Okay, bad news - talked to DH last night and it's a no go on adding recessed lights. :( Now we do have 6 recessed lights in the den which connects to the kitchen on the breakfast nook side. When those lights are on, that side of the kitchen is nicely lit - but, it would probably be silly to rely on those for kitchen lighting... farmhousebound - So glad you like the lighting choices (especially the stairwell light)! I'll stop stressing about the stairwell light now. :) I am still stressing about the nook light though. I agree with you and really do Love the look of "C" - but I'm so worried that the opaque shade just won't provide enough light. I'm afraid I'm still undecided on it. If someone else wants to buy it from you, please feel free - I don't want to hold you up. But I will definitely keep you posted! (We're in Long Island in NY.) That is an Amazing price on your fixtures. Wow! I talked to DH about making our own fixtures, but he's overwhelmed with all of the house renovations and doesn't want to add more to the to-do list. He just wants me to pick one fixture for the nook and be done with it. =/ Sigh. It would have been SO nice to have had a matching light and fan (and save money too!) I spent too much time yesterday looking at lights - I stumbled upon a school house shade that is Way out of budget, but soooo pretty. I probably shouldn't be considering it b/c of the price, it's not an exact match to the fan (sort of similar shape), and the concern of light output - but, since you're a fellow schoolhouse lover, I wanted to share it - http://www.antiquelampsupply.com/product/3169 - Pretty, huh? I think I'm drawn to the blue stripe that would go with the color scheme. lascatx - I really love the look of the pulley light - but, without adding recessed lights - would it be too dark? Should I keep looking? I'm wondering if we should do something completely different to ensure that we get enough light - like maybe a small, multi light chandelier (with lighting towards the bottom to avoid the soffit issue)? I'm open to suggestions. Thank you both for your help! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!! Here is a link that might be useful: Please tell me I'm crazy to consider this since it's out of budget, not a perfect match to the fan, probably won't provide enough light, etc., etc.

You guys are the best. Please keep the ideas coming. I don't have a good drawing of the room yet. When I make a better one I'll post it. SheilaJoyce and Patti "Federalist" was one of the styles that interested me, and I simply couldn't think of the name. And I hadn't considered white. That just might work. The breakfast nook/sliver (LOL) is at one end of the living room. The two areas are separated by the undefined pathway from the front door into the kitchen. White furniture in the nook might help separate it even more from the "L/R" area. Gayle I love your cabinet! "Ugly Pine" is my very favorite wood. Wait till you see the buffet cabinet I built many years ago. It's still waiting for it's hutch. They will live on the sunporch; no room in the front part of the house. I would feel so blessed to know I had something made by my great-great grandfather. You daughter is one lucky gal! Adellabedella I'm going to try to make a to-scale graph drawing to show just how tiny this space is. I'll post pictures when I move things around. Sharon I like you idea of the one wide panel drawn back to one side. Do you mean to pull all the fullness to the right of the window...over toward the small bookcase? I'll try that to with an old pair of curtains I already have. Lydia Would a rectangular rug be better than a round rug under this table? Thanks for the coupon code; I'll be using it. Here's the floor plan of the entire house...maybe you can get an idea of the LR space from it. The drawing says "12 feet wide," but it's more like 11", 8".

How about a pretty chandelier? They are nice for dining/seating spaces. Can lights are convenient, and I have plenty of them (70?! in my house I think!), but I think for a dining nook, a chandelier of some sort is nicer. I have cans in many of our family rooms/living rooms/kitchen, etc. . . because it is so convenient to have general lighting without needing floor lamps (lots of kids and dogs to knock things over) or desk lamps (cats and kids to knock over), plus any sort of lamp eats up table top or floor space . . . but a hanging fixture is really nice, doesn't take up any floor or table top space, and looks prettier. So, in our dining area, I just have a nice chandelier, and it works great. I'd prefer some separation between the entry and the table/kitchen. I'd probably close up that window altogether, maybe shortening the separating wall to 8 feet or so, but I'd want some of it there by the door. If you shorten it, you might be able to widen that opening to 4-6 feet. I widened one opening (between our family/TV room and the short hall to our kitchen area) from 42 to 48 inches, and I was really happy with how much more open that felt just gaining 6 inches. So, if you fill in the "window" but shorten the length of the wall, you might get the best of both worlds.

Eve this is a fabulous discussion! And Thor how nice of you to post such an informative discussion of lighting!! I'm going to comment on the chairs because I was the one who said they looked uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE the look of them and I had the feeling that they were handmade and special to you. The wood part is so beautiful. But they are more of a "bistro" style chair and they say, "Sip your coffee here while watching the street scene" rather than "Hunker down for a long meal and then conversation and a game of backgammon afterwards." Quick and dirty, those metal (it looks like metal in the photo) seats are crying out for a fluffy animal skin cover/cushion, even if it is fake. I'm sure you could find one that has ties that could attach it securely to the legs and back. How about the loveseat, does that work with the table as far as height and comfort? If I were to manage to scoot back there and sit, what would my view be of? At this point it looks like you have some art on the opposing wall, but it is fairly high up. One of the main reasons we like sitting in our dining room is the walls are covered with some of our favorite art, all nature scenes which we love. I think people might not want to sit back there because of the hemmed in aspect. I realize that one could easily get in and out of that spot really, but even if it is just a "feeling" it can still influence how people use a space. How long would I want to sit on the loveseat facing the opposite wall, and for what purpose? Probably the answer is, "not long." The same thing can happen with mirrors, they can turn people off over the long haul even though they look great on first glance. I put up a mirror in my tiny dining room but it reflects the image of the diners while they are sitting at the table, and folks have told me they don't like sitting there looking at themselves in the mirror, it is unsettling and distracting. You don't have that issue, but I'm just giving it as an example of something that LOOKS nice when just looking at the room in passing, but in USE has the effect of turning people off. I also have a big window at one end of my dining room, as do many dining rooms. In the summer months and during the day that makes the space a nice airy light warm space and I love to linger in there looking out the window. But in winter and at night, the window turns into a cold black hole. But if you close the beige drapes in your dining area, then it is a boring blank beige wall. This is a classic case where some little twinkly lights or some kind of artistic window decoration would improve the space at night. I solved my problem by hanging wreaths up in the windows since I like the open look. You can also solve the problem as someone suggested to me, by putting something lit up outside the window, that also stops the "black hole" problem of a big window. I'm going to hazard a guess that you don't often close those drapes on the window, so you have a lot of options when it comes to window decorating, even cafe curtains or some fake foliage along the windowsill, a lighted art piece hung in the window, textured blinds or shades, etc. etc. How many people would regularly sit at that table if it was getting the kind of use you want it to on a daily basis?