When we were building our house, the architect originally designed our MB with a 10' ceiling like the rest of the house. Dh realized that since our MB is basically in a one-story wing off the back of our house...we could take the ceilings all the way up to the roofline. We thought it would look so grand. Well, after it was dry-walled, it looked ridiculous. So plain. So we had to spend several thousand dollars to have beams installed to at least give it some interest. So then it looked pretty. And they laid the HWs, and stained and finished them, and it looked prettier still. And then we moved in. And even with an area rug...OMG, we feel like we sleep in Grand Central Station. Not cozy at all. And every snore and cough is magnified...the whole first week we lived in the house I would be asleep, hear a crashing sound, leap out of bed to find out what mirror or light fixture fell...never figured it out. Then one night, it happened again, but dh was awake. He said, "well, I figured out what the crash was...I coughed and you bolted up like you were on fire." Sorry for the long story, but that is my cautionary tale against cathedral ceilings in bedrooms. Do a pretty coffer on a normal ceiling instead.

if you don't do can you can do a chan. If you don't do that do a monorail....lbllighting.com or techlighting.com......i own a lighting store so those are your top ideas.....

If there is anywhere to use recessed lighting it would be your kitchen. Also add under cabinet LED's. Once those are done, you may find the addition of 3 pendants here a bit of overkill. As for the ceiling fan, is it needed in warm weather? Fan lights rarely serve as room illumination except for getting in when its totally dark. They are completely inadequate for anything else. Looks like you're sampling some paint colors by the stairs. Don't go for the paint until the lighting is completed so you get true colors. If you key paint to current lighting you'll be disappointed with it when the upgraded lights go in. I think a pair of chandeliers for each of your dining areas will be a big help. Some uplights under plants flanking the TV could be a nice touch. You may want to consider unloading the mantel of its clutter and having sconces installed on that wall. The windows seem awfully low, so a "fool-the-eye" window treatment that uses shades and panels to visually extend the window onto the wall above it will be a big improvement to your overall look. Here's a chart to help with TV/sofa placement. and a chart for picking a rug, which you should consider to anchor the sofa and seating group.

Most people aren't aware of the problems recessed lights introduce to the building as a system, mainly in upper levels or cathedral ceilings. Even AirTight, Insulation Contact rated cans leak air, it's a question of how much multiplied by how many. I agree with senior editor Martin Holladay from this blog about retrofitting recessed lighting that massive penetrations in the ceiling air barrier should be illegal. If you do have a bunch of penetrations, at least prove the home meets the minimum level of airtightness called for in international codes with a blower door test. To quote Mr. Holladay from his How to Build an Insulated Cathedral Ceiling: "Recessed can lights should never been installed in insulated rafter bays. Period, full stop, end of story. Recessed can lights take up room which should be filled with insulation; they give off heat, creating thermal hot spots in your insulated roof; and they leak air. They should be removed from your ceiling and deposited in front of a moving steam roller."