From a design aesthetic point of view I prefer ceiling fans over split system units as pictured. Ducted air cons are great as you can conceal the vents better - but ceiling fans are great in bedrooms for people that don't like sleeping with air con units on :)

Hi new to all this but thought I'd pass on some fan tips; Be very selective of the shape of the fan blades. They all look stylish but in my experience the flatter the blade the less air they move. We have now gone back to the original metal fans with the blades that bend at the edge, http://regencyfan.com/industrial, our fans are more stylish than the one shown (the blade shape is nice and clear in this example). Our weather in no where near as warm as yours I'd hate for you to make the same mistake we made, twice, before we learnt. Look at the fans motor size, some of the expensive and lots of the cheap ones have small motors that don't last long, unfortunately price does not dictate quality in this case so don't get caught out. My husband is a mechanic and this is one of his "things" when every we shop for electrical items (drills, fans, pumps etc.) always make sure the motor is quality and large enough to do the job and last. How may speeds. We have 8 fans in our home, one is in our extension and was purchased at a different time; It's low speed is realllllllly slow the next one is so fast it's like a cyclone and I'm not game to try the third one in case it dismounts from the ceiling. Be careful not to mount fans too close to down lights or you get a flickering effect caused by the blade passing over the light. Try not to mount the fan directly over the dining table as it will cause food to go cold. I'm with mydesignobsession when it comes to style/look I prefer visitors see my wonderful eclectic decoration then my ceiling fans! Good luck

Is that 10metres x 6 metres? What a nice big space to work with. In that case, my idea for spacing them evenly isn't going to look right. Definitely draw an imaginary line where you consider your kitchen & kitchen island space will be, THEN consider the remaining area is where the fans and feature pendant are to go. If it were me, I would have fans with longer than usual blades and a pendant that is rather large and which all complement one another (style-wise). If you draw out your room on graph paper, sketch in where the furniture will be placed, where the fireplace is, and then think about the best locations for the fans and lighting. I would imagine the pendant needs to be in the vicinity of the seating arrangement? Or possibly in the centre of the living area space? Will the pendant be the main source of light in the room or will you also have lamps? I hope this helps.

How tall are your ceilings and are they original, if so I wouldn't use downlights.(damage to the ceiling) you can use different track lighting and lamps Houses of this period are sometimes kept in traditional colours and furniture, but they look mazing pared back in one colour white comes to mind then modern minimalist lights work beautifully