Does your quote for P&F include and upgrade to plywood? I believe that Omega has plywood construction included and Plain & Fancy charges for that as an upgrade. Otherwise you get MDF, and some people are sensitive to the off gassing. On the other hand, some people really like the frameless because the drawers are larger (you don't lose 1/2 inch or so on each side.)

Any after market upgrades you may want to do, such as pull outs, are easier with unframed cabinets - I found that most of the dimensions were specifically designed - and install would be easier- with frameless. (I am mentioning this because diy install of cabinet organizers is much less expensive. For example, a Rev-A-Shelf pull out trash may cost you about $50 or so from Lowes, however your builder/designer may charge you upwards of $200 for that feature in your cabinets.

If you want frameless, don't mind the MDF but don't want to spend the extra $, you may want to consider Scherr's cabinets and/or Ikea with Scherr's doors - do a search on this board and you will see all the great comments about those cabinets. You can hire someone to put them together and install them and save yourself some money. Personally, I like the plywood sides, as I am one of those people who is sensitive to MDF.

Thanks...I will definitely look into the Scherr's cabs, had not heard of them before. We have just started on our remodel journey, and boy is there a lot to learn!

I have Plain and Fancy inset/framed cabs. They are mortise and tenon construction, maple/plywood boxes, painted Dove White in a Shaker doorstyle. Given that these are custom cabs, it was my specific choice to order MDF for the recessed door panels. I don't know anything about "upcharges" for the wood as I came in the door asking for wood boxes at the outset. Yes, these cabs were rather expensive. Whether it was worth it to pay more for them than I would have paid for other cabinetry is a question I can't answer since once I walked in the showroom and saw P & F cabs in person, I didn't bother with the competition. What I can tell you is that I am totally in love with these cabs and I don't regret the purchase. Yes, I highly recommend P&F cabinetry!

Thanks for the feedback. The P&F cabs are beautiful, and I have no doubt that I will be very happy with them. It's my dh who's not happy with the price! Thinking I will have to compromise with him and get the Omega's which seem to be quite a bit less expensive. It would be a much easier decision if I could see the two cabinets side by side, but that's not possible. Separately, they both seem to be very nice.

If it helps, I love my Omega cabinets! I have mostly Omega Dynasty w/some Omega Custom cabinets. Our cabinets are full overlay. The nice thing about Omega is that you can help keep costs down by using their semi-custom cabinets (Dynasty) where you can and just use the Custom when you need to. Most door styles are in both lines.

The quality of mine is great and I have had no finish or other issues. We've been back in our kitchen for a year now.

A closeup

Omega Construction Details:
http://www.omegacab.com/constructionDetails.asp

Your kitchen is gorgeous! What wood and finish is it? We're considering Cherry with Autumn stain and Bronze glaze.

I wanted P&F too initially but after reading the glowing reviews here for Dynasty and Omega, I went with Dynasty Omega. The cabs are gorgeous, were easy to configure with my custom preferences, were delivered faster and on time. I went with overlay. I was told that inset styles swell and shrink a lot in my area, the northeast, making the gap visible. That steered me away from that style and P&F. With the money I saved on the cabs I was able to do lots of other upgrades and custom touches that were important to me.

My cabinets are cherry wood, mandarin orange stain, coffee glaze.

I would go w/Omega again in a heartbeat!

FWIW, shrinking and swelling of wood frames and panels is a common issue with all "living" cabinetry, not just wood cabinetry made by P&F. It's my understanding the problem can become exaggerated with wood inset cabinetry when there are significant climate changes -- which is precisely why I opted for MDF recessed panels with my shaker style cabs. As one who lives in the NE (NYC as a matter of fact), I haven't experienced any problems with my cabinetry swelling so far this summer. And, frankly, given the quality construction of the boxes (which takes this potential swelling/contracting issue into account), I don't expect it to be a serious problem.

BTW, I'm not here to talk you into P&F or out of Omega! As a happy Plain and Fancy owner, I'm only responding to those comments about P&F where the claimed facts or perceived concerns haven't proven true in my personal experience. As for Omega, I certainly won't try to speak on a product with which I've had no direct experience. From what I can tell -- and especially if Buehl's gorgeous cabinetry can be an excellent example -- Omega is a great cabinet line! Most people who have it and post here about it are quite happy with it. If Omega works for you, I say go for it!

Thanks all for the great feedback. I know I couldn't go wrong with either brand, but since money is an issue, Omega seems like the prudent choice for me.

Like Buehl and others, I'm a happy owner of Omega & Dynasty cabinets for 2 years. Originally, I wanted their maple, but wasn't happy with the color variation of those in the show room. I switched to a light oak Shaker style and am very happy with the color and quality. We did have some quality and size problems with a couple of cabinets and doors. They were replaced quickly with no hassle.

I feel that these cabinets are very good value, too.

Thanks Ikremodel. My husband is a little concerned about the color variations on the cherry we're considering, but I'm hoping the stain we picked will minimize that. I kind of like some variations but hoping nothing outlandish. We were told they would replace anything that looked weird. I'll hope for the best!

Some color variations are normal with wood...it's a natural product after all. If your DH wants something completely uniform then perhaps stained wood is not for him.

Are the color variations in the pics of my cabinets too much for your DH? Like you, I love the variations & grain...I think they not only look (and are) natural, but they also feel natural!

Good luck!

I'm assuming you understand the difference between Omega and Dynasty? I ask this because if DH didn't like the quote and it was done using only Omega, you could have the same look for less by using Dynasty and then just using Omega for custom pieces (like in Buehl's gorgeous kitchen).

I'll post a few pics of my kitchen if you want to see Cherry Autumn from Omega. Mine are all Omega because they're all custom (toe kick drawers etc). I also have deeper lowers (27") and deeper uppers (15"). It's a small kitchen and every inch counted LOL

Omega did some great work for me. I don't have a pic of the bench seat yet but it is all built from custom boxes they made for me. They also did some special shallow drawers, toe kicks in every room (some obvious and some hidden) and built a few special pieces like the above fridge cabinet (open with beading) and the chalkboard at the end of my island (it looks like a regular two door cabinet).

Many of these pics aren't finished, (since the kitchen isn't quite, but it might help you get a feel for Cherry Autumn. I love the color myself, though I saw it with glaze and it's gorgeous given the different door styles (wouldn't work with mine). I also have cherry wheat with bronze glaze in another room...I'll post a pic of that for you as well:

One side of the kitchen:

Another...they custom cut the trim for the hood for me

My sink run

and a bit of the chalk board:

Upper cab:
{{!gwi}}

Cherry Wheat with Bronze glaze:

Buehl...I love your cabinets. My husband loves stained wood, and its grain, but we were shown some cabinets by another KD that just looked wrong. (I think the other KD was trying to get us to go with a much more expensive line of cabs.)

Igloochic... The quote we were given that gave my husband (and me) a heart attack was for Plain and Fancy not Omega. With all of the responses here from happy Omega owners, we have decided to go with the Omega. The Omega quote was acceptable to him. BTW how do you like the toe kick drawers? The other KD did not like them, but like you, I have a small kitchen, and really want to optimize storage. (love your kitchen...so creative, especially the mural over the stove and the drawer pulls...cute kid too!)

Your kitchen is also wonderful IglooChic! If I had it to do over, I think I would have worked on my DH more to do all Custom base cabs to get the toe kick drawers.

The BS looks great w/your cabinets! When I saw it half-done I wasn't sure about it, but now that it's done it looks great! (I should never have doubted you!)

BTW...15" deep uppers are also available via Dynasty...4 of my upper cabs are 15" deep.

Damom...I will never have a kitchen, no matter the size, without toe kick drawers....heck I won't skip them in bathrooms either...they're fabulous and really do add a great deal of room. I keep a multitude of goodies in mine, from the dog bowl for his feedings to trash compactor bags, trays, cookie sheets, bottle liners, light bulbs, etc. In the bath they have step stools in them and much more. I love toe kick drawers and anyone who does not like them...has never had them. :) We kinda like that little guy too....although he's 3 so sometimes that's debatable, but he looks good in pictures LOL

Buehl...thank you :) Someday I'll get to post a finished kitchen pic. I'm close but this pregnancy stuff is keeping me off ladders so I can't finish the window treatments and paint on trim. But I'm close :) The bay window seating is devine and I've not ever posted a pic...I have to get on that LOL

Oh I totally forgot...when I typed the 15" upper thing I was going to add a note about cabs typically changing size in 3" increments so that's not the custom part, it's the height which I don't even remember but it's something and a half inch verses a whole inch measurement. I am not kidding when I say that I used EVERY inch of my space available LOL

Igloochic...Thanks for the input on the toe kick drawers...I knew they were a good idea! I hate clutter, so it will be great having a place for everything hidden away. Can't wait to see the finished pics of your kitchen!

Igloochick...when did you do your kitchen? My KD said that Omega is not doing toe kick cabinets anymore. :-(