Thanks for all of the input!!! It sounds like a pendant may not be in my future. I loved the idea of it but as I was looking at it more, I was worried that there might be too much going on there. I was having second thoughts and wanted to get opinions from all of you. Holly-Kay: we are planning on changing out the chandelier above the table to a bronze finish to tie in with the darker wood and fireplace things. But I see how a pendant above the sink might be too much. Snookums2: we removed the dark screens and it looks much better. I can't wait for everything to get started! I thought about tiling to the ceiling but wasn't sure since our cabs don't go to the ceiling. We are going to add a taller crown but nowhere near ceiling height. That may be the subject of another post. Nosoccermom: great idea about hanging a balloon. I don't have photoshop but maybe I could cut and paste something there and post again. Thanks for the suggestions!

David, If I had places to connect four or more orthagonal lines, I would do that. But the trees aren't well-situated for that, and I'm not sure about installing fee-standing poles. They might be a little too intrusive, visually. (If we went with slimmer metal poles, rather than redwood posts, they might not stand out as much. I may need to investigate how strong metal poles would have to be, and how I could get them fabricated.) The cantilevered umbrella system is a clever idea, but I think that would be too big and intrusive for what we have in mind. We have another outlet at the edge of the patio near the table. I suppose we could go with one of those under-umbrella lighting kits that would attach to the ribs of our existing market umbrella and run the cord from beneath the table to the outlet. We were hoping to have lighting that leaves the dining area open to the sky, but that may not be practical.

One of the things that I will say about these lights is yes, they will cast shadows, and No, they should not be the primary light source That said, there is not a single ornamental fixture in my house that is the primary light source in any room in the entire house, particularly not in a kitchen or bathroom. The kitchen and bathrooms are (or will be in the case of the upcoming kitchen) primarily lit from the ceiling by recessed lighting and by task lighting at the counters. The ornamental ceiling lights I took out of the bedrooms in my parents' house had been turned on so infrequently that the original 45 year old bulbs (all six) were in two of the fixtures. Those rooms were lit primarily by lamps switched by the door. My assumption regarding these lights by the OP is that the kitchen would primarily be lit by recessed and task lighting and that the pendant lights would be be adding sparkle and some lighting and that the weird shadows they may cast would be obviated by the "real" lighting, recessed or close-to-ceiling and task lighting.

@ RL - very good points re: cleaning. @groveraxle - goodness, I love your candor. Here's the thing. Those are knock-off Beat pendants and they're served me over the last 5 years but I'm ready for an update. They are also very low wattage so provide very little down lighting. I'm also SUPER fussy about finishes matching, and I'm doing chrome faucets and pulls. I don't like brushed + chrome look lol. I'm picky-picky. We have vaulted 16+ foot ceilings and the space feels large at over 20 feet long (even though the island breaks up the middle), I really feel like we need pendants over the island to break up the space. But I am definitely going to hold off on the pendants over the eating bar. @Patricia Colwell - i love that look but probably for another room. Thank you so much everyone!