Hi,
We're looking at a new home that has a kitchen with multiple shades of stained cabinetry (ie some dark and some natural). I've never seen this before but the builder says it is "common in high end homes". It looks disjointed to me. Comments?

Woody,
Contrasting cabinet colors are sometimes used to highlight the kitchen's design--defining zones of the kitchen or emphasizing certain design aspects. The builder's right--this color trend is becoming more and more common in kitchen design, but it's important to stick with whatever you feel comfortable with. To see a couple examples of contrasting cabinet colors, check out this Ask a Designer video or this article.