This discussion neglects the beam angle of the bulb in the fixture. These can vary from about 15 degrees to around 50 degrees. Additionally, tilting a Gimbel fixture does not necessarily cut off light as the beam is a three-dimensional paraboloid for which the math is much more complex than this simplistic tangent formula. The guidelines here will put you in the ballpark however. Unfortunately many "lighting experts" don't really know lighting. RPI (Rennselaer Polytechnic) has a lighting division with good information on line for those interested. I attended their one-day course prior to designing our own lighting for a kitchen renovation. The course was very helpful.

If you kitchen is part of the open plan, do yourself a favour and have a good extractor - there is nothing worse than the smell of food getting into your soft furnishings! I love open plan, but for me it's still important to keep separate 'zones' like a definite eating area and seating area. Screens or even moving bookshelves are a great way to create flexible areas that can be opened up if need be. Some closed rooms are always good if you can have them too. Storage is massively important, as everyone has mentioned. Firstly though, use the move as an opportunity to get rid of your clutter. It's hard at first but then it feels amazing. I would say really look at the plans and utilise the 'dead' space. This is space that you aren't really going to use i.e. nooks under stairs etc and figure out how to make them useful. When you are planning the kitchen too, look at what you own that needs a "home" i.e. tall cupboards for vacuum cleaners, brooms etc and also what can be decorative yet practical - Nice saucepans hung up are better than overflowing drawers. I would also take everything up to the ceiling where you can. It creates storage and looks more elegant. Noise does carry more in open plan so look at your materials and chose fittings that help absorb the noise - wood floors for example will clatter less than tiles. Make use of rugs and soft furnishings too, this will all help. Finally, (gosh I do go on don't I) the most important thing is to make the space work for you. Your family will have it's needs and dynamics so take some time to figure out what these are and meet those needs. Does your family create mounds of washing that will need drying areas? Do you have a bazillion shoes? Really look at these things and make them a priority in your design. As bookworm said, clutter is worse than having less floor space. This is the less sexy part of designing but if you get a space to work for you, it will be much more enjoyable to live in. This doesn't mean making it a weird, unsellable house but just making it practical. Also, if you are going to put the whole family upstairs then I would recommend soundproofing the walls (it's not a massive expense) and you have a downstairs bathroom somewhere as it's nice to have the segregation if you have guests.

Hi Lee, I'd say yes and yes to your questions! As Oranges17 said, it may be worth considering a separate pendant over the dining table too. When you select the LED fittings and the dimmer, the main factor to consider is the low level dimming levels that can be achieved. Generally, the higher quality the LED fitting, the better its low level dimming will be. The same is true for LED replacement bulbs used in standard fittings. Once you know how many fittings you have, you can then spec the dimmer to suit them. This is important with LEDs as you can go under the minimum load with the dimmer which can cause problems. This can be dealt with, but I've digressed from your question! Also, have you considered under cabinet lighting? This can greatly improve both the look and the practicality of a kitchen. Can you put one set of switches in the kitchen and another set in the dining room so you don't have as far to walk?! Thanks Peter

Belated thanks, Nisha. So I have compiled some albums of photos so you don't have to trawl through all the threads. Hopefully this works: someone let me know by posting, please? Completed house: https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157700454483311 The whole, messy, process: https://www.flickr.com/photos/reshington/albums/72157684375457971