Your pics don't show up.

they are there for me? Let me link again . .sorry!!

Thanks for any thoughts. So far . . we are thinking two recessed over the window area, then one over the range, one more in the corner next to it (spaced out symmetrically as "possible", then one over the fridge, then line up the others symmetrically over the penisula (except for the very last one that would be in a walkway?) Does this sound like enough for the overhead? Additionally, in-cabinet & undercabinet.

What provides the whitest (cool temp) light? Thank you!!

If you want daylight-ish light, the most practical will be high color temperature fluorescents. However, I think you'll find that the usual daylight (5000K or 6500K) lamps are so cold as to make your kitchen uninviting. But no harm in trying them - if you don't like them, you can always change them for 3500K or 4100K lamps.

Thanks Davidr! I will check out the Fluorescents. Should I consider halogens for recessed? I live in S.FL and concerned about heat/AC. I like the smaller look recessed, are there any other options?

Why would you want to use recessed lights?

Open to suugestions davidr?!

We used to have a track there (you can still see the old connection box on the ceiling), and don't care for that anymore, although it was a very "dated" fixture.

With the new "J" shaped layout, I Assumed that recessed lighting would give me the lights that I need without several fixtures hanging around. I have always had a very "busy" decor, and the pendulum has swung and we are trying to streamline/modernize our taste. The vaults, and angles the ceiling creates throughout the house, has more of a modern feel than the "cottage" style that I have been trying to make it. If you have any thoughts on the lighting that would be more appropriate, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks again!!

Jamie

You probably won't like my idea, but I'm very keen on surface mount linear (48" T8) fluorescent fixtures in kitchens.

For most people, kitchens are work areas. It's very difficult to get really even, shadow-free light - the kind that makes tasks easier - with recessed cans, unless you use a large number of them. At that point your ceiling starts to look like swiss cheese, and so does your pocketbook after paying the electric bill.

I suspect that people instantly think "cans" because that's what most of the home decor magazines seem to show. Except that recently they seem to be going in for pendants, so that's becoming the new fashion. Most of these seem to have opaque or dark-colored shades, and they create the same kind of pooled, shadowy light that I find so hard to take from cans.

Perhaps I'm too practical, but at my age (mid-50s) my eyes aren't what they used to be. I want to see what I'm doing and I really like the bright, even light I get from T8 linear fluorescents. I don't really care whether my guests think my kitchen is fashionable. (Which it isn't anyway. ;-) I would hope they come over for my company (and the food), not to admire my kitchen. If they were the sort to be impressed by fancy kitchens, they probably wouldn't be my friends. ;-)

If you still want recessed lights, at least look into compact fluorescent cans (or fit incandescents with screw-in CFs). They'll still make swiss cheese of your ceiling, but at least the energy use will be only (guessing here) twice what it would be with linear fluorescents, instead of 8-10 times, as it would be with incandescent cans.

Others here will surely disagree, and I invite them to do so. ;-)

What about fluorescent tubes mounted on the tops of the cabinets, directed upward? The sloped ceiling looks like an ideal reflector.

Good idea, Jon.

WElllll . .thats an idea . .but. We had popcorn ceiling that we DIY scraped and finished. It was a HUGE job, and overall, it really looks great. I am concerned that the upward lights may illuminate "certain areas" that show the drywall seam a bit more. I may grab one of the fixtures we use in the garage and see what happens! Maybe with the right lighting up there . .you wont see what I KNOW is there!! It is an easy test!! Thanks so much for the suggestions.

I LOVE your windows! What a brilliant effect! I am totally going to steal this idea from you for my sitting room!

We just totally revamped our kitchen. We had some fugly wood cabs and we changed over to all white (I love white kitchens!). It feels really clean---doesn't it?

I searched all over for pendant lamps that I liked for over the bar area after the ones from Lowe's didn't work (like a previous poster said, the light was less than fantastic). I ended up buying them online in a natural linen material that looks very nice. The one thing I wasn't expecting about the lighting over the bar area is that I needed to hang them higher than I thought to stay out of my line of sight. I have lower ceilings in that area due to a structural beam, so I had the length of the pendant lights shortened.

Hope this helps! Know where I can get tiny table lamps??? :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Lighting Fixtures