Thanks for your response! I would love to see photos of the other kitchens if you have the time to share them. I'm considering doing this in my kitchen remodel.

What a brilliant idea. Might be the solution to my current dilemma. I love the look of inset but am finding the cabinet accessory options very limited for inset (at least for the line that is being presented to me). Is that typical, that inset has a lot more limitations than overlay?

Yes, inset has more limitations and due to the precise dimensioning it is more expensive. Inset also take away storage space in the grand scheme of things. Obviously we had lots and lots of storage in this kitchen. Us of the overlay below maximizes storage. Using the inset above we achieved the look we wanted.

Do you feel this would work in a smaller, eat-in kitchen in a 50's ranch home? I am having my kitchen remodeled this summer and I would love to do this but I'm not sure how it would look in a smaller space. Thanks!

This is beautiful. Can you tell me the dimensions (height) of the upper cabinets? Is that 30" plus 15" an 8" crown? Truing to figure out the right combo for 9' ceiling,