I love your countertop slabs, they are stunning. Based on all the criticism I looked at your layout and I see a lot of positives. You have a sink for cleanup near the dishwasher drawers and stove, and a second sink for prep work. That sink is not far from the fridge, so you can grab an armload of produce and get right to work ... and as you work the kids who just want a drink or snack from the fridge can get it without coming into the work L. This isn't a studio apartment, it is meant to work for a large family and so yeah, you may need to take 2-3 more steps to get around but that is somewhat unavoidable. For lights ... maybe something like this if you want something bold that isn't adding a lot of color: Huddardton Forge Erlenmeyer Flask Pendant Just a thought. Congrats on the new house. Don't worry about the people here who enjoy shooting arrows of doubt and dismay without offering to help identify ways to improve things. Some people naturally look for flaws and love to point them out (instead of asking why something was designed this way vs that way). It can't be a fun way to live life.

I have the same pendants as @mihelene. I have NO issues with glare although plenty of folks on this site warned about that and said it would be a problem ----- it has not been. I will second, though, that they do have to be cleaned regularly and that is another task to keep up on; although I often wonder if I had something not clear, surely it would be getting just as dirty and need cleaning.....? Maybe I should just feel grateful that my lights make me keep a cleaner house. ;) Also, it seems to me that the height of your ceiling isn't such an issue as the height the pendants are recommended to be hung is 30-36" above your counter top regardless of what height your ceiling is. I have 9' ceilings and my globes are about 15.5" long. I don't think an 8' ceiling would be a problem. (My sister in law has 8' ceilings and she just installed fixtures similar to your posted picture. They seem bigger than mine (perhaps just in width) and they look good.)

Yes, I think the Hinkley is the best of both worlds. It has enough black to make a presence, tie in the cabinet hardware, and go with your other lights. But doesn’t have too much black. I like that the globe is not clear glass, but frosted white. My eyes don’t like looking at the lightbulbs in clear glass. Also the clear glass seems like they will need cleaning way more often. I like it with two pendants. I have black pendants (think they are called schoolhouse style) and white cabinets with the stacked uppers with glass just like yours. Now I want to switch mine out with those Hinkleys!

Get pendant with wire so they can be adjusted. They will look best hung level typically