used (I am a repeat customer for them) started installing a new bank of Shiloh cabinetry in polar white with a soapstone countertop, vintage green glass bin pulls and a few seeded glass uppers during my design process. Watching the progress of that display really helped convince me that I was making a good decision with Shiloh.

WOW, some really interesting coments from all of you! I never would have guessed that custom built locally would be less than the big makers! I guess it's worth getting bids from both (I live in NE Ohio, by the way). I also love the idea of doing mixed upper and lower. Thx again for the great insights, this forum is the BEST,

I also got a bid from Shiloh which was about $4,000 more than my custom cabs, and didn't have quite everything I wanted. I also was going to get a quote from Mouser, but they didn't have the matte finish I was looking for.

I think it depends on where you are. Our Shiloh cabs came in about 5K *lower* than the custom quotes we got. Most custom places around here (New Engand) are pretty expensive. BUT, we're doing a new build and I am definitely going custom. The one thing I didn't like about using a brand is that it's harder to configure. You're locked into what they make as opposed to a custom person just making what fits your space. That was a huge lesson learned.

6 square does inset in a maple and cherry cabinet without the bead and the hinges are exposed which means you they do not spring shut and you can not do soft close on the doors because of that. A 10 x 10 kitchen would normally be $5,000 to $6,000. 6 Square cabinets are in stock meaning everything is on the shelf in their warehouse as we speak already finished in the colors they offer. You can not order your color as they have pre bought it in the colors they have chosen. The quality of the cabinet is unbeatable for the price hands down. Wether you like the door style and color is a personal choice we all have the right to be opinionated over. They ship out 2 weeks after confirmed orders. They do not sell direct and they only go on trucks with cabinets in them so everything is handled by hand no fork lifts and no pallets. This normally means much less damage from shipping.

There is an RTA company Sunnywood that does beaded inset doors that are pretty well made given they are Chinese. My experience with RTA products is you have to expect something will not be perfect from shipping damage to slight blemish on something as the boxes are handled so many times before they get to the end user. Again I am not suggesting they are the bomb the question was where can I afford inset cabinets.

I am working to get a project from the Local homeshow I recently attended. I can offer Geppetto custom cabinets in all custom sizes with integrated end panels on all exposed sides and fully loaded with every bell and whistle possible including beaded inset for $4,000 more then Home Depot using Thomasville. Most dealers who are established with mature showrooms in the DC area where I am now double the price. I am happy to make 35% If the cabines cost me 10,000 I would sell them for 13,500. Generally the more tallented cabinet companies sold at independent local stores are sold at pretty high markups.