I had an electrician fish a line and installed 2 track lighting fixtures on a dimmer for my living room. it easily could be done for your dining room

Thanks for the comment. Do your lights hang down at all? Or are they attached close to the ceiling?

Nancy, you've done a very nice job so far. I love the art over the mantel, and the turquoise with the neutrals. I will make further comments with some visuals later on.

You need a chandelier or pendant centered over the dining table and the bottom of it should be about 3 feet above the table top depending on the height of your ceiling at this point. This is a job for an electrician after you've found the fixture you like. (I have one in mind and will Photoshop it into your room presently.)

Now, the wall behind the chair that extends to the dining area needs some work. You have too many small disparate things, mostly hung too high, so I will Photoshop that wall, too, to give you some ideas there.

You are well on your way to a gorgeous space.

They are flush with the ceiling. Love them.

I think Tom Dixon's Beat Pendant Fat would be perfect over your table, but they're small, so you'd need two.

I would remove everything from the top and sides of the china cabinet, plus remove the hanging over the kitchen opening. I would do a black and white gallery on the big wall, stretching over behind the chair and the end of the couch (these happen to be Ansel Adams prints), and replace the table lamp with a floor lamp (something with a little interest) as shown.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your help. I was afraid the chandeliers would be too long a drop. The ceiling over the table is 18 ft. So that long a chord is ok? I love the ones you picked and found them online. They are a little pricy so I will try and and find some close. If not I will break the bank and get them. I have 2 flood lights 18 ft above the bar area but they are useless! Approximately what size are the pictures you used? I will look for black and whites. I also have two black and white photos I think I will get printed and use. I can search for a floor lamp easily enough!

There is a rule about how high the lamps should be over the table when the ceiling is that high, but in this case, I'd say 36" above the table top should do it. That will give you a drop of about 12.5'. It's done all the time, though your electrician might have to rewire the lamp to add a longer cord. It's not a big deal.

As for the black and white art, the framed pieces could be any medium size arranged in a pleasing gallery configuration to fill approximately the amount of space I've shown. Center the whole grouping of art between the china cabinet and the plane of the fireplace wall.

Let me give you a view from another angle to show what I mean. Back in a moment.

Excuse the red lines on your wall...but I've drawn them to illustrate the area for the gallery wall. The line with the arrows is to indicate that you want the same amount of space here as on the other side between the end of the photos and the china cabinet.

Also be sure not to hang your pictures too high. Ideally, the center of the grouping should be eye level when sitting down, or the bottom of the grouping just a few inches above the back of the furniture, though this can be fudged a bit for aesthetics.

Here are some examples of gallery walls, The first comes closest to what I envision in your space:

Ooh, Nancy, look what I found: $192
http://www.inmod.com/nuevo-karl-pendant.html#.U31MDCh2_fg

While I like the Dixon lights, they might be a bit too modern for the room. The style of the room seems to be a bit more Pottery Barn/Restoration Hardware..just my opinion

Love the lights! Will get them!

I see what you are saying about where to place the photos.mthanks

Interesting.thanks I will do just that!

I've moved the pot. Is this enough?

I have found a pendant that looks just like the last one you sent but it is 11 inches in diameter. Is that too big? They were 90.00. I found them on a lightingdirect.com website and it is under Globe electric 63871 Oil Rubbed Bronze Flo 1 light pendant. I dont know how to copy it to show you!

Hi, Nancy. I had to look back to remind myself of the dining room lighting. I think two 11" pendants will probably be fine (and $90 is a ganga price!), but here's a little test you can do. Clear the table, then take two 11" circles--plates, pot lids, paper cutouts, whatever you have--and set them on the table where the lights would go. Then, pretend you're Goldilocks: are they overpowering, dinky, or just right? (If they turn out really dinky, see if using three would work.)

Here

Here is my black and white gallery. I cleaned up the clutter, hung the photos on the wall as directed and am now ready to move on with the lighting over the table.

Here is the uncluttered dining area and kitchen. Do I need to eliminate the "stuff" over the cupboards?

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I see no stuff over the cupboards. Come to think of it, I see no cupboards, either. Your photos didn't seem to upload.

OH, thank goodness. Thought I'd gone blind for a minute there.

Looking good. I would probably take down the stuff over the cupboards. It just looks neater to me. If you keep it though, make sure you arrange it in groups instead of everything lined up like little soldiers.

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Yup. Maybe move the left grouping even further to the left. It's wider than the other groupings, so putting it a bit further away will help it balance better.

Nice work.
I'd take down the stuff on top of the kitchen cupboards to see how it looks. You can put it back up if you miss it.

I'm going to have glass inserts put in the cupboard doors that are over the stove and the two to the left. Is that enough? Or do I need to do all of the upper cupboard doors?

Does that just leave one set of upper doors not glass or are there more out of sight of the photo?

it will leave 2 large sets of doors. I planned on only the ones to the left of the microwave and just above the microwave to have the glass. the ones to the right of the micro will stay wood and the large set to the far left will stay wood.

I would do all or none - the space doesn't seem to be large enough to carry the two types without it looking a bit untidy. How's it coming along?

think I will do none then! Just got a quote on putting in my lights over the dining area, ug! $1000.00. Kinda much for two lights i think but he has to rent scaffolding to reach the ceiling and that is like $250 of the total!

He's making a profit on the scaffolding, then. I just checked rates in my area and a whole week's rental is $125.

At first I thought the rest of the charge sounded excessive till I went back and read that there is no light there now. Bringing in the new wiring is the bulk of the expense, whether you were installing one light or 15. Still, you might get a second or third estimate on this one.

Ok. Will do.

New home...a townhome in N Carolina and I am stumped with the windows in the living room. The highest windows are the challenge to me. The window and the door are not the same size. Should I use blinds on the small Windows? The room is pretty small so should I forget the blinds and keep it clean? The walls are "boring" beige but at this time I do not want to paint. Would sheers or semi sheers possibly work if they are not closed on lower window