I am pretty sure a large percentage of houses built in the late 80s and early 90s have a large fluorescent fixture in the kitchen. Back then, they were considered the most efficient way of throwing large amounts of light. Our house had one, along with the vast majority of houses in our neighborhood:
The problem is, that now in the 21st century, there are even MORE efficient lighting options available. Ones that throw much brighter and whiter light, not the yellow (humming) glow of fluorescent tube bulbs. So when I redid my kitchen, I knew the huge ceiling box had to go.Replacing a fixture like this is pretty straight forward. Messy? Yes. But otherwise it is pretty simple to replace.
First I removed the plastic diffuser panels.
Then I tore out the actually drywall covered box at the ceiling.
So eventually all I was left with was three large tubular lights and a flush ceiling with a gaping hole in it. 
Oh yeah.. and a HUGE MESS on the floor.
Next I removed the lamps themselves. (I would strongly suggest professional assistance when removing the old hard wired lamps and replacing them.)
Of course if you are comfortable with electrical work, you may be able to tackle installation of all next fixtures.
I decided on 5 LED can lights, a pendant over the sink and a chandelier over the island. (EVERYONE ASKS ME WHERE I BOUGHT THESE CHANDELIERS. UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE, BUT THIS ONE IS VERY SIMILAR. Here is another option you need a matched set of a large (5 light) and small (3 light). ) 
Next I patched the ceiling drywall.
Because our ceilings were orange peel textured, the patch looked terrible, and I knew I would have to mask it. 
I added some decorative chair railing, right on the lines of the old box fixture.
And then painted it to match the ceiling. 
I am so happy with the way it turned out. And the LED lights use a lot less energy. Plus the kitchen is so much brighter. Of course, eventually we painted the cabinets, installed a glass tile backsplash and stained the island, and ended up with a practically brand new kitchen:
When you see the side by sides, it is even more amazing of a transformation:
And the new light fixtures is one of my favorite parts:
