Kitchen planning: Lighting

The plan for the kitchen lighting has admittedly been a difficult one. I started with one basic premise: no recessed lights. You wouldn't believe the amount of pushback those three words can cause. Apparently not many people go this route for their kitchen renovations and information on lighting a kitchen without recessed cans was hard to come by. I finally found some general lighting guidelines that might help:

30 lumens per square foot for ambient lighting

75 lumens per square foot for task lighting

50 lumens per square foot for lighting at table

So for my kitchen, which is roughly 230 square feet, I figured on 4 general lighting fixtures (100 watts each), one central light over the table/island, and wall sconces by the windows, along with under-cabinet lights wherever possible (plus the vent hood will have its own lights). This will provide plenty of light from different directions, minimizing problematic shadows and providing flexibility for different situations. Having survived just fine for several years with nothing but a desk lamp for lighting in my kitchen, I am of the mind that this is probably way overkill, but I'd rather have the ability to turn on fewer lights than to need more. Once I had the quantity sorted, I spent some time with the floor plan to locate just where they'd go. 

Now that I had the quantity and location nailed down, I could do the sourcing. To Craigslist!

I found a matching pair of Art Deco skyscraper shades for $60. 

They coordinated well with another group of lights I bought previously (also off Craigslist - are you sensing a theme?) for the living room, these Rejuvenation fixtures:

Retail price: $445(!) I paid $200 for 4 Art Deco fixtures with shades, one spare shade, plus one schoolhouse light with its fixture!

A little bit of research showed that the smaller shades are fairly easy to find, so I was ok with trying to source 2 more later. Unfortunately, one of them broke on its way into the house, so I have to find 3 more. 

I am still not sure what specific chandelier or sconces or undercabinet lighting I will use. What I do know is that the sconces will be mounted on the window trim between windows. There's about 7" of space between each window, the perfect amount of room for a light. Can't picture a sconce on the window trim? Here's an example:

Gardenweb user aokat15

Since they are supposed to serve as task lighting for the sink and countertop, mine will probably be something with a metal shade to direct light downward rather than out. But at least the locations are set, so I can wire up the boxes and wait for the Craigslist gods to send me a sign.