Just think..............you can always turn a light off if you don't need it, but you can't turn on one that isn't there : )
HTH

If you HAVE to cut out either the cans or the hardwired UC lighting, i would go with the cans for 4 reasons. They contribute more to the general lighting of the room than UC lights, they still provide task lighting, they can be put on a dimmer more inexpensively than dimmable UC lights, and you CAN still add DIY UC lights later. It would be much harder and more expensive to do the cans later. I would keep the ceiling fixture if you have one in the center of the room, though, and put off replacing it until later if needed. Make sure you still have a light over your sink, also. If you have a center and sink light already you can squeeze the budget by just adding the cans now and doing the rest later. Make sure the cans are installed within a few inches of your upper cabinets and they will provide task lighting on the counter for you as well with no shadowing. I can get a photo of how that looks and works tonight if you need it. I was worried it wouldn't look right with cans so close to the cabinets but I can see now I would not have liked it any other way, visually or functionally. Another option is to put in the wiring for UC lights but buy the lights later. Technically, you can probably still do hardwired UC lights later if you don't do a full backplash until after they are done, so that they can snake the wire through the wall along the cabinets. It is much easier for the electrician to have an open wall, but they work retrofitting this stuff into finished rooms all the time. You just pay the difference in the additional time and thus labor costs to do it later. But they would ruin a full backsplash if one were present when they were doing it.

I went with very dark cabinets, but also didn't want it cave like and so I have dimmable cans, hardwired UC lights, a center light in the ceiling, a sink pendant and a lighted corner cabinet! The only thing I could have added were dimmable UC lights and top of the cabinet lights, and I can still do those later! I think I have it pretty well covered as it, though. :)

Remember, options! Give yourself options! Anything you CAN'T do later or that would be prohibitively expensive to do later, do now and save anything that can reasonably be done later for later to keep your budget down. This remodel won't hurt so much in 6 months, or a year or two. Then you don't have say I made the wrong choice, or I only wish I had... or What was I thinking... or Why didn't I think of this...

Sue

Sue, you make a lot of good points. I have two ceiling fixtures now and wondered if maybe I can add a few cans around them. I think I will skip doing the UC lights for now - I've already put up DIY ones myself and can live with them not hardwired - also I'm not putting up a backsplash - at least not right away, and now I won't until I decide on those lights! Thank you!! I would love to see some pictures of cans and fixture mixed, if you can!

No problem. I tried just now but its really too dark for my digital camera. I will try again tomorrow. Please remember the kitchen isn't finished, so the upper moldings are not complete, the trims are not on the cans, etc.

Sue

I did not forget about you, Cathy. I had a very hard time getting the photos. point the camera at the center light with it on and the camera makes the rest of the photo way too dark. It must be tricking the camera light meter somehow. Anyway these seem to be the best I could do. Sorry.

I know people mix them all the time as I have seen others here do it. So you might ask for more photos from those who have done it, also.

Sue

Thanks Sue! That looks nice! I think I will definitely go for cans and save the UC lights for later. Someone suggested on another post that I relocate my existing fixtures to be more centered too and I'm going to look into that - I posted again with a diagram of my kitchen!! I'm not too TKO am I?? LOL!

LOL, now you just have to decide if you want fluorescent compatible, dimmer or not, where to locate the swtiches, how many lights each switch will control, what size cans and color trims...

Sue