nice kitchen.

You can start out by buying some cheap battery powered lights and installing them with sticky things. That could tell you whether you really like then enough to install 'real ones'

I think you will want powered ones.

Of course, you could try rope lights too. They hide nice.

Lovely combination of counter and backsplash. I don't think you are factoring the amount of light the dark mini blind and dark valence are sucking. The before pictures show a light colored mini blind and it was open. The after pictures show a closed blind.

LED strips would be the best solution. It's too bad you didn't plan for them before you installed the backsplash. You have made an electricians job a lot harder. There really isn't an answer until you determine how hard it will be to supply power to the lights. That will require an electrician.

You might consider painting your cabinets white. It will give you an additional reflective surface.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. I know I created this problem out of ignorance. To be honest, under cabinet lighting didn't even enter my mind until after everything was already done and I saw how dark it is and when, in another thread, someone else mentioned they have Blue Pearl Granite and installed LED under cabinet lighting which made the blue chips in the granite really pop. When I first thought about adding the lighting I assumed the power source would be created inside the cabinet which meant the backsplash already being installed wouldn't be an issue. But, after doing some research online I see it can be added to wall outlets and switches. It's kinda looking like I'll be stuck with battery operated lights or no lights at all. :(

No, that's not the case. Don't give up, yet. You need to talk to a licensed electrician. Only then can you assess the trouble and cost. Switches can be placed under the cabinet and not on the wall.

It's a question of how much it's going to cost to get materials and switches. I don't feel qualified to advise you on budget. Yes, it would have cost you less to do it before you installed the backsplash. But, it can still be done. It's a question of how much and how hard it is to give you what you want.

Call someone and take a few quotes. The cost may be well within you budget. It may be ridiculously hard or expensive. You won't know until you ask.

You already have outlets behind the microwave and refrigerator. Your stove hood is probably wired somehow also. My sister removed her cabinets and put an outlet in the cabinet to power her led lights. I think it would be a good idea to get an estimate for the costs of installing LEDS if you can't figure out a way to do it yourself.I used Home Depot Armacost and I really like them. I did a wash against the back splash.I have them on a timer and they are on from morning to night and really brighten up the dark counters and back splash.

i chose not to do hard wired lights for under cab lighting. i honestly just did not want to spend thousands for something i had never had and could get by without. i started with led puck lights that are battery operated from lowes. they run the batteries down very quickly so i bought led strip lights from lowes that plug in to my wall outlet. they can connect to each other so multiple strips run off 1 plug. they are super thin and cant be seen even without trim on the cab bottoms and secure with 2 small clips hence 2 tiny screws per strip.

Thanks everybody! I have hope again!! Karenseb - I hadn't even considered using existing hidden outlets. Brilliant! ardcp - Your suggestion of the strip lights coupled with Karenseb's idea should work out great!!