With a long room like yours, I would recommend thinking about how you will use the different 'zones' of the room - so for example you may want something soft above the couch, enough to read by but also enough to relax under with a glass of wine in the evenings whereas over the table you may need something brighter for the kids to do their homework (or whatever your lifestyle lends itself to). Where possible I always recommend LED lighting - they are capable of producing both warm and cool light colours and can even be used in accent lighting. They are also very popular for their energy efficiency and they give off almost no heat which is an added safety feature.

I’m with you. I love stained glass but it’s not for my home. I always have to remind myself that it’s ok to love something but not have it in my home. Maybe just have one light fitting in your main bedroom because that’s where you can be a bit more dramatic.

If you don’t have the new light, what can the electrician install…so yes, purchase your new fitting first. If there are extra electrical components required for installation, the electrician should have them. Just as a suggestion, Maybe replace the ceiling fan with a ceiling fan with inbuilt light….

My gut feeling is that 2 of the wires ( red and black ) is power in from a switch , the white probably earth , but the other wires feed to another light somewhere at a guess . This means when the switch is turned on , both lights come on . I'm also guessing this other light is further away from the switch , hence why the original sparkie hasn't run a second wire right back to the switch . Sound logical ? If that is correct , and you are putting in a smart switch , you may strike problems as smart switches are presumably a lot more sensitive than an old 'either-on-or-off' switch , so if current drops more than expected , it may not work . But your sparkie should be able to tell you all that and more .