If you think pendants will look funny, recessed fixtures aren't your only option. You could go with flushmount (two?) or semi-flushmount fixtures (pendant hung really close to the ceiling end up looking like semi flushmounts, anyway). Or you could go with some kind of track (see link below). Here is a link that might be useful: Track light example

It depends on the load issues above. Best to pay the consultation fee for a structural engineer.

I'm going through the same thing right now. In my humble opinion, with 9' ceilings and 6' 8" doors you do not want to line the windows up with the doors. No older home designed by a real craftsman ever did that. The windows were always higher. I've been in many older houses with high ceiling and the windows are always higher than the doors and it looks great. I was also just recently in a newer build McMansion type house with 9' ceiling and the windows were all at 6'8". This was the first time I had ever actually seen this in person and it made this conclusion very clear to me; it looked terrible. The windows looked too low. It looked cheap and awkward. It looked like a mistake. From what I've seen, the minimun you want to go is 90". That gives you 18" top and bottom for 6' windows. I don't think you ever want there to be more space on top than on the bottom with a window. With doors it doesn't matter because they obviously always go right down to the floor. I think anywhere between 90 and 96 looks good. I'm personally trying now to decide between 90, 92 and 96.

We are currently building, and we did 6'8" doors on our lower level, which has 10' ceilings. The exterior doors have transoms, which are at a consistent header height with all the windows. We toured MANY homes when we were researching plans and preparing to build. I just couldn't get used to 8' doors. They just didn't look right to me. To each their own I guess!