We took the first big leap and bought the cabinets on Saturday! We finally settled on the maple cream finished (so it won't have the weathered look) with black matte knobs and pulls. I decided on the black pulls because they will match either color appliances we pick (stainless or black) and we'll be able to pull the whole design together with the counter top coloring.
Since there was a promotion going through the 23rd, we ended up getting 12 cabinets (we only need 11), including the cutlery divider, waste basket cupboard, sliding spice rack and sink base all included in the price of $3,016. That's about $1,000 off the full price and we have an extra cabinet we can sell in the future - Gotta love a good deal! The cabinets will take 4-6 weeks to arrive and I just can't wait.
Our next step is to pick out the counter tops, sink and faucet. We ruled out the butcher's block style after we took a visit to Home Emporium out in Chesapeake. Although we could get it at an extremely good price ($120 for more than we need), it has to be conditioned every 6 months with a specific type of oil. Not really ideal for a rental unit. So, now we're still debating between laminate and granite. What is you're opinion?