Thanks for all your advice. I'm so glad that I didn't just rush in and start this. From the sounds of it, I WOULD HAVE ruined them . . . :^0 . . . OMGosh! I need to run all this by DH. He's been encouraging me to call up and order a set I like that I saw in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine spread. I can't imagine ordering anything that big and expensive sight unseen, though. Hmmmmmm, there may be a weekend trip to Scottsdale in the offing ;^) In the mean time, I need to decide whether I want to paint the set a brown first and them give the Gel Stain a go or just leave it as is until I get a new set. BTW, I haven't looked into having it professionally stripped and redone. I probably should. I can't imagine a red or blue table in our dining room, though. I'll have to think about that one.

The problem is that the only legal options for replacing a built-in fixture here are: 1. Tracklighting (to connect to one lighting box) 2. Double-swag on one bell 3. Hire an electrician to put in a second box. Depending on the weight of the fixture, you may find drywall anchors that will meet the requirement. Most anchors however are not rated for any sort of overhead load (they're only designed to support the weight in shear). Toggle bolts however are available that will hold up to around 50 lbs. Swag hooks typically come with both a screw stud and a toggle bolt for your choice of mounting.

After calculating what was written above me, it looks like you can fit the same size table I have in my dining room, which is 42" wide by 78" long with the leaf in. We can fit up to 8 people at our table with the leaf in. I also love having a rectangle table! I have two openings in my dining room - one to the living room and the other to the kitchen. I have a door on the other wall and a window on the 4th. Just place your table in the middle of the room and it will work.

I would just put one crystal chandelier up. My table seats 10 and it uses that 110 inch length dining room tablecloth. That is plenty of light, and plenty of crystal drops to dust !! LOL... https://www.birchlane.com/furniture/pdp/hooker-furniture-treviso-extendable-dining-table-hkr11758.html or https://www.birchlane.com/furniture/pdp/west-point-extendable-dining-table-gryl2019.html or this one reads seats up to 12 when extended: https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Simply-Solid-Corina-Solid-Wood-11-piece-Dining-Collection/10208353/product.html?refccid=2A2V23YRBESKP42N5BQQ74FKUA&searchidx=30 Keep in mind that today's "formal" dining sets don't have to be as intense a 'dust collector' as of old. It's all in the accessories, table cloths, dishes, and table decor to make it as elegant as you want it to be. And the more different looks it can give you, the more use you will get out of it !! https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Simply-Solid-Corina-Solid-Wood-11-piece-Dining-Collection/10208353/product.html?refccid=2A2V23YRBESKP42N5BQQ74FKUA&searchidx=30 Now, I like the Hooker line and there are more, so keep looking. You might check with Nebraska Furniture Mart(the biggest store ever, in more than just one state now) and with Mathis Brothers out of Oklahoma City. Either one may have several dining options for you to look into. ..Overstock is good, but when you want something this big, you want to make sure the quality is similar /equitable to the size. I did not check out Wayfair or Grandin Road, and there are more places. I know a brand that makes what you want, I just have a hard time figuring out if it was Hooker? Possibly it was. Unbelievably, I have seen more beautiful gorgeous dining room furniture from the 80s in estate online adv. sales in metro areas this past winter than ever before. No one wants Mom or Grandma's 'family heirloom' dining room set apparently and they are usually very reasonably priced. Keep your eyes open, they are lightly used and they are a piece of art compared to many of what you see today. And alot of times, the silver, and the china, the hutch and the buffet are all there to go out the door with the furniture(Yes, even the Chandeliers too !! I have seen). Good luck. Don't settle, What you want is out there and keep your eyes open for those 'fire sales'...