OMG-Those are wonderful! We brought my parents to live with us and in order to make room for everybody's everything, I got rid of a lot of my stash. Also, a lot of stuff is packed up in a storage shed. Looking at these pics of yours, I've got to get out to those boxes and see what I have left as I'm sure I kept a couple of my old candle holders. I went looking last week at a couple of Salvation Armys specifically for crackled glass globes. Everyone must have the same idea because there wasn't a single one to be found. I have two 8" crackle globes (was hoping for a third to make a totem candle holder) I was saving for whatever came to mind and now that I see your pic, I know what I want to do with them--Thank you!

birdgardner - You're too funny! Does that mean I should hire some local teenagers to jump up and down on my stairs to test if the height is good? Lol! avesmor - Thank so much for your thoughtful reply and beautiful photo! You are a wealth of knowledge! Sorry I don't have a better picture. Yes, it will be mounted to an 8' ceiling above the 2nd story floor pictured. And yes, we have a railing now (that photo is a few months old when the floors were getting worked on). Position wise, if you are standing on the higher angled landing, the light will be directly above where the missing railing should be (not centered directly over the staircase). I'll put an "X" there. Does that help? If it's still too unclear, I can try to get a better picture with the light that's there now. Centered at eye level as you stand. Hmmm - that sounds like a good height. Yes, I am worried about the cleaning/changing bulb factor. The electrician is going to have to construct a scaffold just to install it. You can't just plop a ladder against the wall to reach it. =/ I went with enclosed glass thinking it would get less dusty than the bell jar style pendant that I originally wanted that was open at the top (DH said NO WAY to that idea). I didn't even Think to do an open design that I could have attacked with a swiffer. Sigh. Hindsight is 20/20, right? Changing bulbs will likely be a nightmare. DH wants to go with an energy efficient Long lasting bulb so he has to change it as seldomly as possible. That's terrific that your DH can reach it with a hook. My DH is not that tall (could I hire yours when it's time to change a bulb? ha ha, just kidding). But maybe we could find a tall, long limbed friend or relative to help us!

Hi Huggles, We had the same issues when putting up pendants over our island. First we tried the pendants that screw into the existing socket of the recessed cans. Very easy to intall but limited to styles, so we bought the converter light kit at Lowe's and ended up having our GC installing it for us. My husband is a pretty good carpenter but hates electrical work. Good luck to you.

I like the new rendition. Stairs are more of a welcoming feature than a wall and it solves your lighting problem. In the living room, I would center the fireplace on its wall, slide the sofa so the coffee table centers on the fireplace and the French doors, and add a great chandelier above the coffee table to draw the eye to a focal point at the end of the hall. Don't angle the TV but put it on an articulated wall mount so it can be adjusted, and mount it left or right of the fireplace.