Don't put CFs in recessed cans. They get too hot and the bulbs burn out quickly. I spent a fortune in bulbs before I ran into an engineer that designs lighting fixtures that clued me in that it wasn't bad or cheap bulbs that were the problem. I was not impressed with the quality of light from the retrofit LED bulbs I saw, but you local lighting store probably has a display you can look at. You might want to look at frosted halogens for the vaulted ceilings. The light is indirect, unlike regular halogens, and very, very warm (2850K). Too warm for my taste, but I prefer cooler lights in general. They provided a lot of light without the glittery halogen look and it was very comparable to a warm incandescent light. I think they would be too hot for a 7' ceiling, though. I'm wrangling with light, too, right now, so I am interested to see what other suggestions people throw out to your question. It seems like there are a whole lot of not-great choices out there right now when you take incandescent out of the picture. I am hoping the light bulb pain the EU is going through now will help get some better options on the table for the US when our turn comes up in 2012.

does that 1000$ included mudding, taping, priming and painting and or ceiling texture? If so, then I would pay 1000$ to get that done. It seems reasonable. 8 lights for 500$, also does this include the lights themselves or just the labour and wiring? To do this yourself, depending on your experience could be quite time consuming and could be a major inconvenience, especially in the last two months of your pregnancy. all told 1500$ for all material and labour is not bad.

What else would you paint it with? I suppose you could spray it but what a mess. I always roll the direction the sun shines. Then if you do get a lap mark it will be parallel to the sunlight and less noticeable. Not sure what Christopher will recommend but I wouldn't do quadrants. If you need to section it, section the whole length to minimize those perpendicular lap lines where the light could catch them. Hopefully you don't need to do two coats lol. I used to have to do that when ppl smoked in the house. Hard to keep track. I've used painters tape on the wall and just moved it as I've done another stripe. Good luck!

Nicki, we have those Seagull splicers on 2 of our chandeliers. One is high and one is just plain heavy, so to change it out would require some kind of sawhorse deal (on top of the dining room table) to rest it on while we disconnect the wires. The splicers work very well and are available in clear, gold and black (when I bought mine, anyway). Also the two halfs just "unplug" if you need to disconnect in future... Whatever you decide to do, don't fear the scaffolding! :) We rented from home depot. It was very reasonable, it fit in the minivan, and it was easy to put together. I have climbed a ladder to my 16(?) 20(?) whatever foot ceilings to hang drapes, but the scaffolding was MUCH steadier and easier since we could paint a large section at once before we had to move it. Your next light should be led bulbs so you don't have to change them so often...if you get a dimmer, you will need one specifically for LED's. Also, it's a shame you don't like that one. I think is smashing. Although I would want it in an easily accessible area as crystal has to be cleaned more than once a year :-/