mcassel, I think part of the info you're missing is this: The MR in MR16 stands for Mirror Reflector. The AR in PAR stands for Aluminized Reflector. Highly polished mirror reflectors are able to direct light in a very focussed, controlled way, so the light the bulb produces can be directed to in a very specific direction (yielding a high candlepower in that direction but throwing little light off to the sides. This effect is increased with low-voltage bulbs because the filaments are smaller. However, the tightly controlled beams that are native to these bulbs can then be softened and adjusted with optional diffusing lenses that dim4fun mentioned. Aluminized reflectors are much less polished and tend to scatter the light, so less of the light is concentrated in the middle of the beamspread, and more is sent off to the sides. If you want dramatic, spotlight-like effects then the MR bulbs are the way to go. If you want softer-edged light, or if you're trying for even lighting, where the pools of light from adjacent fixtures can blend together somewhat seamlessly, then PAR lamps are probably the better choice. If you want soft light but need especially small or versatile fixtures then MR-types with diffusing lenses might be the solution.

Gerald- Please tell me how it worked out. The first paragraph of your post, I thought I wrote! My contractor wants to use those easy go anywhere canless lights also. But I read they don't provide enough task light and it's glaring. Thanks for sharing!

Compared to the orderly layout of the rest of the house, the run in front of the cabinets looks a bit random. What is the beamspread (which goes outside the walls theoretically with the lights at the counter edge location), if you pull them back in alignment with the one over the refrigerator? I would also line up the far left family rroom light with the far left kitchen light and probably ad one in between in a vertical line.

single light will be find, just get one that is LED or has three sockets, put in a dimmer switch.