I really love the fourth light you posted. I would love the details on it. And, I sent you an email via your page with a related comment.

localeater - I've pasted a link to the fourth light fixture. It is made my Cerno.

Thanks for the message, I think I've addressed the issue!

Here is a link that might be useful: pendant

Sochi, thanks for posting the link.
Thinking about your space, your original choice, which is ruled out because it is too large, has a certain softness that I dont really get from other of the other selections.
I posted a link of something interesting, the small is 6.5" cant embed pictures as I am at work-sorry

Here is a link that might be useful: caravaggio opal

localeater, the caravaggio opal is lovely, I will consider that. I see what you mean about the softness of the first light, I will keep that in mind as I continue to search.

How much recessed lighting do you have? Is that enough to light the space essentially on it's own? If not, it should be. You don't want to rely on pendants, of any wattage really, to provide the primary lighting in any part of a kitchen.

In fact, in many commercial spaces the pendant lighting *looks* like it lights the room but it is just there for a little bit of sparkle lighting, infill lighting, and visual interest. Very even lighting through recessed lighting is too "flat" for many scenarios.

I also want to address "blocking" the view with fixtures. Sure a certain type of large or opaque fixture, or a fixture in the wrong spot can block views, but sometimes a hanging fixture helps frame a view and/or put it into some sort of perspective.

I would look at Niche Modern lighting because they are essentially transparent fixtures

Here is a link that might be useful: Niche Modern

I love the Italian ones. And their pendants too,

Take a look at this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: White oak pendant

ravencajun, that is lovely and could certainly work. Looks like it is only available in Australia though, which makes Italy seem rather close.

Pal, I looked at Niche and really like most of them. This one could work, but I thought it might be a bit too refined, not casual enough given our casual, wooded location? Am I over thinking this? This one pictured below looks a bit like an old lantern though.

Hmm, perhaps we made a mistake and have insufficient lighting in the kitchen, probably my fault as I think that there are always too many pots and I deleted a few from the original plan. Here is the revised lighting plan, many, many recessed lights all over the DR and hall, none in the kitchen. Remember that the kitchen is very small. There is under counter lighting on the cooking run, and the three pendants over the peninsula, essentially for task lighting, which is hopefully fine given the number of lights near the kitchen.

I originally planned for a hanging light in the stairwell, but once the walls and windows were up and I saw the view of the trees out the windows I changed my mind. It isn't that a light would so much block the view, but obscure or interfere unnecessarily. Ditto for over the DR table. When you walk into the main living space from the hall your eyes immediately go up and out the windows to the tree canopies. I didn't want to interfere, but your notion of using lighting to enhance the view intrigues me. My architect is all for minimalism in the extreme, so he readily agreed to no hanging lighting. The pendants over the peninsula don't interfere with major sight lines at all.

I would probably put two recessed cans in the aisle of the kitchen one lining up with the center set, one lining up with the right hand set, or perhaps closer to the window with that one, as alignment in that particular corner may not be crucial. (Both lined up with the can in the hallway outside near the fridge). (I tend to like perfect grids of lighting because I think they "show" less by turning into a pattern)

I probably would have lit this house differently but that's because I don't like recessed cans in living spaces, I may have tried some kind of hidden soffit lighting, or recessed wall lighting, but that's neither here nor there. I've looked at some of these sorts of fixtures for my place and get the feeling they would increase the lighting budget about 8 to ten fold.

I think what I am talking about with using a pendant to put a view in perspective only works in this sort of house with something like the Niche Modern fixtures, which are transparent, so you would look through them and it would add some subtle color and distortion to the view, which could be interesting especially in winter. In summer they might disappear more because of the stronger outdoor colors.

Pal, in the Niche Crystalline series, would you recommend clear only? I quite like the smoked, don't love the brighter colours for this application. No indigo available sadly. The Axia, Delinia and Calla could all work size-wise. One of each?

It may be too late to easily install additional recessed lights, but I will inquire, thanks for the advice.

Budget is an issue. I really wanted to not make this a mega budget project for several reasons and we had to keep the lighting simple. I'm not sure if we compromised in the right places though. We didn't end up doing museum reveals and dry wall return type doors (only the windows). I already regret this.

I would pick one and stick with that. They don't have to be clear, I like the smoked ones.

I think Delina is too complex. Calla is what I would pick in that series.

What about Pod? Bella? or something from that series. They come in the blue.

I don't think you will regret not doing the drywall returned doors in the long run. I always look carefully at this sort of stuff and often they don't seem to have held up very well. Realistically a narrow trim, or a periscope jamb with the drywall dying into it on the wall (not a cheap detail but not like a kerfed or drywall door return)--holds up better.

I've been thinking about this a lot because I want to do at least recessed baseboards and drywall window returns and I am vacillating about the door detail. Luckily there is only the front door downstairs (The basement door is being jibbed and the others are sliders). But I ruled out a plaster or drywall corner at the doors.

For the money I'd choose the Pharos in that series I think, works with my architect's boat theme for the house. I've been lusting for the Encalmo-Stamen for years. Real budget buster that one, but gorgeous, great colours.

Thanks for making me feel better about the drywall returns. I should have asked about recessed baseboards, but I'm sure I'll get over the disappointment.

btw, I'm not loving the white cabs in the kitchen, but will wait for the whole thing to be finished and live with it for some time before doing anything drastic...

I did one small area of Museum reveal on some cabinetry and it was billed by the inch.

I don't think the floors are flat enough in my house to get away with an actual museum reveal because everything would have to dip or undulate to keep that small gap even. But I may be able to have a similar gap a few inches up over a piece of baseboard.

Also this is more durable too. You have to be careful not to hit the wall with the vacuum cleaner with a museum reveal.

I agree that you would wait until you've lived in it to see about the white cabinets. You are looking at things kind of "empty" right now. But for some reason I had thought there was a color involved.

I didn't even look at the Niche Modern pricing. They just seemed like the obvious candidate.

No colour in the cabs, possible still for the back painted glass backsplash. I haven't taken a backsplash decision yet as I wanted to see if I could live with the cabinets first.

Here are some pictures. Love the oak floors that you can just barely see, the veneer on the open shelves coordinates reasonably well too I think. The floors are knotty with a slight pickle to them, the shelves don't have the knots.

Hi Sochi,

It is looking great! I cant wait to see more pics! I like the second light the best.

I have recessed lighting and Pamplisest is right on. I never use my pendants. But I like how they look up there anyway.

Schi, I love your oak floors! I can't wait to see more of them. I like the 2nd lamp with your floors and cabinets. What counter and backsplash are you going with?