Oh, I feel your pain. My cat jumped on a table in the lr to look out the window (early in the morning, pleated shades down). She knocked over the lamp, broke the finial and the Kraft paper shade shattered all over the place. Just the shade was over $50 to replace. Wanted to strangle her!!!! Have you tried Home Goods, TJ or Marshalls? I often see great lamps there for little money. Here's another alternative for you from Crate and Barrel. Probably too expensive, though if they have an outlet near you (they do near me), it might be worth checking out. Here is a link that might be useful: Crate and Barrel lamp

I think it depends on how you plan to use the conference room. If it's primarily for meetings, I would get a round table. The circumference of a 48" round is about 150", which will allow 6 people to sit comfortably for a meeting as long as the chairs aren't too wide. If you will be using the space primarily for presentations on a screen at one end, then I would choose a narrow rectangle or oval. You could even make an inexpensive custom rectangle out of pre-finished MDF and pre-made legs or newel posts.

For the beach, you might want to opt for solid wood chairs and separate cushions that can be washed and/or changed as needed. Wide slat ladder back chairs would likely be more comfortable than "x" back. Do sit in whatever chair you are considering before buying it. You can even upscale your choice or keep the cost down, depending upon the style you choose. https://www.google.com/search?q=oak+wide+slat+ladder+back+chairs&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjeoYXv_NPaAhVP11MKHeGSBi4QsxgIKA&biw=1366&bih=650 https://www.staples.com/Dixie-Seating-Adult-Ladder-Back-Side-Chair-Unfinished/product_WYF078281100928?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:WYF078281100928&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=WYF078281100928&KPID=WYF078281100928&cvosrc=pla.dotcom-sales-google.Furniture&cvo_crid=225637758650&cvo_campaign=948126433&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0_b_nvrT2gIVQh2BCh3fNgpFEAQYBSABEgLUM_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds With solid wood ladder back chairs, you can stain them and keep the wood finish or you can paint them any cheerful color you want. And, unless seriously abused, they can last a really long time. I still have four similar chairs (oak wood and five back slats) that date back to 1971. Especially if your floor is wood, you might want to add some small inexpensive "feet" to protect the floor. Some are even adjustable to help you level the chair on uneven flooring. Some are self adjusting and will tilt if the legs of your chair are not a ninety degree straight leg. You can get many different kinds of feet -- some with plastic/rubber or felt or even a ball. The price range reflects the many different kinds of feet available. You can get them in large packs so table and every chair will have the same feet. https://www.google.com/search?q=feet+for+breakfast+chair&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjY28jY-tPaAhWDulMKHbKfCFQQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=650#spd=17717640152922365087&spf=1524608902429

This is normal wiring. I don’t believe you can attach two wires under one screw.. I would pig tail the wires and install a box of the proper fill size. by the way it doesn’t t sound like the prior owner did a great job. Between not following electrical code , sloppy work, and odd ball switching arrangements (one should never connect a dimmer to a wall outlet as someone might connect something other than an incandescent light bulb in and you have an issue). . I have lived in my hose 26 years and I am still finding electrical erroSR created by some prior owner . some of it down right dangerous,