Get a bronze or satin nickle rail light, not track, they come in a kit and if anyone is handy you dont need an electrician. do not get white, it will look dated, and due to the location its always visible.

OR:

if you are going to hire an electrician have him put in three can lights. with an eyeball

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjwi6GY3cD0AhUpHq0GHXK7CZAYABAPGgJwdg&sig=AOD64_06qKEikgXTo5qjW4cu8ChFSZD7GQ&adurl&ctype=5&ved=2ahUKEwjJt5GY3cD0AhWNlZ4KHSKZCF4Qvhd6BAgBEHE

I would either stay with your current light or switch to cans, as RL mocked up. You have a neat fixture over the table, and I see no reason to compete with it. (Agree that a white fixture draws *more* attention against the brick than the metal!)

@Jilly - I just realized I missed your question in your first response: my house was built... somewhere around 1830. Records are hard to access without knowing where to look... in the basement of Philadelphia City Hall... The fireplace chimney was knocked down and rooted over long ago, so would be expensive (not to mention the permitting) to fix - so, it is purely decorative.

@RL Relocation LLC - Right, I posted about these lights a long time ago, and am now revisiting the issue. Do you like the lights that Jinx and I posted above? They're brushed brass, which I think is similar to bronze. I probably won't hire an electrician. If putting one track was going to cost almost $500, I can't imagine what it would cost to put cans in.

@acm - Thanks. I do love the dining table fixture.

I think the light bar is fine...put it on a dimmer.

@elcieg - which light bar? The one I have now doesn't work with a dimmer.

If all he has to do is switch out one light, w/no other ceiling wiring, that 395 is high! heck, your other half can do it in 5 mins.

You could do a 3,4,or 5, but whatever you choose, make the light try and blend w/the ceiling. I don't think the track/rail model is a good choice because it's rather fussy looking. you have your art, the brick, the color, other pictures, and I don't think a fussy light should compete w/all of that.

https://www.lampsplus.com/sfp/8K398

(and maybe try and do LED since those halogen lights are so hot)

I love your brick fireplace. I can't help but mention if you did some proper built ins, or shelving, or even a floating piece of wood (like where you have the left one) it would look killer next to it.

for instance, I love this one (of course you would paint it your same color, maybe keep the back panel white so the art/books all stand out. )

another one. (imagine the gingerbread color, or a soft creamy/white gray like your bricks)

you could do Ikea Billy Bookcase hack. you'll get the lower cabinet for storage. and you can paint them. add trim to them and make it look built in. lots of tutorials for it.

or float some wood shelving and play up the rustic vibe.

Just a suggestion. Lovely room though.

Thank you, @Beth H. : - I so love it when you chime in!

First questions for you, you say "track/rail model is a good choice." Is that not what you showed in your first three photos, and what I already have? And if those aren't good choices, what would be?

Now, off to pay closer attention to your other suggestions!

I love the look of the built ins! That's going to get added to my sweeheart's list... he wants to put a hatch in my ceiling to access the roof. I told him we'd add it to the end of the list, so the more things on my list, the better!

no I meant the hanging rails w/the cables. I think what you have is a good choice if you want that direct lighting. I just showed some other examples. (what you have really isn't bad. it works. maybe just down size the lights by going to a 3 or 4?? Up to you Either looks fine to me)

Who really pays attention to the lights, other than you? I'd rather spend the $500 on a better rug with some life in it. That one looks like a black hole in the floor.

Oh, gees, @decoenthusiaste. I like my rug!

That said, I'd happily consider any rug suggestions you have to offer!

You have such a unique and beautiful space. You need some more light though for it to, well, shine. The track lights are great for highlighting your art, but they aren't working as ambient lighting for your room. They wash the upper parts of your walls without lighting the actual living space. The sofa is a little dim, especially on the side near your door. Your charming wooden chairs are lost in deep gloom. Floor and table lamps would really help your space. You might even consider a floor outlet that would allow you to put a lamp behind the wooden chairs.

since you asked!, I think a vintage, overdyed (Oushak) rug in a burnt orange would look great w/your colors

what about this one?

https://famerugs.com/products/chloe-turkish-rug-design-vintage-looks-gold-yellow-brown-hand-knotted-texture-home-decor-over-dyed-rug-turkey-floral-cotton-back

I love these rugs. you can find them everywhere at all diff price points. luckily you have a small space, so the rug you get wouldn't cost much. less than 200.

Etsy has them,

this is a really good price, and one of kind! might be a bit large though (or is 7x5 good?)

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/575237186/vintage-overdyed-rug-terracotta

4x8

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1067987025/bohemian-decor-orange-rug-4x8-carrot

here's a 4X7 in this gorgeous shade (a bit more reddish orange

https://www.etsy.com/listing/979993174/turkish-rug-oushak-rug-orange-rug-kilim

they come in beautiful shades. goldenrod, orange, or a mixture of the two

https://www.etsy.com/listing/946096289/38x73-ft-vintage-handmade-turkish-rug

or you could do a southwestern style

or some type of off white textured

@mcarroll16- Thank you. It's a dilemma in my tiny house.

I do have a table lamp next to the sofa. I don't think there's any place I can fit a floor lamp near the wooden chairs that won't obstruct traffic, though I do see your point.

In that case, you might consider adding a few can lights in the ceiling. Not as nice as floor or table lamps, but better than nothing. Beth, Beverly, and RL Relocation can probably suggest much better ideas than I can.

@Beth H. : - I LOVE the 2nd, 3rd and 6th rug you posted! My current rug is 60" x 77". Do you think that's about right?

Interestingly - I posted on here and got lots (and lots and lots) of advice when I purchased this rug...

I like your rug and can see the pattern by blowing up the picture. I think the color of the background is a nice contrast in there, and I’m sure doesn’t look like a ”black hole” in person. It’s very difficult to capture certain details in a one-dimensional photograph, especially with the not-so-great technology on this website.

Here's a closeup of my rug.... perhaps it is too dark, and maybe it would look better with better lighting...

Wow, it’s beautiful and unique. I hope you keep it. :)

oh, its not black! I like it! (I like the vintage overdyed rugs too. )

so yours is 5X 6.5 or so? give or take? If you went a little wider, it would still work. length is fine.

You could prob find one of those rugs on etsy in that size. they have hundreds of them from diff sellers. I just posted the first few that came up

@Beth H. : -No. It's not black. When I scroll up to my second photo in my original post, I can see that it looks dark!

Yes, you have the size right. It's covering up about 4" of my brick hearth (inoperable fireplace, so don't know that it really matters) but a few inches wider might be nice.

I think layered rugs would look great in that room and with your style. A larger rug under that one.

as a suggestion for more room, have you considered doing a overhang on that countertop area, stools, and remove that round table? you'd just eat at the bar. a

Not this style, but look at how it's done.

can you shoot a photo straight on at that?

Nevermind! just saw it's a window! ok, how about a built in window seat area?

whats the white thing behind the table

you could do a wood 'shelf' off the wall and have your chairs push under it.

on the bench, you get extra storage

this would be super easy to make and fit right against this wall. you could keep that table or find a skinnier one. you'd get more floor space

Question for Carrie and for the terrific designers on this thread: could it work to add more track lighting? I'm envisioning another track set giving light to the wood chairs. And possibly a track giving more light to the sofa.

I'm not sure whether this works, because the track lights I've lived with in person have put out an uncomfortable hazy light. I don't know whether that was a poor bulb type, poor light type, or an inherent issue with track lights used for ambient lighting.

@Beth H. : - thanks. I considered that type of seating when I designed my kitchen. I like to look outside while eating. I didn't want my only eating area to have me staring at a wall, though I absolutely see the positives in gaining space!

@mcarroll16 - it is a dilemma. Rowhomes tend to be dark, and mine is no different. I will say that I don't generally *need* bright light, though I don't want my home to look darkly depressing.

@Jilly - layering rugs isn't a look that appeals to me, except in very large spaces, I find it looks cluttered.

Carrie B, I'm not advocating bright light either. Just a level for all the seating that approaches what you have from the table lamp on the right side of the couch. Looking at your pictures, it seems like the wood chairs would be uncomfortably dark at night. But cameras aren't reliable narrators. You know best how the room actually feels.

@mcarroll16 - you're right that the brightest space is next to the table lamp, and that's where I sit.

I didn't mention that I live alone. When my boyfriend visits, we sit on the sofa together (and don't really need light if we're watching a movie, cuddling or looking at our devices.)

The truth is that those wood chairs are rarely actually used, except for during parties, where the can lights in the kitchen and the dining table chandelier and candles in the fireplace all contribute to more light - and parties are becoming a thing of the past...

Your rug is pretty, just pretty dark in the space. Beth H. made some good suggestions. Maybe your rug could be the winter rug and a brighter one for summer.

@Beth H. : - I just looked over your suggestions for seating again. I wish that some of them would work! The *personal* issue is that I want to look outside while I eat, and the table allows one chair that looks out my back door. The shelf idea has the diner (or diners) staring at a wall, rather than outside or at each other, and the bench has them staring at the stairwell.

When I had my kitchen redone about six years ago, we considered window seating, but there's not enough room for that.

Is this better? I moved the two heads that were facing the other side of the living room (the one facing near the door and the one facing the dining table) down toward the floor. They make the room brighter, and make the rug look less dark.

I still don't love the ikea fixture, but I think this is a step in the right direction until I find a better solution.

@Beth H. : I showed sweet heart your ideas for the built in shelving (he made the current bookshelf for me) and he thinks he can do something similar - though I don't want to change the existing bookshelf gift out for some time...

Looks great. Hello, Carrie’s bf! :D

Your rooms are fab and so ”you”.

Love your whole space, don't think you need any help with anything design wise other than your question about the lighting. Very neat space!

Is this the best of both worlds? (or is it ugly?)

I vote not right for your room.

Ok, ugly. It’s ugly.

@Jilly - thank you. :-)

I think that replacing my IKEA light with a similar- but nicer rail light... One that can both illuminate (some of) my art, and also provide ambient lighting for the room might be the way to go for economy (boyfriend can install) and be a step up from what I have.

PS: for anyone who suggested I switch to LED... the current fixture *is* LED. :-)

install an LED dimmer with the new light.

@RL Relocation LLC that goes without saying, thanks.

I found this lighting fixture that I like.

It has six lights, so I could light the art near/on the fireplace and also have more ambient lighting in that part of the house. I found it on sale for under $150, which sweetheart could install. I understand that it's not *that* different from the IKEA lighting I have. Is it worth the switch?

Well, only you can answer that.

If it were me? No, I’d spend that on something else because it’s so similar to the existing fixture.

But if you’re really wanting a change, you can certainly try it. It isn’t a difficult switch, you could always return it if it doesn’t work.

It's nice? But I don't think you need a prettier track light with one extra can, I think you need much more. At least 2 spots directed at the sofa area, 2 or 3 for the chairs and fireplace? I'm guessing wildly, because I don't have much experience with track lighting. I do know there are flexible systems that let you add or subtract cans, or place some pendants in the track. Hopefully one of the pros here can give you more guidance. Or talk to someone at a local lighting store. I've found the local specialty stores can be really helpful, even for low-budget options.

The only thing cleaner than what you have now is Rail lighting. anything else is just the "same" as what you have now.

@RL Relocation LLC - I don't like the two zigs in the rail. Also, one of the heads blinks/flickers, which wasn't fixed by switching the bulb, and partner disassembled & reassembled and couldn't see a problem. The blinking is crazy making.

Carrie... I like the one that you like from 4 days ago, it seems it has a little cleaner lines than the one you have now, no more flickering, and the price is right.

so, what im finding is most of the LED style are not dimmable, as the bulbs are built in you cannot change that, so be sure to read the details of the one you like above as I am finding the less expensive ones to be that way.

https://www.lampsplus.com/products/lincoln-5-light-brushed-steel-led-track-fixture__96k26.html

Access is a decent company that has been around quite a while mostly modern lighting, but this is a nice simple, dimmable find.

as a complete opposite, I also found this one that is dimmable.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VidaLite-4-ft-2450-Lumens-Black-and-Brass-Modern-LED-Track-Light-7-Watt-5-Bulb-Fixed-Rail-with-Rotating-Heads-3000K-CE1008033/316167659

I really like how this one (black and brass) plays into your surroundings.

Thank you, @RL Relocation LLC! The one I posted above is LED compatible, and dimmable as well! Thank you for your renderings. I don't like the cold look of brushed steel. I do like your second suggestion, though I'd prefer it without the black. Will consider!

@Braden Chucky - you mean like table/floor lamps? There's only room for one table lamp in that room, and it already has one lamp with two fairly strong bulbs. The rest will have to come from the ceiling.