Mrs. Blandings (cute screenname by the way, my DH and I have to watch that movie periodically so we don't feel so overwhelmed!), you just want to be sure you have enough light to suit your needs. A lighting consultant might help with that issue. But, if you already think of recessed cans as ceiling acne - then I think you have your asthetic answer! There are other options. Cheers.

Oops, sorry nepool - I thought you were the OP in the lighting forum thread (Mrs. Blandings)! Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was the original Money Pit movie with Carey Grant!! Anyhow, my advice is the same to you.

That's OK Kim... I was wondering who Mrs. Blandings is.

Back to the lights, everyone must be on to something with the recessed lights though... am I going to wish I had those recessed lights "highlighting" my new kitchen cabinets? The kitchen area is pretty small... there will be 3 1/2 feet from the edge of the island to the sink and 4 1/2 feet from the other edge of the island to another row of counters. My chandelier/overhead light will be centered over the island. Then there will be undercabinet lights etc...

I just don't want to regret the lack of lights later... but I'm not sure if I'll miss them???? Again, I'm biased because of my experience with the friend with the Cancun-like kitchen. I know that recessed are more energy efficent than they were before.

Please keep your thoughts and ideas coming!

We have a small recessed halogen can over the sink, and I absolutely LOVE it. I hadn't planned on it and came home one day and my GC said, "Surprise! You can't really afford it but I put it in anyway because you need the extra light and you'll love the way it looks" (and since we had a fixed bid agreement, essentially that means he put it in as a free extra).

I love it. It's my favorite light in the room (we also have uc lights which I use when I'm cooking - and a "3" halogen, circular track-that-doesn't-look-like-a-track - I think they're called Libbe fixtures? - where the old overhead light was before).

I'm kinda sorry I didn't do all recessed cans plus the UC, although I must admit I like the 3-spot because I can point it into weird places like the back door and when all three sources are on it's excellent, diffused efficient allover light.

This is probably clear as mud, but oh well! If I get a chance I'll post pix.

As long as you are sure you will have the quality of lighting that is right for your purposes, do what you like the looks of and don't worry about what others think. Having enough light for your needs is all that counts.

In my L shaped kitchen, I formerly had only two ceiling fixtures and although I "thought" it was reasonable lighting, my kitchen designer encouraged me to consider the recessed ceiling pots. We now have 8 recessed pots to replace those two previous fixtures in our not yet complete renovation. I am thrilled to pieces that I listened to my KD. The quality of light I have now is sooo much better. Previously, when I stood in front of the counter there was obvious shadowing falling on the counter in front of me, now if I stand in front of the counter, there is an even light and if I really look for it I can still see a faint shadowing but basically the counter is shadow free. We have Ice Par halogen bulbs in them to give a diffuse even light. I didn't realize before that my lighting was substandard since it was all I'd had for 27 years. I will also be getting under cab lighting to brighten the space under the cabinets and one pendant to go over our little eating/workspace peninsula beside the stove. The pendant is not to use with the other lights but to use instead for someone having a late night snack or such.

I have a family member who did a kitchen reno and replaced her original fixtures with improved ones rather than going with recessed pots and she is satisfied with what she has. I probably would have been satisfied if I had done the same but I am happy that I took the chance on the change since I can see that it has made an improvement for me and I haven't even got to the point of moving in to my new space yet! I can't see that simply replacing my orginal fixtures would have chased away the shadows the way that this lighting arrangement has.

I think lighting might have something to do with age. My old kitchen had a lot of shadows and it drove me nuts. It had 2 overhead and one light over the sink and a very small (wattage) over the stove. I told the electrician I wanted plenty of light. He put in 17 cans and undercab lighting. I also have lights under the hood. In addition I have the hook ups for a light over the sink and 4 over the island. I hope that will be enough. I have a 6' window over the sink and a wall of glass at the end of the room. This would have been overkill when I was younger but not now. DH appreciates all the light too. We will be remodeling our retirement home and will be using LOTS of cans unless they come up with something better.

Can I just tell you how much I hate the recessed cans in my house? They're good from the standpoint that the rooms are big and I don't have to figure out how to run lamp cords that won't kill anyone. But they have bright spots and shadows and ... and I just hate them. (Niineta doesn't say how big her kitchen is or how big her cans are, but 17 sounds like they probably have less shadows (ne drama) than mine. :) )

The hot thing shouldn't be a problem as you can now get compact fluorescents for recessed fixtures.

If you don't want cans you really should make sure you have a good spread of light. One chandelier over the island, plus UC, probably won't do it. If you don't want the ceiling Acne you could consider things like over cabinet lighting bounced off the ceiling (unless the cabinets go all the way up), corner fixtures, etc.

The reason for getting the recessed cans is that even though they look like swiss cheese and ceiling acne if you actually look up, they don't conflict with the decorative lighting (chandelier) or get in the way of the upper cupboard doors.

I dunno-- I like the quality of light. Clear, direct, dramatic. Potentially stark and shadowy if they are too far apart or the beam angles too narrow, potentially blinding if the bulbs are too bright or there's too few circuits and dimmers.

But 'ceiling acne'? A little harsh, don't you think?

Now, if you are going to have a pressed tin ceiling or a reproduction of the Sistine chapel, I can see how the cans could interfere with that. But if the ceiling is going to be flat and a single color, you really aren't sacrificing much of a design statement in exchange for really great lighting and all that it can do for a kitchen.

I don't mind them but prefer regular old fixtures if they cast enough light. If your layout will be similar to what you have now and you have adequate lighting, you can probably stick with your plan.

I'm planning on no can lights for my remodel (and no UC, either!) because I have plenty of lighting with the fixtures currently in place and my layout won't be much different.

With lower ceilings, cans may not be as effective anyway. Hard to say...but don't do it cuz everyone else does!

We have a slanted ceiling in the kitchen, so can't do recessed lights but I'm hoping it will be fine. I don't like the look of them much anyway and they just kill me when I have or am getting a migraine.

I'm planning on a central light fixture + pendants over the peninsula + 1 over the sink light of some kind. We have a little stretch where under the cab lighting can be put too, so we may do something there also.

ahhhh...."regular old fixtures" are my cup o' tea too.

I put no recessed lights in my kitchen. I think there's a place for them, but for me the kitchen is not the place. I have two 3-light fixtures in the kitchen proper, plus a 1-light fixture over the sink, and another 3-light fixture over the kitchen table. I think they look marvelous and they provide all the general lighting we need.
We also have the range vent light, and a soft white flours scent light under every cabinet, individually controlled of course, plus lights (on one switch) above the cabinets for effect and making the kitchen look larger.

You know the old adage, you don't know what you've been missing until you have it?

We had a honking big 4 x 4' florescent sunshine ceiling and a single light over the sink, and the table chandelier. I thought I had tons of light and it didn't bother me until one of the ballasts started making a ton of noise.

We now have six cans, two bullet lights over sink and windows. Two pendants over islands, and 8 undercabinet pucks, and a MUCH brighter chandelier (no more ceiling fan fixture). Kitchen work are is 15 X10, and dining area is 10 X 10. It is so much more pleasant to work in here now, and of course we are 11 years older than we were when we first moved here.

But it really all depends on how you like your lighting. I have a neighbour who has a bigger kitchen and no pot lights, and I always am turning on her lights when I'm there, so she obviously prefers it darker.

Best thing possible would be to try out someone else's kitchen, ideally with similar dimensions. Hard to know what you want until you've experienced it. The can lights are a good example of form follows function. BTW, our lighting consultant suggested chrome 'rings'(not sure what they're called) for inside our cans, instead of white, saying they disappear when lights are on- I think that's working for us.