Open floor plan.. no light above dining table advice (fireplace, painting, ceiling)

[mg9004]

My husband and I just bought our first condo. The main room is a long room that contains the kitchen, living area, and dining area. The kitchen is in the back of the room, both living and dining room in front of the kitchen parallel to each other ( photo attached from our realtor)

We want to put our dining table at one end of the space.. but there is only one overhead light in the room (ceiling fan we will be changing) and we would like to position our "living area" under the ceiling fan due to the fireplaces location. I was thinking about hanging a chandelier over the dining table- does anyone have any ideas? Would it look ridiculous because there's no electricity going to it? Or should I just leave the space above the table open? I should clarify by stating I was thinking about a chandelier with candles in lieu of bulbs.

Advice would be appreciated...

[smokingGun]

you should do low-voltage recessed lighting, or may be hang a dangling modern light fixture if you're going for a contemporary look. Ditch the ceiling fan as it'll just make your area seem a lot smaller with standard-height ceilings. And just say no to the chandelier... that's a very 80's look, unless you've got a huge mega mansion furnished in luxe Ethan Allen furniture & lots of blingy wrought iron.

[K'ledgeBldr]

What's the construction- Frame or concrete?
If it's concrete, the only choice you have will be a surface mount raceway for the wiring.
If it's frame construction, a good electrician can fish wire to the location.

[SteveArmy]

hang a plank and put candles on it i mean if you have a rectangular table

[CTR36]

I think a candelabra would be very pretty. You can decorate you condo in a snazzy modern/contemporary look or go with the traditional look by painting the walls a nice neutral. It's your space do what you like with it.

[mg9004]

Yeah.. the fan is ugly- we planned on changing the blades to something plain and black, painting the fireplace white, and walls gray.

I did like the suggestion to totally get rid of the fan.. the condo has central air. Thank you for the advice.. I think we may incorporate a few suggestions!

[kodaka]

Personally I wouldn't get rid of the ceiling fan--I live them! They are great for energy efficiency (by circulating the conditioned air--both cooled and heated--so that your central systems don't have to work so hard). I'd change out the blades, because those palm leaf blades are too large and overwhelming for the space.

As for the dining room--I'd go with a swagged chandelier. There are lots of options, modern and traditional, but something like this one: modern chandelier might be best for you because it would require no hard wiring. It just plugs in to a wall outlet. All you have to do is screw a hook into the ceiling and hang the shade.

[gentlearts]

I would have an electrician install a light fixture. I don't really like "make do" solutions to home improvements, so I'd get it done right. You'll be happier in the long run.

[Billy Bishop]

If you have an attic over that room i would install a light of some sort over the new table location. Having an attic over head gives you the ability to run wiring easily from the source to the new light location. If you dont have attic over head installing a new light would involve cutting and patching drywall or surface mounting wire mold. If you want a hanging light over the table that is not bulky i would take a look at some modern pendant lights. they would direct light down on the table and not be big and bulky like a chandelier.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Dude,
They never bought the condo.