DH & I are down to the wire on picking the stain color for our cabinets. (The deadline is Friday.) DH & I decided on espresso Shaker-style cabs about a month ago. I rationalized the color as "the little black dress" of wood stains. ;) Now I'm having serious cold feet about the decision. In most design portfolios, espresso cabs are paired with ultra-contemporary finishes. That is NOT the look I'm going for. My style is very similar to breezy's -- clean & classic, with a pop of something extra. I'm also very drawn to farmhouse kitchens and would like to incorporate some of those design elements into the finishing touches, like lighting and hardware.

I'm really concerned that I'm going to end up hating the dark brown color because it ends up competing with my true style.

I guess this hysterical rant comes down to two questions:

1) Is the espresso color at odds with the feel I'm trying to achieve? (Full disclosure: I have always loved white kitchens but DH is adamantly against them.)

2) If so, what are good alternatives if painted cabs are out of the question?

Our house is a new build, so the old "listen to the house" adage doesn't work very well in this case. The biggest design element already in place is the stone fireplace in the living room, which opens up to the kitchen. Here's a link to the stone color: http://edwardsstone.com/Products/Prairie/Mill-Creek.htm