Hey melrogirl, It depends, I think, if you want the new pendant lights to be the focal point of the kitchen or not. If you do want these new lights to be the focal point, then have them not be brushed nickel but the Tiffany style or the red colour. If you want some other part of the kitchen to be the focal point, keep with the brushed nickle style. In our kitchen we want the flooring (dark hardwood) and the counter top (quartz) to be the focal point, so we have light cabinets and all hardward (faucets, cabinet handles, etc.) and non-recessed lighting (i.e. pendants) are of the brushed nickel (actually, come to think of it our kitchen sounds a little like yours, except we have no red). And, the cabinet handles are thin so they blend in and do not draw visual attention away from the countertop and flooring. Heck, even the kitchen sink matches the off-white cabinets to it does not attract attention (reminds me of a kitchen sink joke :-) ) The eye will gravitate to contrasts. Its a question of what you want the eye to gravitate to. I've included a link below to one of the articles on our blog about our recent kitchen makeover experiences, including pictures of our kitchen, which may help. Dan Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Remodeling - Colour Coordination Critical

Sorry it took me a while to get back..was out of town. The paint in the dining room is a soft white, not bright, more like a vanilla. Here is the floor. The floor in the dining room is hardwood oak. Also, I think I might like these for over the counter lights. See the link below. Or these - see this link. http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1870136&cm_ps=modal_add_to_cart-_-none-_-other_items_you_may_like&categoryId=cat1701013 Here is a link that might be useful: possible light

I absolutely do not think so. many who will post after me will probably say that it isnt enough and that you should have 3 of that size. I have a 26x57 approx island and I have 2 drum shade pendants which are about 7 inches in diameter and they seem perfect to me, but I could have had at least up to 10 inches in D. Depending on what you put in there for wattage, you are just fine. I know there is a general rule about how much lighting per footage on islands, but I am not up on all that. If it looks balance, thats what I think is important. ps: you are talking the shade/globe part is 6 inches, right?

"The custom cabinet company has been to the job and has approved all the distances between the cabinets, ovens and refrigerator. " Most cabinetmakers, custom or otherwise, don't really understand aisle clearances, seating overhangs, etc. Their focus is on the construction of the cabinets. It's the designer's responsibility to ensure a functional space is designed. Yes, many cabinet salespeople call themselves "designers", but they aren't. When I say a "designer", I mean a KITCHEN designer educated in good design practices. E.g., what are the actual aisle widths b/w the items that stick out into the aisles the farthest -- e.g., appliance handles, counter overhangs, etc.? That's your true aisle width, not cabinet-to-cabinet like so many cabinet salespeople show.