Different types of fixtures, trims and bulb types will influence the spread of light. In other words, light from a recessed can doesn't just go straight down - it goes out in a cone shape - and you have some control over how far it spreads by changing lamps (bulbs) and trims. If I recall, there was a helpful display at our local Lowes showing how far the different fixtures spread. Worth searching for something similar online. One of the most useful pieces of information from this little exercise was the knowledge that if you're trying to illuminate a work surface that's 36" off the floor (or more meaningfully, 60" below the ceiling), you have less distance for the light to spread than if you're trying to illuminate a pathway on the floor, so you need to place your fixtures somewhat closer together. If your ceiling height is significantly taller, your fixtures can be a bit further apart, but you may need somewhat brighter bulbs. What really helped me was to figure out the approximate diameter of the 'pool of light' at countertop height, and space my fixtures so that the light pools overlapped slightly, but centered on my primary work areas.

Hi Huggles, We had the same issues when putting up pendants over our island. First we tried the pendants that screw into the existing socket of the recessed cans. Very easy to intall but limited to styles, so we bought the converter light kit at Lowe's and ended up having our GC installing it for us. My husband is a pretty good carpenter but hates electrical work. Good luck to you.

"We are taking down an extra large square fluorescent light and replacing it with one two-bulb type flush mounted light and maybe another if need be then also adding a pendant over the sink." It will depend on the size and layout of the kitchen. One flush mount will not work as good as the fluorescent for two reasons. (1) The fluorescent puts out 6.5 times as much light. A 4' fluorescent with 4 tubes (2600 Lumens × 4 = 10400 Lumens) A two bulb flush mount w/60 watt bulbs or equivalent (800 Lumens × 2 = 1600 Lumens) (2) The surface mount fixture's light source comes from exactly 2 points that are very close together. The fluorescent light source has infinite sources of light within that 2' × 4' area which spreads the light out better, causing less noticeable shadows. With the fluorescent, the light reflecting off of all the other surfaces in the kitchen is also bouncing off at a more infinite number of angles, (compared to just from the pinpoint light source of the standard fixture) further contributing to the feeling of even light in the kitchen. . Pendant lighting that is bright enough to really contribute to the overall lighting of a room will also be glaring, since it is down closer to eye level. Pendants are fine for specific task lighting or mood lighting. Under cabinet lighting can also be a bit glaring if it is relied upon for more than half the light needed for a task. Keeping the under cabinet lighting out close to the face of the cabinet helps. Using two surface mounted luminaries on the ceiling will help spread out the light sources and help the light bouncing off of the cabinets light the room more evenly. Whether I would use fixtures with two or three bulbs depends on how big the kitchen is, how much light you are used to, and how intricate your tasks are. 800 Lumens × 6 bulbs is still only 4800 lumens, or less than half of what you currently have. You could try taking out two of the tubes and living with it for a while to help decide how many fixtures you want on the ceiling. . The difference between two 3-bulb fixtures and recessed cans over the outside edge of the countertop should not be enough to worry about as long as you have the under cabinet lighting and the pendants. There is a trade off between the two types of lighting. The recessed lights can be put right where you need them, but the light does not spread out as evenly. The surface mount in the middle of the room can produce more unwanted shadows, but the light spreads out and bounces off everything better to counteract the problem.

Am i missing something on why you cannot move the table; it looks like it lines up with the french door and looks 'centered' to me...what am I not seeing....more pictures would be nice!I think you are saying you cannot center it long ways to the can lights? Put the light fixture over the centered table and then re do the can lights to a balanced look.....