Did the lights move closer to the sitters? If so, that's harder on the sitters' eyes unless lights have diffusers or shields of some sort over bulb. Better to put lights on the side of the island where prep happens--you look down, not up, when working. But I think you're saying that the lights are farther from sitters. That's fine. You could even make them more assymetrical than that--two inches is not a big deal. I recall a thread about this in past--advice was to put lights toward the work side of island. Is there anything else that is positioned on the ceiling--more lights to line up with? Windows and light sources? Have you tried the pendant balloon trick to experience the layout first hand?

I have a viking 30 inch vdsc that has been installed for about a year and a half and am happy with it. I chose this range because I wanted a black range and I wanted dual fuel, we have to use a lp tank and did not want to have both the range top and oven dependent on the tank. I am a cook-something-quick-and-easy-that-my-picky-kids-and-picky-husband-will-eat-5-days-a-week cook so did not need a super high powered cook top, I almost never go above med-high. I do use the simmer a lot and it is not the best so I bought a simmer plate to help get an evenly low cooking surface. The burners are closed and have been very easy to clean but I have not had any overflows or cooking mishaps that would get anywhere near that part of the burners. The black, shiny surface that is below the grates of the viking does show every little bit of dirt and I do clean it frequently using soap and water and a dry rag to buff out water streaks. The oven seems to take a bit longer to preheat than my old stove and because it uses the broiler to help preheat you cannot stick items in before the preheat is done or you will burn the tops (I still sometimes put items in early but keep them on the bottom rack.) The oven also cooks a little differently than I am used to, cannot really explain how or why but it does leave most items moister which is nice. If you have concerns with how a viking cooks I would recommend finding a dealer that offers demonstrations, the dealer I bought from had demos all of the time.

I agree with Beth and M.E. Light the island with 1 larger or 3 smaller clear or light toned pendants with a metal finish of your choice to match your theme or hardware, or hood, etc. Center it to the island, so that you can illuminate that work/visiting space. It looks like you can pull off 3, because your island looks larger. I am doing the same thing in my farmhouse kitchen right now. I have a very small island though, so will do only one medium sized pendant, and I have no real focal point in the kitchen, so I am going matte black with it, grey cabinets, white quartz countertops, and antique brass hardware. Good luck!

You cannot do such a large arch - the overall height of this piece will be approx 18" ( 84 - 18 = 66 ) Do a 2" - 2 1/2" arch on the valance. If you do a column on each side you could then do a crown molding detail that will return on the column and not interfere with the doors of the cabinets. The opening underneath needs to be based on the actual exhaust unit that is required for your range - your appliance folks should be able to help you with that. It will be a challenge since you have a reduced ceiling height and you have an offset vent line ( which needs to be changed - in most areas flex duct is not allowed ). You could also do a chimney style Here are a couple of pictures for short mantles you could create Good luck - I hope you can figure something out!