Here is the pendant that will be on either side of the stove.

That space seems to be 11x15 ft wall to wall. It is exactly the same size as our kitchen with a different layout. We have very traditional lighting arrangement that is more an sufficient for our needs. I planned it out 15 year ago to meet the needs of our eyes as we aged. It seemed terribly bright back then. Now the undercabinet lighting is very welcome.

There is a simple two bulb fixture flush to the ceiling exactly in the center. It's two 75W equivalent CFLs put out sufficient light and stay within the heat range of the fixture. We have a single bulb flush ceiling fixture right over the sink. There are T5 fluorescent fixtures under the cabinets controlled by wall switches. The undercab lights can be daily-chained if we feel the need for more light. The CFLs can be replaced with even brighter bulbs in the same space.

So, that's it for a simple and effective lighting arrangement. What type of fixtures - puck, LED, fluorescent, pendant, or chandelier - is all up to your aesthetics and budget.

Almost forgot - we also have corner cabs with glass doors and shelves. Each has a 10W halogen puck inside on the ceiling of the cab. Those corner cabs really spiff it up for the price of glass doors. The halogen bulbs burn out regularly and are a total PITA to replace. I'm going to replace them with LED pucks.

My bicycle has a 5W Cree LED and it is painfully bright, so there are probably LED pucks out there that will do the job.

Thanks, measure_twice: I have 2 lights in my current kitchen and they're good with undercab lights. I'm probably over thinking the lighting in this small kitchen.

Deedles
We have darkish L-shaped cabinets and oak walls in our kitchen. I absolutely wanted to use an old leaded glass chandelier that had been in my parents' kitchen forever. The contractor was certain can lights and under cab. lighting would be sufficient with that light as a pendant over the table. They were not nearly so. The cones of light from the cans projected downward, and the fronts of the cabs were not lit. Even though there was light enough for working, the space looked dark.

Thid photo shows the space lit by can and under cab lights only:
It is a night photo which exaggerates the darkness, but you get the idea. All of the under cab and can lights are on. Notice the two small places in the corner which are the only places where the cones of light shine on the cab. fronts.

In addition, I found that I really needed an overhead fan in the kitchen. I love having windows and doors open in the summer, and we don't use air conditioning until it gets really hot out. The exhaust fan takes out a lot of the heat, but not all.

Added lighting--a fan and a 4-light flush mount:

Here is the difference the flush mount makes. Notice especially the light on cabinet fronts and ceiling.

And the way the whole thing looks from a distance:
(I knelt to take this pic. Usually the fan is partly obscured by beams and the flushmount wholly obscured:
{{!gwi}}

So I have cluttered a ceiling already cluttered by wood beams with two new fixtures. A flush mount 4-light fixture and the simplest white fan I could find. I love the light and circulation, and am willing to accept the ceiling ''litter.''

Personally, I would not be happy with just the flush mount, pendant, and under cabinet lighting OR just the cans and the pendant over the table. The dark wood and oak walls and floor ''eat'' light. The ungodly total of 10 can lights, a 3-light pendant over the table, a 4-light flush mount, a single light fan, and undercab lighting is none too much! (And I forgot to mention three sconces!)

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 15:34

Yikes! What a difference! Does your kitchen tend to be dark or is the natural light in the day pretty good?

Thank you for the info and the pics. I'll clip this so I can show DH when the time comes. He always thinks I want too much lighting and too big of windows, lol.

Deedles
The windows face west and slightly north. There is a 30'' door with full glass, a 40'' plus or minus by 36'' wide double crank out window over the sink, and the small window over the stove. No large trees obscure the light that enters the windows and door.

Natural light during daylight is pretty good, but not good enough on the island, since I work with my back to the windows, blocking the directional daylight from reaching the work area. The can lights make daylight acceptable without the flush mount. But at night!! Not so.

Also, of course, can lights do not illuminate the ceiling, which was always dark.

By the way, notice in the top picture there are only two places in the corner where the cans lights DO strike ANY of the cabinet fronts, and those are two small places on upper cab doors. The rest of the cabinet fronts are dark.

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 11:25

Yeah, your awesome gulper fish! (sorry can't remember what you called them) Point taken on the can lights.