Do all 10 chairs need to be at table all the time or can it be 8 chairs and 2 you bring over from somewhere else for large sit downs? DIAL UP YOUR CHAIR sizes to be proportional to table so, as to not look like child size chairs. Restoration Hardware furniture is over sized and generous proportions compared to many other retail sellers. Just any chair could be easily dwarfed by the RH table and look tiny. Here are a couple of my favorite modern chair makers KNOLL Brno flat bar chair which can be bought at auction and recovered in leather or vinyl of your choice and David Edward Furniture made for corporate, resort and colleges and available through dealers, I am showing here as a "host chair". Other "host" chair items possible of course. I just like this one.

Looks as if the far corner of the triangle is the utility source. Water, gas?, power? These can be expensive to move. Not clear on climate at the location, Looks like it is somewhere warm :) two fridges one quite old so maybe a chest freezer would be more economical/useful. I recall a friend from Qld who put everything in the fridge :) Cupboards were mostly bare of food unless it was perfectly air and insect proof. The carved wooden pieces could perhaps be moved to another area? they are probably grease and dust traps in the kitchen as they don't seem to be functional storage. That would give you another shelf in the short term. Can't see the stove so it is a bit hard to see the wash, cook, fridge triangle. Agree that a considered rethink is the way to go

Like the previous comments it depends on use and the design of the light fitting itself. Also if the light has a narrow beam it may need to sit higher to throw a wider beam to light up the area you need lit up. Generally you would put it above eye level so that it doesn't obscure your view when standing. More often than not it is just a matter of where you think it looks best, most pendant lights have good adjustment so before its installed have the electrician hold it up for you at different heights and see what looks best.

We finished our antique island bench, which was originally the haberdashery counter from David Jones in Newcastle, with a burnishing oil. The surface proudly bears the markers of it's history as the timber was too soft and thin to strip back any further than we have, but the burnishing process has protected it from every day wear and tear including water spills and the rough and tumble that our four boys dish out to every piece of furniture in the house, it also gives it a beautiful shine. We have finished our dining room table the same way. Kitchen dresser and the sides of the island bench that don't get the same use are finished with beeswax.