In a way there is it is called cable lighting and I use it a lot for homes with very high ceilings What is really cool about it is you can run it so that you can even do drop heads above end tble sin the middle of the space . I use TECH it has the best choice of heads , You need to go tho a good lighting store and check out all the choices you havs and also an installer who has worked with this type of lighting.

This is appropriate if the home is modern. If not, a lot of people put a chandelier in the middle of the room. I have a living room like this and I find a ceiling fan to be indispensible in the summer to push down the warm air from the second floor. Otherwise the second floor is much warmer than the first floor. If you haven't lived in this house during the summer you should see what it's like before committing yourself. But for anything other than ambiant lighting you are going to need lamps to bring light down to the human level.

RH used to sell an Architect's Boom Light that really extended into a space.