Lighting is one of THE most important aspects of interior design. One of the biggest mistakes I've found that people make is they scrimp on their lighting budget. Lighting is one of the last decisions people make when building or remodeling their home. Often by the time you come to choosing lighting you have stretched your budget pretty thin and need to make sacrifices. Don't sacrifice on lighting! Plan ahead and save money elsewhere, because lighting is one place you don't want to cut corners.
I think that it's important to have multiple sources of light in each room, but especially the kitchen. In your kitchen you need a fair amount of task lighting. Consider your lighting needs for your kitchen island, over your sink, and under your cabinets. You don't want to have dark spots or shadowy spots where you are trying to work. Various lighting sources also creates mood lighting which is a must for a well designed lighting plan. In my kitchen I have under cabinet lighting, canned LED lighting, island pendant lighting, a schoolhouse fixture over my sink, and a large fixture over my dining table. They can each serve a purpose individually, or I can turn them all on to light up the room. My mood and energy seems to shift with a brightly lit room. I love it to be bright and full of light when I'm cooking and cleaning. One of my favorite times of the day though, is after dinner when the kitchen is "closed down" for the night. Everything is cleaned up, the dishwasher is quietly working away and only the under counter lights and the light above the sink are on to give the room some mood lighting. It makes me happy just thinking of it.
Lighting is one of the best ways to make a statement in a your home. Great lighting is something people will instantly notice. I like to think of lighting as the jewelry of the room. It gives your room that little bit of bling and is a great way to give your home some personality.