If you want full overlay (and I would) and cannot afford it, I would choose a less expensive cabinet brand to get it.

What cabinet brand are you looking at?

We've looked at MANY brands. The top runners are Koch & RD Henry. I'm also waiting for a quote from the local distributor for nearby Amish. Maybe he'll be less, but since there's a middle man involved, I'm not counting on it. Our biggest issue isn't so much brands as our desire for all plywood, dovetail & soft close drawers, etc. In Koch, a mid level brand, it's actually more expensive to do all that than with the more custom brand. It's just so hard to figure out what is and isn't important, and the waiting waiting waiting for quotes everytime I talk to someone is driving me batty. How important is a soft close cabinet door, anyway? I've never had them but feel like maybe I should. Then, I think maybe skipping them would give me the full overlay, but it's never that easy to find out exactly how much you save. (another phone call, wait for another quote, etc)

Never had soft close doors before, they came standard with my Shiloh cabs. While many disagree, I would not have paid more for soft close.

If I did not want inset, I would have went with Medallion (aka Schuler @ Lowes) and had full overlay.

Soft close vs. Full overlay: would choose full overlay, without a doubt.

I'd pay the extra and keep soft close.

@smm5525, I'd love details, personal experience, etc. Thanks! :-)

I would pay extra for good hardware on the drawers and have only drawers on the lowers, no doors. I would not pay extra for soft close doors on the uppers. I'd look closely at the drawer construction as some lines just waste a lot of space.

defibitely pay for the soft close/upgraded hardware on lowers - especially drawers. Soft close on uppers isn't as important. I don't really mind the look of standard overlay vs full overlay if it is a good quality cabinet. When I look at pics of kitchens I don't have an immediately yuck reaction if they used standard overlay. I usually don't even notice unless I focus in on it.

Form follows function. Opt for the best quality hardware and construction you can afford. High quality cabinets will function so well you could replace the doors in 10 years and feel like you have a new kitchen.

You're a good candidate for frameless cabinets. With decorative end panels, they look the same as full overlay, but you get a little more usable drawer and shelf room. The drawers can be wider and longer in frameless cabinets and you can still have the wooden drawers if you want. While the shelves themselves aren't bigger, they are more accessible (and easier to clean) because the front frame isn't there.

For me, three things date the kitchen in the picture. The wood cabinets are a little heavy handed - more suitable for a library than a kitchen these days but so very 1995. The second is the complete change of design reference used for the island, it looks like something purchased from wayfair cause "eclectic!" The third is the space between the upper cabinets and the ceiling - it's not usable for storage, it attracts really dusty clutter cause after a while, people decorate it. Get longer uppers and place them higher on the wall.

I live with a door slammer, so I'm a big fan of soft close. With the addition of drawer liner, my stuff in the drawer stays where I put in without the addition of organizers (although I do use those for silverware).

From what I see on GW and Houzz, partial overlay doesn't seem very popular. However when I see dated-looking kitchens with partial overlay, I think it's other elements that make it look dated (i.e. honey oak).

This one I think looks nice:

Palo Alto Kitchen/Bath · More Info

Here's one with stained shaker cabinets, though I'd prefer different hardware and countertops

Kitchen Remodeling in Elgin, IL · More Info

I would never use partial overlay for a new kitchen. Dating the kitchen while building it is a big mistake. Most people want either full -overlay, inset or frameless today.

Does anyone in your area sell Shiloh? If so, talk to them.

Thanks for all the comments. I think it just confirms what I was already thinking. I would be unhappy with partial overlay, especially with a Shaker style door. Now to find somewhere else to cut costs....

1. All drawers
2. Uppers to the ceiling
3. Easy reach upper in the corner

Soft close:

• Drawers - absolutely pay for soft close!
  -- BTW, another must have is full-extension glides so the drawers pull out completely.
• Doors - do NOT pay for soft close! Soft close for doors is a very, very easy DIY task. We did it. Our cabinetmaker started at $50 per door extra for soft-close. We did it for around $4 per door and we did it in about an hour!

Framed (Partial Overlay, Full Overlay, Inset) or Frameless

Frameless: No frame around the front of the cabinet box

• If you can find frameless, they will give you the most storage. They also have the look of full overlay.
• IKEA cabinets are frameless as are most European brands. American brands are starting to offer frameless as well, usually at an upcharge

Framed: Cabinet frame around the front of the cabinet box

• Full Overlay - If you cannot find or afford frameless, the next best is full overlay. They will usually also have an upcharge from partial overlay.
• Inset - Inset is nice, but you lose more space b/c of the doors and drawer fronts being inset into the cabinet frame around the box. These are usually an upcharge, in some cases, by quite a bit. Inset is usually a more traditional look.
• Partial Overlay - this is what you generally find in builder-grade cabinets. So, often, partial overlay not only dates the cabinets, but it can also make them appear more low-end. You can combat the low-end look with higher end woods & finishes if partial overlay makes more sense with the style you're going for.

@ buehl, NOT true, "Inset is nice, but you lose more space." I measured my inset cabs to verify.

Also, no upcharge for my Shiloh inset cabs.

Yes, it is true. In non-inset (overlay), the drawers end at the outside edge of the frame and the drawer front sits "proud" (in front of) the drawer box and frame. With inset, the drawer front sits inside the frame and the drawer box must be shorter to compensate for the loss of an inch or so. We looked at both when we remodeled and our measurements did show the loss of an inch or so of space in length. Is it significant? Probably not, but it is a loss.

Some cabinetmakers make drawer boxes that aren't full-depth, with those, you probably do not lose space b/c the shorter drawer boxes are used for both inset and overlay. Perhaps that's what your cabinetmaker does and that's why you didn't lose space - b/c it was never there.

Most cabinetmakers do charge more for inset - search the forum for all those people bemoaning the fact that they cannot afford the upcharge for inset. Notice that I said "usually" - that means not all, but most.