Most CFL and LED light sources have a CRI (Color Rating Index) in the mid 80's but Halogen Bulbs have a perfect rating of 100 (Agrell 102). The Halogens I use for lighting the main room in my house, and for reading desk-lamps, can be bought at Batteries + Bulbs for about $1.75 a piece. They run at 43 watts but are the equivalent of the old 60 watt bulbs (Meyer). Some new 60w equivalent LED bulbs feature 93+ CRIs such as the BlueMax™ 9w Dimmable LED but they can cost around $21.00 a piece ("BlueMax™ 9w Dimmable LED"). For that much for a single 93+ CRI LED, a consumer could buy a dozen 100 CRI halogens and have spares in case of breakage. As technology is ever improving the long life of new LEDs may outlast the high investment cost. The BlueMax 16w G30 Globe 60w CFL costs around $12.00 each when bought in bulk, but still only have a 93+ CRI and I would rather have 6 or 7 halogen bulbs with perfect CRI for that money ("BlueMax 16w G30 Globe 60w CFL"). As mentioned, technology is always improving but for now, for my money, I would go with the perfect 100 CRI, 60w equivalent, halogen bulbs, because they simply have the highest quality of light, are cheap and will not outlast the initial investment, and if one breaks the replacement cost doesn't break the bank! Works Cited Agrell, David. “Understanding LED Lightbulbs.” Popular Mechanics. 191.2 (2014): 100-102. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2016. http://0-web.b.ebscohost.com.catalog.poudrelibraries.org/ehost/detail/detail?sid=d0cb3185-f240f431c-a865-003987c4b78e%40sessionmgr198&vid=6&hid=101&bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbG12ZQ%3d%3d#AN=94424560&db=ap "BlueMax™ 9w Dimmable LED." Full Spectrum Solutions. 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/full_spectrum_led_hd_bulbs_143_ctg.htm "BlueMax 16w G30 Globe 60w CFL." Full Spectrum Solutions. 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/14w_globe_674_prd1.htm Meyer, Tom. Personal Interview. 26 March 2016.

I am not a designer for sure, but I've heard to use metal, wood and stone for a nice blend. Your space is already pretty bright. If you want a mirror, make sure it has a dark frame to offset the light. I would leave the current light. Babies are more important than a new light. What do you think about painting the light fixture over the table? It could even be red! Use a color you would use in the living room also. Or, you could paint just the wire covers on the lights. You have chrome/silver in the light and chairs. These are considered "cool". I think you can mix warm and cool. Just add more warm than cool so warm wins out. Warm to me means reds, oranges, browns, greens, gold, bronze, yellow. I just read recently that if you want to put a rug in the kitchen/dining area to use an indoor/outdoor rug that can be hosed off and air dried. I think the dining table might look better in a dark color. If you don't want to paint it, put something with color on the table. I would use a placemat in the center. You can find these on clearance all the time, so you can change the color or theme with the seasons-cheap! A basket of flowers or a pretty platter (you might need melamine, so it won't break). I'd stay away from candles, so the kids don't get hurt. You might put a play area backed up to the couch, with a rug and low shelves and baskets for toys. My daughter in law uses clear totes to store toys. She doesn't let her daughter have access to everything at once. She rotates totes, so she has something new to play with. Don't you just hate TV cords? You can hide some of them with cloth wraps made to cover cords. Match the color to the paint on the wall. You might find them at home improvement stores. You can put a fireplace screen that is tri-fold in front of the fireplace to help prevent accidents. Can you turn your sofa to face the TV? I'm just throwing ideas out there. This is fun for me. Funny thing is, I can't seem to fix the flaws in my own house, so don't think I know it all.

Sean, I love red. I have red Persian carpets in the room with Bear Creek paint on the walls. The problem with red paint in your kitchen is that it will be jarring. Red with bright white will be very agitating especially early in the morning. A deep red is beautiful in a dining room especially with wood, but that's the point, you would put much softer trim in a red dining room. I would honor your wife's wishes for red by bringing in red in accent colors. I found a modern glass red bowl for fruit for the island, red towels and even a red Persian runner would be wonderful. If you ever paint a room red be sure to prime the walls blue first, otherwise the red will never be true. You could even bring in other red elements by way of fabric to add that special punch of color to this room. But no red walls in this kitchen - IMO - and again I love red.

Pool tables are not something that you move around. They are very very heavy and have to be perfectly level. Once set up they stay there. Movers don't even want to move them for fear of cracking the slate. We are the 3rd owners of our house and the pool table has not moved since it was originally installed. So yes put in a pool light over the table. It's traditional to have one.