I found this piece of info somewhere on the web and have had it clipped in my notes files for a while: Another common dilemma is determining the height to hang a chandelier over a dining room table. This also can vary depending on the size of the light fixture and the height of the ceiling. In general,in a room with 8' ceilings the chandelier should be hung approximately 28" to 32" above the table, adjusting that dimension based on the height of the chandelier itself. In a room with 9' ceilings, you would go approximately 30" to 34" above the table surface. It also includes some information on picking the right size light for the room...I can post that too if you need that info. Hope this helps.

Right, your builder should clearly upgrade his lighting ideas to fit his ceiling ideas. In this regard, it would be to his benefit (his learning curve) to bring him back and ask him: here's my chandelier - how do I install it? If you're doing this yourself... what are the limitations of the amount of work you want to do? Do you want to rewire, or are we working just with attaching different fixtures to the existing wiring? And is building anything in the cards? Whether a beam, or a closed box across the peak, that would expand the choices considerably. Is your DR table centered under these lights? You likely want the chandelier centered over the table. One of the options I would play with (and it really depends on the whole room shot) is a linear multi-light fixture, mimicking the idea put forward by lovesummer above of a beam. The bar on the fixture could go along the vault or across it, and the question only becomes where you wire it in and how you do it unobtrusively. KarinL

I found this page of "rise and fall" light fixtures but they appear to be in UK? Try searching for Pulley or Suspension light fixtures. Rise and fall lights Here is a start for you: Adjustable light fixtures

The furniture I will be using is in storage and hard to photograph. I have found pictures of pieces that are very similar (table and hutch). The dining room table is handmade oak with a planked, unfinished top and simple 2x4 inch legs that were painted white. It is 7feet x 36inches. It sat on my grandparents sunporch and it’s where we, the grandkids, sat to eat during family gatherings. It is well worn and close to 100 years old. Also in the dining room will be an old hutch taken from my great aunt’s house on Chartres St. in New Orleans. The hutch is 57in. wide x 19in. deep x 82in. high, 2 glass doors, 3 drawers across with porcelain knobs, 2 doors below. It is painted white with a lot of real crackling and exposed wood, probably over 100 years old. In the kitchen will be an old porcelain cast iron, high back, double drain board sink, 6ft wide x 22.5in deep x 12in high. Attached is a picture of the actual sink. I like rustic and real, old stuff, not new stuff made to look old. My cabinets will be shaker with medium wood stain, lighter LVP floors. Counter tops and backsplash, white quartz with very little veining. Ceilings (9 feet high) in kitchen/dining room, hopefully, will be white tongue/groove planks with exposed beams and lots of recessed lighting. The small island may match the cabinets but may be just open shelving with quartz or butcher block top. I look for lights that hang from rods not chains, which point down not up, are open at the bottom and that do not have lots of frills/loop/not complicated. What drew me to the fixtures I posted was the square shades and I love the brass finish. I am also posting a semi-flush mount, schoolhouse opal glass fixture, open at the bottom, 12 inches, brass finish for over the island (5ft x 30in). Are they appropriate and would I need two? Thank you so much for responding and for your insight.