We're considering painted inset cabinets for our 100 year old house and everyone I mention this to is concerned about wear and tear. The cabinet manufacturer says not to worry (of course) but I'm still not sure. I have four children and by necessity I am fairly tolerant of normal wear on anything we own but I don't want to make the mistake of going with a style that's going to look like a train wreck in five years.

Another concern is that our home has no AC in summer and the kitchen is the coldest room in the house in winter so there's quite a lot of temperature fluctuation. Will those factors make inset cabinets shrink and swell so much that the doors will stick?

I LOVE the style and look of inset cabinets but I don't want a kitchen that looks awful and functions poorly.

Opinions? Experience?