Johnliu, point well made. However, when you have a small kitchen, the neat/tidy pot rack utilizes space that would otherwise be vacant. And it can look pretty darn good doing it too. It is just a very utilitarian accessory for a busy cook with limited storage space. LIDS are always an issue. I have several decorative metal plate racks which hold 4 plates each. Purchased from Mobile Fixture here in Alabama, and they are a restaurant and kitchen supply store. I was able to put some of my flatter lids into the plate slots, and now finding the right size lid for the job is not such a noisy problem. Here's my current pot rack and IKEA utinsel bar. I admit this is overkill and sloppy, but we are nibbling away at a kitchen redo, and everything has to be somewhere. And here is the current state of affairs in the back porch which will one day become part of the kitchen redo. Note on top of the left M/Wave where the orange enameled pan is, those are lids and racks in a wire plate rack, forget where that one came from. And then here is the regular metal plate rack used as a lid rack for the time being. When I redo the kitchen, a built-in table with a countertop will be installed adjacent to the range. IKEA makes the one I will buy if I cannot use the s/s topped piece you see under my current pot rack. I already threw out the old range, and we're now cooking on this Waring Pro 2-burner hotplate. It works for us. But you should see how my hubby's friends shake their heads when they learn I threw out the stove!!!

Jeana - You're right: something edgier appeals to me, but I don't want to ruin the old style of the house. And my husband is a bit more conservative than I when it comes to how much overt decoration he can tolerate. So I'm pretty sure he will veto the HD pendant. I'll post some pix of the various rooms, but they are not very good - just quick snaps from when he had the home inspection. Previous owners' furniture and artwork. We now have our own furnishings but it's not too put-together, so I haven't bothered with new photos. But this will give you the general look of the trim and shutters. office/sewing room to be daughter's bedroom master bedroom - may eventually become a sitting room guest room - will eventually be expanded and turned into master BR Here's another pendant I like (NOT RH, but similar and a lot cheaper because it's on craigslist right now).It can be shortened to use just a 6" rod so it would install more like a semi-flushmount fixture that just hangs down more than normal. Maybe I'm just hopelessly drawn to shiny objects! Perhaps I could start with one of this style in my office, which others rarely have to even see :) I'm definitely open to suggestions, guys. If I were to go more traditional, do you think the schoolhouse style (flushmount) would look good, or should I go for something a little less stolid and more victorian in style?

Great thread! I wish I had that much space to work w/ in my kitchen! Mine is only 11 x 12'! I'm about to put a hanging pendant in front of our two side-by-side windows but we have a thick piece of wood between the windows so that helped me decide to just hang one there. The thing is, I don't know if I'll get one pendant or the shower kind that has an upside-down T shape w/ two lights hanging off of it. I thought it would be fun to have a light in front of each window instead of just one boring light, see? ;) So my instinct told ME anyway that it's preferable to have one light before each window. I do think since I have that extra space between the windows, that just one pendant would look nice too though. Below I'll include a pic of the area under the windows. The extra holes in the ceiling are just from when the electrician was feeding the wire through (they're not for any lights). The other light hanging in the main ceiling will go away and be replaced with something better suited (it's a 1913 house). Maybe a semi-flush mounted light (if that's the correct term) or maybe even the kind that has 3 shades hanging from showers, as long as I don't let it be too long. I live near both Schoolhouse and Rejuvenation House Parts (local co.) so it's fun to have so many choices, including real rewired antiques at some other stores! Here is a link that might be useful: Area where my pendant will go under the windows...

David, If I had places to connect four or more orthagonal lines, I would do that. But the trees aren't well-situated for that, and I'm not sure about installing fee-standing poles. They might be a little too intrusive, visually. (If we went with slimmer metal poles, rather than redwood posts, they might not stand out as much. I may need to investigate how strong metal poles would have to be, and how I could get them fabricated.) The cantilevered umbrella system is a clever idea, but I think that would be too big and intrusive for what we have in mind. We have another outlet at the edge of the patio near the table. I suppose we could go with one of those under-umbrella lighting kits that would attach to the ribs of our existing market umbrella and run the cord from beneath the table to the outlet. We were hoping to have lighting that leaves the dining area open to the sky, but that may not be practical.