I'm not sure what you mean by "...cans with 1 or 2 lights." Do you mean you're thinking of supplemementing the cans with some other sort of fixture? With 8' ceilings I'd generally be inclined to use 50w PAR30 floods; probably 50PAR30/HAL/SPL/FL40 (assuming you're not in California, where such installations are effectively illegal). I'd expect a room that size would need somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 or 15 cans if it's all work area; if part of it is a seating, breakfast-nook sort of space then that may change a bit. You could also use 75w wide-angle floods and get away with substantially fewer cans, but these would make it harder to put light where you want it. Positioning suggestions are easier to convey with dots on a floorplan, but here are some general guidelines: Assuming the 50w bulbs, I'd start by placing most of them over the edges of the perimeter counters and the middle of the island. If your cabs and counters aren't too dark I'd shoot for spacing them about 44" apart, but for more light on the counters you could space them closer. The spacing dimensions are not rigid; use them to determine a ballpark position for any given light, then adjust as necessary to make things look good. It's better to flank any given work area, such as the sink, range, or a section of countertop used for prep work, with 2 lights rather than centering one light directly overhead. Careful not to get cans too close to a projecting range hood or refrigerator.

I went on the lighting forum. They have a lot of info. Also, I was referred to Walters Wholesales Electric, where they have a display showroom and staff lighting designers. Very helpful. One thing I learned there is that very few of the LED lights are worth buying. Halogens are dimmable, and there are now dimmable fluorescents as well.

Thank you both, this build has been a nightmare and they have repeatedly made mistakes due to extremely bad management skills and site supervision. They have gotten everything wrong. Wrong primer paint (bright yellow instead of gray), wrong doors, wrong glass in french doors, wrong trim, wrong stair railings, wrong hardware on drawers, fireplace framed wrong 4 times then tiled wrong, wrong counters, wrong bathtub, gas line for stove in wrong location, gas line on deck wrong location, sink templates in bathroom cut wrong, sump pump installed wrong, missing electrical switches for fireplace............ And that's only about 1/5th of their mistakes. Many of these things are now fixed but rarely how they should been but it all should of been avoided with any professionalism. This is also a very expensive home from a builder who claims to be custom and of "Highest quality and craftsmanship". I really don't understand why it's so hard for these "professionals" to get things right. I think we have put up with enough from this builder and I think Romy you are right about what we need to do. They have never even so much as apologized for any of it. Thank you for the vent. ;)

(tl;dr, OT!) David, You're probably right. I come from an industry where the angle of light is one of the primary considerations (live performance lighting). There are a lot of basics there that seem to get, at best, ignored in home lighting, or worse, aren't even considered. How the fixture looks in the room is of utmost important, with no consideration for how it makes everything else in the room look (including people). Of course, I mean _both_ are important, how the fixture looks aesthetically as well as the light it provides. In terms of angle, I read one thread about under-cabinet lighting (it took me a while to figure out what "UCL" meant) people discussed about the lighting needing to be toward the face of the cabinet vs against the backsplash/wall. From a casual perspective I can see why most would think that. What that doesn't address is that down light can make seeing what one is cutting difficult to see because of the shadows cast by one's hands. Personally, I prefer against the wall/backsplash tilted forward a bit. That gets the light more under my hands, still lights the whole counter space, and can highlight the backsplash (assuming one has a backsplash that benefits from being highlighted). I also prefer sidelight (sconces, table/floor lamps, or low other fixtures) for rooms where people gathering is the primary function. It is a far more flattering light for people than can/pot/down lights. But that has never, that I've seen, been suggested on Houzz. I could be wrong. Maybe it has been brought up here in the GW forums. I've only recently started frequenting the forums. In another thread a while ago the discussion was about lighting a more sculptural piece of wall art, which had a head as a prominent part of the work. Everybody was suggesting down light. While, yes, that would accent the texture. But it would also make the face look garish. I suggest something more from the front and a bit off axis, to give it more natural, defining shadows vs deep shadows under the eyes, nose, and chin. I get it, I suppose. It is easier to talk about how a light fixture looks rather than how than how the light from it makes everything else look. But I don't think one has to hire a lighting designer or be a master electrician just to understand some basics. They just need to be thought of. Even little things like how a more diffused light can actually _look_ brighter than a clear glass, exposed light bulb simple because the shadows are softer. Ah, well. Thanks! Joe