I'm on DH's side. If all you are using are 6 recessed cans and two mini pendants, this would seem far from adequate. Remember that can lighting (pot lighting in Canada?) is task lighting, good for illuminating a specific area like a countertop. It is NOT ambient lighting, the kind that fills an entire room with even, non-glaring light. Strikes me that your plan has only task lighting and no ambient lighting at all, a mistake IMHO.

Can't imaging you wouldn't like task lighting over the peninsula. Also think that undercab lights are always nice to have. But I would still address the need for ambient light--consider sconces on wall, using larger pendants, etc.

In my opinion, under counter lighting is a must.
We are happy with our LED under cabinet lighting
and it is our go-to lighting for all kitchen tasks.

Depending on your plan, you might consider
one flush/semi-flush ceiling mount fixture for general ambient lighting.
With pot lights all the rage, I think we sometimes forget
how useful general lighting from ceiling mount fixtures can be in a kitchen.
We have a small semi-flush fixture over the sink
and appreciate the general light it provides the kitchen.

Undercabinet lighting is key. When our original undercabinet lighting was failing it became really obvious how important it was.

My kitchen ceiling area is only about 5-1/2 x 11-1/2 and I have three recessed cans, undercabinet lighting and a separate light on the vent.

It's very bright when its all on at full power but everything is on dimmers, too. It's better to overlight and dim down than underlight.

I went from an ill-lit kitchen to new cans, pendants, UCL. When everything's on, it's too much for me, as I prefer low lighting. So, I don't turn everything on at once, but it's nice to be able to flood the place with light if called to do so.

My kitchen is 10x12.
I have 4 pots, an over sink light and 2 peninsula pendants. Then we move into the dining room.

I am phobic about light. I lived here with window holes covered with Tyvek paper and no electricity for several years. In that time, I had zillions of holes cut for future pot lights. I swore I'd never live in a dark cave again.

Since having windows installed and a lot of the lights in, I find I've come to my senses a bit and have eliminated a very few of the lights. Ironically, I seemed to have had some vision, because everywhere but 3 places, the pots and other type of lighting was perfect.

I still plan undercabinet lighting and I'm making some cabinetry that will need lighting, too.

Look. You can always turn them off.
Unless you hang a light from a cabinet or use a clamp on thing, it's hard to add it.

Consider light switch placement, and having switches at all doors, etc. Don't necessarily need all your lights on one switch. In some rooms I have the lights on one side of the room on one switch and the other side on another. So it's not all or nothing. It's what I want at the moment.

Think outside the box. Lighting is creative and obviously can influence an entire feeling.

Christine

Thanks for all the input. I've looked at tons of pics and I can see that people really love lighting! We are lacking in light right now, flush mount on one side of the kichen and a hanging lamp in the eating area. Actually, we are closing up one of our windows as well, so I guess more lights is better than not enough.

Christine, we have about the same size kitchen and added lighting elements. I'd say you're anything but phobic about light, rather a light-o-phile. :) Me too. Window treatments are either ignored or an afterthought because I'm reluctant to impede any natural light.

I agree, if one has too much artificial lighting, turn them off.

oh I'd go with too many lights rather than too few. We did too few pot lights, 4 years later and I'm so sad that I didn't listen to my gut. Our island, undercab is all fine but I really need more general lighting.

I'd again emphasize the fact that recessed can lighting is poor for ambient light. It may suffice in a small kitchen, but due to the directional nature of the beam, the only way they generate ambient light is by reflecting off your counters and cabs. In our larger kitchen, we have about 16 recessed fixtures, but are totally dependent on four large hanging fixtures each running a 100 watt edison type bulb (at least for now til they become illegal). They provide the vast majority of ambient light and the room is unusably dark if all we use are the recessed cans. Even one ceiling or hanging fixture can outperform multiple cans for general lighting. They provide uplighting, and wall washing, that cans cannot.

So just remember the three types of lighting: task, accent, and ambient--and make sure you've addressed all three needs.

There is NO SUCH THING as "too many lights"! Our aging eyes need many more lumens to see the same things clearly that we saw well with younger eyes. More lights are always better! And incorporate dimmers into all of them so that you can adjust the levels infinitely. Dimmers are the key to being happy with your lighting.

BTW, I would not do pendants on either side of an island hood. That's too many things hanging from the ceiling. I would do two cans with flood lamps. Don't forget a few cans with spot lamps to wash down the front of your cabinets to create drama. You want both flood and spot lamp recessed lighting, as well as under cabinet, and a couple of semi flush fixtures as well. Maybe even some small lamps.

We have a small 8'x12' kitchen with low 7 1/2' ceilings.
For our recent kitchen reno we installed 3" cans and LED undercab strips.
When using cans keep in mind that the smaller the can the more cans you'll need.
We put 12 in our small space.
There's is also a small (5'x8') pantry area off the kitchen with 4 more cans.
The lighting is good, but I'm glad we used the amount of cans we did as fewer cans would not have been adequate.
You may want to cross-post in the lighting forum.
The folks over there are very knowledgeable and helpful.
I'm attaching a link to our finished kitchen so you can see the lighting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen W/Recessed Lighting

I'm also a big believer in both ambient and task lighting. But oddly enough I have 9 can lights in my kitchen that totally light up the room with nothing else needed.

I had a jbox put over my island where I intended to hang a chandelier, but have never felt the need to follow through. My kitchen lighting is super-bright with just the cans.

Not that I'm recommending just cans. Just making an observation that cans put out a lot of light if you get enough and have the right reflector/trim.

I had 2 pendents and one chandy in my old kitchen. The electrician talked me into adding 7 can lights. I had him come back and change things so one in one spot would turn on alone and 2 others in another spot could be turned on alone. I can honestly say in 5 years the remaining 4 lights were never turned on. I do agree with under-cab lighting.

Every room should have as much ligthing as possible in as many forms as possible, and every blessed one must be dimmable.

There is probably nothing more important for the look of your home than lighting.

I do not know why people are so dang stingy with dimmers! If you haven't tried them already, my fave spot for dimmers is the MBA!!!

I'm convinced-now I have to tell dh he was right! At the start of this kitchen design, he said "just tell me what you want and I'll do it". Now he's got all the good ideas:)
Thank you all so much for the input- I think we are now going with 8 pot lights,under cabinet lighting, pendants over the peninsula and scrapping the pendants on either side of the exhaust hood(thx live wire!)I think your're right about it being too much hanging down. And I do love dimmers...we'll be using them in the kitchen.

I have probably 20 or more dimmers and motion sensors. One dimmer in the kitchen for the pots, and one in the dining room for the chandelier. I have dimmers in both bedrooms, again for the pots, and outside for the pots I put out there on the porch. On the back porch, dimmers & motion sensors for another for the dog.

I have motion sensors in the hallways, bathrooms, laundry, mud room, garage, shower, and 3 someday closets. LOVE THEM.

I'm doing anything I ever thought of and even changing some things I thought I wanted. It's my dime, it's my house, and I'm the only darned one I have to please. So there. :)

Dimmers are fabulous.

I have all of my closet lights on motion sensors, so when you open the door, the light goes on, and it stays on until about 30 seconds after you shut the door. That's great for pantries too, or rooms that you enter after dark. No more scrabbling to find a light switch!

I used path lights on a short time motion sensor for one client's patio renovation. The path to the pergola and the detached garage lights up when someone is using it, section by section, and then turns off again when the person is gone. It's fairy tale type magical lighting.

There is, in my opinion, no such thing as too much lighting and for that reason there are dimmers. The older you get the more light you seem to need. So, if this is long-term house, put in lots of lights and add dimmers.

I'm a total sucker for undercabinet lighting...can't wait until I have some. I'd give up every other light in the new kitchen just to have it. Not that I'll have to do that and it would be quirky as heck, but it kinda makes the point of how much I love it. So glad you are getting some for yourself.