You don't have to get the cans in white -- there are different trim colors available (e.g. nickel, ORB, black, etc). If you go with white, the trims are paintable.

I would find in most cases just go with white trim and do not paint them.

LED 3k will be a good bet. Most of the time your contractor provides them, ask them what brand they use

You will have a dark spot if you do not balance the light on the other side.

PS that island isnt very big, and you have nice window across I would reconsider pendant lights there and do i simple fixture over the nook table. too much is too much sometimes.

you will want a light over the sink, or else you will always have a shadow obscuring your work there

@RL Relocation LLC thank you for your comments, something to think about, but what did you mean by a dark spot on the other side - the nook side? Just to clarify, current plan would be 3 cans along the side with the fridge, and 3 cans along the side labeled "nook", but on the island side of the nook, not above the actual nook itself, which has very little space above the nook ceiling and the outside "mini-roof" which is really just an overhang with shingles.

@Moore4 yes, was thinking the same thing, perhaps another can over the sink?

Without seeing an exact plan, I'm worried you are going to have a dark spot at the nook, or at the nook side of your island. Here's a website that might help you plan: https://digthisdesign.net/diy-tips/dining-table-lighting/. It's focused on dining tables, but you can use the same info to calculate the beam spread and see what parts of your countertops will be lit. I used an online triangle calculator to get the exact spreads.

Definitely have a can over the sink. It should be positioned directly over the center of the sink, or a bit closer to the window, so that bodies standing at the sink don't throw shadows over the work area. Undercabinet lighting will also be very helpful.

@mcarroll16 thank you, the dining room page is very interesting and definitely helps with the planning process; she also has some pages on kitchen lighting with some general advice. So... I just found another article on the different site that disagrees with her advice on recessed lighting placement. Sigh. I'm going to use your suggestion of the online triangle calculator and do my own projections. Are you plotting the plan on paper, or are you using a software program?

https://www.proremodeler.com/right-way-light-kitchen

That's an interesting article! I admit, I haven't researched kitchen lighting that much, because we have a designer handling that part of our house. The dining/living room is where I'm on my own. Looking at our designer's plans, she's using the method outlined in your link. Lights over the edge of the countertop, plus undercabinet lighting. Here's my own mockup of her design, as an example. (I "draw" in Excel.)

Without question put a light over the sink and on it's own switch. I tend to agree with mcarroll16 about the nook and suggest having a a round electrical box in the ceiling that also works off it's own switch to hang whatever you want for lighting.

It's easier and cheaper to install everything now, even if you think it may be overkill as long as the the extra's are on their own switches. I installed everything i mentioned above and also included 5 cans in the ceiling operated on one switch. I also put a switched electrical outlet on the wall above an upper cabinet for what ever I might put up there. Odds are you may find a need for the switched outlet at some point, I did.

Whatever you do, a light over the sink defiantly is a must, (on it's own switch).

Agree with kevin9408 on everything! Our current sink light is on its own switch and we love it. For early morning coffee our favorite "lighting plan" is the sink light, so we can see enough to make coffee, and the gentle glow of the screens we are reading. I would also want the nook light on its own switch, and island pendants on their own switch.

Also agree on wiring everyting now. You can install a lightbox and cover it with a flat plate that you paint the color of your ceiling. In fact, that's what we are doing in a few locations. DH is not ready to purchase pendants. We will wire now, and install at our leisure. Installing lighting into an existing junction box is a pretty simple DIY job.

@outpaientzero I'm intrigued by the switched outlet idea. What kind of uses do you see for that? We're planning under-cabinet power strips, but I've got a little bit of time where I could add something like this.

@mcarroll16 we've used it for Christmas decorations in the past, right now my wife has a butterfly lamp up there with wings made of stained glass she always uses in the early morning to get around. Great for led strip lighting if you wish, and really anything needing power.

It's a duplex outlet but only one outlet is switched and the other is live all the time. Easy to do, and have a few more around the house wired the same way so a lamp can be switched but there still is a live outlet available for other things. Everything I did was permitted and inspected by our state electrical inspector and it's nothing new.

Thanks. I know they aren't new, and I'm considering them in the living room, for some lighting. Just wondering if I was overlooking a useful kitchen application. Now I'm thinking we should use a few for energy efficiency. We've got some countertop appliances that I don't want to plug and unplug constantly, but also don't need to be drawing power 24/7. I'll talk to the electrician about options.

Sorry to hijack, carlisa!

@mcarroll16 @outpaientzero Hijack away! Am learning so much from this discussion, including things I never would have thought of. Had two different electricians say the same thing about the recessed lighting, so I thought, okay, that must be common knowledge, but of course now I realize I need to be more on top of the lighting plan.

@mcarroll16 thanks for posting your schematic, so each yellow circle is a can, except for the two pendants? (Also, re Excel - haven't used it for drawing, but that's a great idea too, have been using it for other parts of the planning process, even though I get a bit of the side-eye when I walk into appliance stores with a spreadsheet comparing five different microwave models ;)

@outpaientzero that switched outlet is intriguing, will have to think about that, along with the separate switches for the sink, pendant, recessed and nook lighting (if the latter is doable with the relatively shallow area above the nook ceiling).

Yes, yellow circles are cans, except the ones with a P. I don't know whether they are 4" cans or 6" cans. Side note, I marked pendants where our designer suggested them, but we're actually going to use recessed cans there, just on a separate switch. RL Relocation suggested similar for your kitchen too. If you are doing a pendant over the nook, I think she's right about cans over the island.

I am frequently surprised by what surprises appliance store staff. Do most people truly not research before shopping? I got laughs for carrying in paper cutouts of my pans to make sure my usual cooking combos would fit on different cooktop layouts. Who wouldn't test that?

@mcarroll16 "I got laughs...." I know, right?!? Thanks for the smile today :)