I will tell you that I don't have a window in my kitchen, but it is in my adjacent breakfast area, right across the peninsula. I have 3 large (6 foot plus) windows, and don't suffer from light or views. It is very pleasant and I have not missed it. The one benefit is that i have a great view of our back yard and woods, versus a view of my driveway or the side of the neighbors house which often happens with kitchen windows. It also allows me to watch my boys playing in the yard from inside. Having said that, my new house (which is still being designed) originally had no window in the kitchen, and no view from the kitchen. It looked out into the den, and then there was a "sort of view" through a pair of french doors in the breakfast area. I went through a lot of trouble to fix it, including pushing the garage and back hall way back, and flipping my house so I didn't have a retaining wall. It ended up working out great, as my kitchen window will look out into a landscaped courtyard but boy was it a lot of trouble!!! You might be able to accomplish the same thing in the plans you are considering, although having a kitchen/breakfast room combo with a large window I have found to be a great solution.

I have never seen a vanity light over a kitchen sink. I'm curious why your electrician would wire it that way. If budget allows, I think you would be "better off" having him wire it from the ceiling if that is what you want, rather than ending up with something that looks out of place and that you may end up hating. If it absolutely has to be wired in the wall, is there room for wall sconces? They look pretty but I'm not sure how great they'd be for task lighting. Depending on where your sink is in relation to your peninsula, you might also consider lighting that is flush to the ceiling or a recessed can so as to avoid too many fixtures hanging down.

While not "gazing dreamily" out our kitchen window, I do look out quite a bit while at the sink. Mostly to come up with future landscape ideas or to watch my dog stalk squirrels and sometimes catch them. When thinking about how I use my kitchen sink, I came to the conclusion that I would hate it in my island. I would have dirty dishes on my island all the time which would drive me crazy. I clean up, and 5 minutes later a dirty dish magically appears next to the sink. Plus, I prefer an uninterrupted island workspace. Organize your kitchen however it works best for you! There is no law that says a sink has to be below the window.

I agree that they're not the best combination, but it's still in flux. I've got almost two months before I need to lock anything in. I'll be on the look out for lighting that compliments the island pendants without going for a matching look. I like your feedback on the two smaller recessed lights, I'm going to check if that's possible during my next planning meeting with the builder. I don't think I feel as strongly about going no pendant over the sink, but I do agree that there may be better options. As for the island; It's 34" wide and 66" long. The pendants I have chosen for it are 16" wide and 16" tall. That means there should be 9" of clearance on either side of the island. I'm not sure on how high exactly to hang them but 72-78" from the floor seems like it would make sense. Thanks for all the feedback, I'm definitely no pro when it comes to home design and I really like hearing other opinions. I'm good at picking out what I like, but applying it to an entire room is difficult.