We also have a north window with a sink under it. We do have a more open space, so get some natural light from dining room as well. We got some professional help with the layout of the recessed lights. One of the designer's suggestions was 2 cans over the sink instead of one centered. It makes for a less shadowed area there.

I find I really count on the undercounter lights the most, though-- sometimes I find myself working in there without even turning on the overhead lights and I don't even notice for a while, especially if it gets dark when I'm cooking!

That's in the new house. Our current house has UCL, but also has track lights installed in the 80s. They are not pretty, but they are angled to shine the light on the cabinet contents, and there are so many, they provide a good ambient light as well. With the cans and UCL in the new house, I do notice that there isn't a lot of light on the upper cabs themselves. It's not like it's so dark I can't find the dishes or anything, it's just less than I'm used to.

Sorry I don't have a ton of specifics for you, just wanted to point out a couple of things. I'm sure you'll get some good advice from others.

Thank you, Lori!

-2 cans over the sink--good idea. Do you find you have a "double shadow" when working under those? I remember having something like that in one of our previous homes, but don't remember much about the "why's" of it.
-UCLs, definitely
-Still need a way to light up the contents of the cupboards when they are opened. Should I do cans in the walkways, or cans at the edges of the counters, or something else altogether? Where do I put them?

I've sketched in the sink cans and the hanging fixture over the island.

Any other ideas?

Have you tried the lighting forum? There was a really helpful person on there for quite a while--not sure if they still are, as I haven't been there myself in a while.

I put my 4" recessed lights just inside the lower cabinet's outer edges. These light the uppers just fine (for seeing in) and the lowers are drawers, and also therefore, are lighted just fine. If you needed to see in a lower, well, I don't have a solution other than a headlamp.

When I was spacing/placing mine, I thought about where I'd stand to work most often in the kitchen, and made sure I had a light on either side, instead of overhead. Sink is the clearest example, but in my house/kitchen, also the stovetop and my "prep area".

If you place the fixtures about 6-8 inches off the front of the counter edge, they will work much better. That puts more of the light on the front of what you're looking at instead of lighting the back of it.

A thought for your island might be to add cans to provide better edge lighting on the two sides that have work areas. A two bulb fixture where shown may not provide enough light where you need to be able to see well. To try this out, take a tall lamp and place it two feet back from the edge of your dining table and try to prep there and see how you feel about working when there isn't much light from the front.

Bumping for the new year. Our project starts in less than 2 weeks, woo-hoo!

I have not tried the lighting forum yet. The last time I looked over there, it seemed technical and scary; I've not ventured back. : P

A head lamp is what I've needed for the last few months that we've been using our stripped kitchen! I cook in semi-darkness. It's very "romantic," but it can get dicey when I try to cook ground beef and can't tell whether it's raw or done. I hope to eliminate that problem very soon.

So, if I'm understanding Bmore correctly, the lights around the sink need to be pulled closer to the front edge of the counter, correct? I agree that the island is going to need a bit more than the 2 light fixture.

Anyone want to throw some circles on my drawing and tell me where to put the lights? :)