You have some good ideas. It is the tile on the counter and the back splash that seems to be sucking all the light out of the area.

Brighten up can have different meanings but IMO that space needs brighter lighting and I suggest 3500- 5000K for bulbs to keep the space looking less yellow. Most of my clients like 4000K 6000K has a very blue cast and not approprtiate in most homes . This is a good look at the different lights from LEDs

Patricia: is blue-ish good for garage work and why.... ? Thanks if you would respond...

What kind of bulbs are in the track lighting?

A couple of things that I noted when looking at the space. One is that the lighting is all high overhead and backsplash is in a shadow. Can you add some under counter lighting? Some of the lights can be mounted and simply plugged into on of your outlets.

If the microwave includes a surface light for the range turn it on.

A good daylight lightbulb in the track will brighten things up. I like Cree brand 5000k lightbulbs,

I know that sounds crazy, but each manufacturer describes their daylight as 5000 k , but that can really range from 4500 to 5500, so each one can be significantly different than another brand. Cree has the color I like and has a high CLI (Color rendering index). You will get less of a blue look and more of a look like you would expect to see at 2:00 in the afternoon.

Adding light/bright colored decor. A few white or light colored objects or brightly colored objects set on the counter will break up all the brown.

everdebz,

I use the same Cree lightbulbs in my basement workshop and garage as I do in the rest of my home. I was first introduced to daylight lightbulbs when I did detailed needle work and was shown a daylight magnifying lamp that was produced for this exact purpose. What you were working on was so much clearer than using regular incondecent bulbs. This was 25 years ago and you paid a premium price for lighting of this quality.

When I learned about Kelvins and CRI was when I was working at the Humane Society and we needed lighting for the surgical/medical suites. Once again 5000 K was the recommendation.

I have never used a 6000 k light in my home or anywhere I have worked, but have always used 5000 k when I needed good lighting for detailed work.