Modernhouse, your remarks reinforce my feeling that where the lights are, they won't do much for task lighting and they aren't going to give even ambient lighting. The 50-year-old kitchen right now is about 9' X 10.5,' with all-white walls and cabinets and a light floor, so it reflects light well. We have most of the original light fixtures including a can light over the sink area and a 3-light semi flush opal-glass inverted bowl that has 3 CFL's in it now. There's also a small hood light and one small incandescent under-cabinet light, and taken together there is plenty of ambient and task light now, but the ambient is fairly glarey. The kitchen gets daylight only from adjacent rooms, and with darker surroundings after the remodel, I think we probably will needc more light. Maybe keep a surface-mounted ceiling light in the center, as you suggest, and supplement with can lights to cut down on the glariness problem? Another problem I just noticed is the under-cabinet light above the sink. The wiring will have to come from somewhere, because there won't be a ceiling or soffit to conceal it. (Cab itself was the GC's suggestion as we have limited storage room, even with moving a wall.) Also, the light itself will be visible through the window behind the sink to the sunroom on the other side, which is a few inches lower than the main floor. Should I just forget that particular light, plan on moving those two can lights closer to the countertop, and depend on the under-cabinet lighting on either side of the sink? (If the kitchen were larger, I'd forego the over-sink wall cab, but we think we need the extra storage.) I probably will want some kind of light at least over the stairwell - maybe pulled back some to illuminate the pocket door area and the countertop on "Wall C." More comments welcome... sure wish that refrigerator didnt stick out the way it does, but it doesn't work as well any place else.

The 3 cans right and left of the stove are a good idea, as are the four cans in the next row. Though you need lots of light for your daughter's needs, I suggest that you use dimmers on everything to balance the room. Have you considered using a drop-down island light instead of the 3 cans over the island? In "entertainment mode" if you dim your other cans and raise the level on the island light, you draw people to the island. You could go "high-end" with this one fixture to set a complete design tone for your kitchen (think Hubbardton Forge - http://www.hubbardtonforge.com/ProductsInfo.cfm?Design=137525 but with "opal glass, which is actually opaque white Or you could spend less with something like the Kichler fixture (see link below). Here is a link that might be useful: Kichler island pendant

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.

(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