We are in the process of finishing a section of the unfinished basement. We have a section of wall 13'-6" long where we are installing a wet bar. One end will be anchored by a pantry cabinet for game and misc. storage, and the other will be anchored by a 36" wide refrigerator. The section for the uppers/lowers will be 96" in length. I'm looking for a blue painted shaker look, with glass insert doors for the uppers so that I can put in cabinet lighting to show off some glassware and "higher end" liquor bottles.

My question revolves around selection of kitchen cabinet manufacturers. I am currently working with a kitchen cabinet "direct" supplier in town that works with homeowners and builders. Their line I'm working around is Koch Cabinets which are reputable. One of the regional home improvement stores, Menards, carries Quality One, Cardell and Medallion Cabinetry which are all manufactured by the second largest cabinetry manufacturer in the US, Cabinetworks Group. I'm focused around the Cardell Cornerstone line, which is a mid-range line.

I've shopped at Lowes and HD, and weren't really impressed with their selection and reviews of the cabinets available through their lines. There are LOTS of kitchen cabinetry suppliers in town, from custom cabinet makers and kitchen cabinet/countertop suppliers/installers, so I have my pick. Most of them also supply different brands of Cabinetworks Group, mostly the higher end. I've also shopped online, also looking at RTA Cabinets, and I'm not convinced that this is the way to go and if I'm really going to save that much more money while inheriting headaches going this route.

What are everyone's experience and advice you can provide around trying to decide on cabinet manufacturers? Right now, I'm leaning towards Cardell mostly based around the backing of two large companies (Cabinetworks as mfr, and Menards as the supplier).