I would recommend adding undercabinet lights anywhere you have upper cabinets. Also, move the cans closer to the wall if you intend them to provide task lighting for working/prepping at the perimeter counters. Otherwise anyone working will cast a shadow on their workspace. My cans are mounted just over the edge of the counters and I find that placement perfect. I would also consider adding more cans that are closer together.

Definitely planning on doing dimmers on all the lights if possible :)

The lights should not be behind you but almost in front of you. You don't need a light in front of the fridge since fridges have lights in them and you don't need one in front of the stove since stoves have hoods with lights in them.

Here's what I'd do.

And corner uppers are almost useless since you can't use the backs. It would be better to extend the wall cabinets and have more storage. I'm going to play and come back with what I would consider a better layout.

Lastly you can't have uppers over a window.

definitely make sure you have under cabinet lighting. Essential

The island pendants look crowded to me but not a pro. I might do just 1 centered island pendant or chandelier

you could do a square rather than angled corner cabinet. Sometimes called an “easy reach” cabinet

I'm making the assumption you have the kitchen open to another room? If not, the following layout won't work, but then again neither will yours. It will be too tight.

Here's what I'd do. (The lighting can stay the same except I'd do 3 cans over the seating):

1. I'd remove the uppers on the sink wall so the light comes in from the windows. By switching all your lowers to drawers and not roll out shelves, you'll wind up with a lot more storage than you can imagine.

2. I'd move the dishwasher down towards the fridge and the sink next to it. Trust me symmetry is overrated and no one will notice that your sink is not centered on your window.

3. To the right of your sink I'd make it a larger 3 drawer stack.

4. For the corner I'd use a LeMans or Rev a Shelf corner pull out. I had one that only required 36" from the wall

4. I would not use a corner upper but instead have the uppers on the stove wall die into the window wall. The advantage is then below the one in the corner if you'd like you can even put a "garage" that lifts up.

5. I'd make the lowers on either side of the stove drawers too. No one will notice that they're not symmetrical.

6. You cannot have seating as you had it in your drawing with two 48" cabinets. Where will people put their legs? For counter height seating you need a minimum of 15" for legroom. With this in mind, I turned your island to face the sink so your family/guests can actually look out the window. I added 4 seats not lined up so 3 in a row and one on the end.

7. I added a microwave drawer to the island which can face either the sink or the stove or if you prefer, just make it another drawer facing either way. The set of drawers are wider so more can be stored.

8. I made your aisles 48" so you have more room for moving about and for more than one cook to be in the kitchen at the same time. If you are only a one cook family, then you can narrow the aisles to 42" measured counter to counter.

(see picture)

Fewer shelves and more drawers is the answer. If you are approaching 50, and this is your forever home, consider eliminating uppers.

Back to the original lighting question. I always design kitchens with four types of lighting:

-undercabinet - really used to show off your backsplash and give consistent light under the uppers

-task lighting - puts the light right where you are working

-ambient lighting - lights up the whole room

-pendant lighting - usually over an island or dining area

The advantage of having these four types of lighting on four separate dimmers is that you can really control the whole mood of the kitchen space - working, prepping, softly lit for a party, etc. I typically put very small 2" recessed spots for task lights located 6 inches in from the edge of the counter and about every 24-30 inches along the counter. It gives great light directly on the work surface and prevents shadows. If there are no uppers, the task lighting is 12" from the wall. Make sure there is a light directly over the sink, or, if it is a large sink, two lights. The ambient lighting are your larger cans (although now we use wafer LED lights) that are typically centered along your work corridor. I typically put the ambient switch closest to the entrance, with the task light switch next, and the undercabinet switch last. Lstly, think about the color of the light you are using. With LED lights, soft light in the 2500-3000K range tends to be a little yellower, while daylight in the 4000-5000K range tends to be more white. When you choose undercabinet, task, and ambient lights you may want to coordinate all to the same color of light or one might look a little yellower than the other. You will also want to take a sample of your countertop, cabinets, and backsplash to the lighting store to see how each of them looks under the various colors of light.

Such great info, Margaret T. Do you use the wafer lights for the smaller task lights as well as ambient lights? I've never heard of them before. What is the advantage over cans? And do you use them in other rooms-- main living areas, bathrooms, etc? Thanks!

Wafer lights are the LED version of can lights and can be used for retrofits or new construction. they are very thin (1/2 inch) and include a transformer that can be mounted at the light, or can be connected with low voltage wires to a remote location. They are so light weight that the drywall can support the light without bracing. The transformer is supplied with line voltage. They are dimmable and come in a variety of LED colors. Here is an example:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/209081/PLT-50175.html?cc=100&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzrKpiMap5gIVi-NkCh1ZZQfuEAQYASABEgLaV_D_BwE

Really for all new construction wafer lights should replace all can lights. Wafer lights do come in 6", 5" and 4" and mostly come in white trim, but there are other trims available or the trim can be painted. We used 4" wafer lights in a commercial space with a metal ceiling and got an add-on metal trim that covers the white trim.

I have not seen wafer lights in the very small size as task lights, but a small LED recessed light such as this one would do the trick.

https://www.aspectled.com/products/2-25-led-recessed-light-for-slope-ceilings-ultra-brightness-3w?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvvf8mMep5gIViddkCh3ZoQoeEAQYAiABEgIDJvD_BwE#tab-1

Great info, thank you! We are planning a new build, and could potentially use these throughout the house. I will add decorative lights (pendants, etc over kitchen island and in bathroom).