Well, we ordered our coach lights today. We will soon order some for the back of the house. Here is what we chose. I appreciate the assistance given. The one below is for the front of the house. It is in oil rubbed bronze -- much browner than in the picture. We ordered two larger ones to go beside the front door, and 3 medium ones (2 on either side of garage door, an one at the garage man door). We concluded that we need coach lights that did not extend too far (not deep ones), so we had to go a different direction. These lights have built in LED lights. The lights are made by Artcraft. Here is the ones we are ordering for the back of the house. There are 4 total along the back which is all one plane (not jogs out).

Yes, where you see the bulb hanging down in the nook is what I'm shopping for. I'm thinking a diameter between 15-20" for a light over the table. The table that will be going there will likely be rectangle measuring somewhere around 34-36"x42" A chair on each end of the table.

No, I don't think it would be odd. In fact, I really only like recessed lights in the kitchen or basement/laundry room. Maybe in a large bathroom also. You would just want to be sure that the lighting is consistent through the space -- for example, all LED with 3000k color temperature; and don't go from well lit (needed in the kitchen) to dimly lit in the adjoining spaces. Have some balance. IMO of course!

Thanks for your insights, Christopher. The Deco fixture is one of my favorites, so I'm happy to get a vote for that choice. It's really difficult to find just the right piece...do you have any sources and/or pieces you could recommend? I've spent hours scrolling online and I'm still not super excited about anything...