It depends on the style of the fixture, and what else is in the kitchen.

Can lights are used so much now to provide enough light in the kitchen while being less noticable.

Lighting the sink and lighting counters with no upper cabinets is an excellent use of can lights. I like 4" cans with MR16 LV lamps on about 2-2.5' centers over counters and the sink.

I have a bit of everything! I do have one small can over my sink flanked by two pendants (8' of window). Since that is my focal point, I put a modern fluorescent fixture centered over my island, 4 additional cans at the corners of the room, a ceiling fixture by the basement stairs and a matching one near the refrigerator/wet bar wall. I also have undercabinet fluorescent lighting which is what I use most in the evening when I don't want to have a dark kitchen.

So, to answer your question, I don't believe that ceiling lights are old-fashioned. There are tons of cools ones out there!

Oh well, I guess I just dated myself :)

I've seen designer kitchens in magazines that have used more ceiling fixtures, rather than less, to get better light without using cans. What would be out of style would be some of the very cheaply constructed fixtures of the past and ones totally lacking any attempt to charm on the assumption no one looks at ceilings. The biggest style change over the past couple of decades has been in our notions of what's appropriate quality-wise--on all surfaces.

I have a can over my sink. I have a total of 6 cans in the work space of my kitchen.

I have an eat in kitchen, so our hanging fixture is over the kitchen table. I did not want any other hanging fixture so that nothing would visually compete with the kitchen table fixture.

If they're dated, then eventually, they'll come around to be fashionable again - that's the way I looked at doing my kitchen. I didn't redo my kitchen to stay up with the trends - I did my kitchen to be able to ENJOY IT. I have NO canned or pendants in my kitchen (finished last September), and I'm happy with that.

We have a two-60 watt fixture over the sink, a four-bulb fluorescent fixture over the island, a 6-60 watt chandelier over the dining table, and 4 undercabinet fluorescent fixtures. (We also have California's codes requiring so much of the lighting to be fluorescent.) Oh, we also have a duel setting halogen over the stove. I'm happy, it all coordinates together. Period. Oh, and for those on a budget, the canned lights do take a contractor extra time to put them in where they didn't exist before, so that might add to your budget.

In the link below, you can see the 2 ceiling fixtures and the undercounters. The range wasn't installed at that point, and the chandelier is in another picture in the same album (it's behind the photographer).

DonnaR/CA

Here is a link that might be useful: Donna's kitchen

The type of light you use should be adequate to the area its being used in or for (ie in this case, task lighting). I think all kinds of styles are being used, but more effort is made to ensure quality, even above head. If you're not a dangley light person :) Than flush mount fixtures are fine. In my house, we have a mix of all types of lighting, flush, can and dropped lights or chandeliers. Each was picked based on what I wanted from the lighting.

I, personally, do not like can lighting. I think it is way over used and makes the higher elevation (read: areas of the room from about 6' and up) of a room look boring. We had a really nice flush mount above our sink in our old house and I loved it!

Our local lighting store recommended can lights over the open areas, then flush and semi flush over the windows and some pendants over our peninsulas. We also have undercabinet lighting. All is dimmable. Our electrician agreed that it would give us good multipurpose lighting so we'll see.