Effective lighting makes a kitchen not only more functional but more pleasant.  Ideally, a kitchen should be free of both shadows and glare.  There should be ambient lighting in most areas, as well as task lighting over work areas.  Shiny surfaces reflect light and generally work well in a kitchen.  High-gloss paint on cabinets, glossy counters, and glassy tiles make a kitchen bright and easy to clean.  Start the planning process by deciding how the entire kitchen can be suffused with general illumination.  A modest-sized kitchen may need only one source of ambient lighting, but adding another can have a stunning effect and highlight the kitchen's features.  Place a single large light in the center of the room.  Then, if you choose to install recessed or track lights, run them around the ceiling's perimeter.  

   Almost every kitchen needs undercabinet lighting.  In standard kitchen design, the bottoms of wall cabinets are 54 inches above the floor and 18 inches above the countertop.  Most adults standing at a countertop cannot

see under the wall cabinet, making it the perfect place for task lighting.

   To enhance a lighting system's flexibility, place some lights on dimmer switches.  Dimmers allow for just the right amount of light at the right moment you need it.  Some kitchen designers underestimate the significance of proper lighting in a kitchen but designers need to understand that lighting can make or break a kitchen design.