I think the most important thing is to make sure that the light fixtures in the various areas -- kitchen, breakfast area, and living room -- relate to each other. They don't have to relate to the hardware in, say, the kitchen. Here's a good recent blog post by designer Laurel Bern about getting lighting to co-ordinate, in which she says, "It’s not supposed to match, but it is supposed to coordinate. And by coordinate, I feel that there needs to be some commonality in shape, style and finish– maybe not all three, but some common thread."

Leanne, do you have anything in mind already for any of the fixtures? Any inspiration pictures? From what you mentioned about the kitchen table and chairs/stools, what about black, ORB, or even antique brass? You could probably mix those up too (black and ORB, ORB and antique brass), as long as they all read similarly when you stand at one point in the house and see 2 out of 3 fixtures. Also, how big is your island that it needs 3 pendants?

You mention a ceiling fan. I know a lot of people on GW don't like them, but I do. I live in a more northern climate that doesn't require air conditioning, but we do get hot days and for that a fan is great. If your ceilings are white, I would get a white fan so that it sort of "disappears" into the ceiling. But I have to admit I prefer my fans without integral lighting.

Ditto. I have never followed Laurel Bern, but from what Ive read about her the last couple of days, we agree a lot. I have brushed chrome/pewter hardware on my kitchen cabinets, but I have black iron on the island and breakfast room hutch, My island fixture is called an aged bronze or something (it's been years) but it looks like black wrought iron -- and if you look very carefully, just the slightest antique gold/brass colored highlights. We changed to a dark bronze fan with wood paddles and leather straps, then found a BR fixture that is black iron with wood. None of them match, but they work together.