I was asking recently about a hood and small pendants (older thread). My solution involves the symmetry of two small pendants working with the hood. I like high-hats for their unobtrusive lighting, but my personal taste is to have something decorative providing some light and some style at the same time. I say yes, do a pendant. It's hard to visualize your space, but from the description I'm thinking a long bar light over the peninsula, and the hood over the island.

Bev is right -- rods require special treatment for alteration. Even if you can cut one end of one section and not have to deal with threading, you need a clean cut or you will have a mangled rod and/or a messed up finish. The chains will be much easier. You installer should be able to shorten one side on almost any chain. If the available info doesn't tell you that it can be adjusted, contact the manufacturer or have the seller investigate it for you.

You have good lighting now so I would be picky on this. that being said I would just remove that dome light in favor of another can. and yes they are everywhere. seems something was done out of order or after something else was changed. Can you post a picture looking at the length of the island or toward the window.

@Patricia Colwell and @kandrewspa thanks so much for your replies! I added more recent pics of the space (still a work in progress!) Now there's just duct tape over the box, and yes it's 8' there and it lines up with the peak of the vault. I just thought the fixture looked weird there because it is so close to the "edge" of the ceiling there that it feels imbalanced. A standard round flush light will probably go all the way to the edge or even past ...… which is why i'd love something more long and narrow to kind of follow the edge, but i don't think track lighting would work well. Good poinit about the lamps being more important though!