Funny you should ask this. As you'll see from other posts I'm adamantly opposed to recessed lights. The only time I ever installed them was in a room with very low ceilings - I figured it felt closed in enough already. Even there it was a huge mistake. The shadows were even worse than they would have been with a higher ceiling. I'd suggest a bright white ceiling and cove lighting. T8 or T5 fluorescent strips are good for this. Supplement with table and floor lamps.

The typical ceiling height is 8'. Space could be lit up to ~ 35 lumens per sq ft. The prep areas require more lighting which can be provided by UCL. The following link should have more information. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen LED recessed lighting discussion

You can get flush mount LED fixtures that are very nice. I stumbled on this Lithonia "veri light" fixture http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-Versi-Lite-1-Light-White-4000K-LED-Mini-Flush-Mount-FMML-7-840/203583417 and ended up loving it so much that I put it in about a dozen closets, crawl spaces, attic storage areas, etc. It's really awesome, IMHO. Look at the 3000K warmer white fixture too, as I usually prefer the warmer light colors. I just happened to buy the cooler one first and then stuck with that. Among other places, I used this fixture in a 7' high spot in a sloped ceiling in a walk-in closet, and it works great. I like it for the lower ceiling since it is very flush with the ceiling, very sturdy (doubt you could break it by bonking it . . . you'd need a hammer, I think), and cool to the touch. So, I thought it was a safe and reliable choice for that location. Check it out. Cheap, too, which is nice. :)

E K, after extensive deliberation, we have decided to keep standard height interior doors throughout (6'8"). We are going with higher windows and sliding French doors in rooms with higher ceilings. I ended up deciding that the 6'8" interior doors looked fine and that windows can be set higher than the doors (I looked at lots of pictures and actual houses). I actually drew several walls to scale with the 6'8" doors and higher windows to ensure I would like that look. I decided the 7' doors were an unnecessary expenses and wouldn't look that much different from 6'8" doors. I think the higher windows will bring in more light and help the ceilings to look taller. There is one bedroom where I have one 8' wall that slopes up to 9' and I will have windows on both these walls - that was my trickiest problem. In that room, I've decided to have 6'8" window height on the 8' wall and 7'8" window height on the 9' wall with 6'8" windows. Its not built yet but I hope it looks ok. Below is a house that helped me think through my decision. It has higher windows than doors. In addition, in one room the windows on two walls are set at different heights. I think it looks ok and I think the sloped ceiling in my room will make the varying window heights look even more intentional. [https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-farmhouse-farmhouse-family-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~2207590[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-farmhouse-farmhouse-family-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~2207590) I do think you can do 7' doors with 8' ceilings (or 9' doors with 10' ceilings). In fact, I will be doing 8' sliding doors and windows set at 8' in our master bedroom that has 9' ceilings. This room will also have 6'8" interior doors. I can post pictures but it won't be built for several months.