Assuming recessed cans for kitchen lighting 1. Plan on having ~ 35 lumens per sq ft for general lighting from the main light source(s). 2. The cans should be spaced between 3' to 4' apart in some relatively regular pattern. 3. The distance from the wall is typically between 26" to 32". 4. The final position and layout is influenced by the layout of obstructions in the ceiling such as joists, plumbing, wiring, insulation, ducting, vertical clearance... 5. If you live in California or a region with energy efficiency laws (title 24 for CA), the type of recessed can is strictly governed. 6. LED recessed can lamps (e.g. - Cree CR6, LR6, Sylvania RT6) work much better than the standard bulb in a can configuration as the latter traps a significant amount of light. 7. Under cabinet lighting is very useful. 8. The glimpse LED lights can be used as surface mounted lights and can be used in places where a standard can will not fit. If you're building soffits, you could consider putting in cove lighting - either LED or T4/ T5 fluorescent. The cove lighting could be used to supplement or replace the recessed can lights. Alternatively, you could use pendants.

This is what we needed and why I posted on this site....additional ideas! Perhaps, I should have started by giving you a more information about the challenges of this design. This home has a little over 6000 sq ft heated and cooled with 7900 under roof on a urban lot of 13,800 sq ft with extreme setbacks both front and rear. The house's footprint was designed to maximize the build area available. The other challenge is my wife's need for the main house to be symetric. Thus the breakfast room area. The play area and pool for the children will be in the back yard so I believe entrance will be off the rear porch and garage which will lead to the "wet area" cubbies, 1/2 bath, mud room, back stairs to upstairs. The friend's entrance on the side is just for your closest friends as everyone else will use the main front entrance, but I see your point about a closet....fortunately in the South we don't need many coats or a place to take of our shoes. The butler's pantry has a sink/disp, DW, ice maker, and fridge....can anyone think of how I can get a prep sink into the main kitchen? This has been a concern of mine as well. What do you think about spliting the fridge into 2 units? One where it is now and the other at the end run next to the entrance to the kitchen from the garage area. It could be easy to move the fridge closer to the stove but will I still have enough counter space next to the stove? If anyone can work out a better flow/layout I would truly appreciate it! This is great, I think my wife has already had enough of the design process, so I find your thoughts welcomed!

Thanks for the advice Mustbnuts, much appreciated. That prep sink is just on a pennisula, not a wall. It's only 4' high with a raised bar-type shelf above the counter. This shelf wraps around the other side to join to the tall skinny cabinet there so it looks nicer than it does on the plan, I just didn't know how to draw the shelf etc. in the BH&G software. There are bookshelves on the other side. The ceiling is vaulted so suspending cabinets there isn't really an option. That area is pretty much the only thing I'm leaving as it is, except for adding the prep sink. That isn't a desk, it's a place for me to read the paper and have breakfast and lunch while enjoying looking out the windows. DH doesn't do breakfast or lunch. I will also use it to sit and consult a recipe. And, my nephew can sit there and chat with me the 4 times a year we have family for dinner. The area that the chair is in is currently a very small nook that I'm stretching out the kitchen wall to meet. I use it for breakfast/lunch/recipes now. The new area won't be as nice but I think it's a better use of the space than the nook. Thanks for saying you think it will be pretty, sure hope so.

I think the back of the house could use a little dimension...it all seems a little flat right now and not sure how that will look from the exterior? I don’t know if there’s any specific nice view out the back that you want to preserve/enhance, but having 1-2 bump outs might be nice. They could also get you some new windows in different directions, bringing in some different light. For example, you could bump out your living room so it’s not in a flat plane with the rest of the house. If your living room currently has a western exposure (I forget what the orientation is), you could then get north and south exposure by adding windows along the sides of the bump out. You could maybe even add some doors to the outside on the side of the bump out so you don’t have to squeeze by the dining table to access the sliding door - that’s how my house is currently and it is sort of annoying sometimes. I’m not an architect, so I don’t know the term for it, but adding a little dimension along the back might be good, unless you’re going for a super formal symmetrical aesthetic, which I don’t think you are.