None of the above! Why don't you get downlights so it doesn't clash and you get the most coverage with lights.

I can't get downlights because the apartment is one of those old 70's 80's units with vermiculite ceiling. Well I can but I would first need to replace the ceiling, and that's going to cost far more than I can afford at the moment.

This photo might illustrate it a bit better. So would you replace it with any other kind of lighting fixture or just keep the oyster?

Ok let me take a more up to date photo and repost it. I have changed the other light to a bar light with 4 spotlights.

I agree you could probably have a pendant light OR the fan, but both together might start to look too busy. Because the lights help define different areas, I think you could choose any pendant light you like to define that area. I would keep to a single pendant so it doesn't compete with the bar lights over the lounge- look for a wood tone to match your floors if you want a natural, organic look, or bolder black or a similar primary colour (yellow, red etc) if you want more of a modern look! I'd also go with a rounded shape as this will complement your arc lamp and the natural curves in your dining table, chairs, and coffee table. All the best!!

Thanks for that Petapea.

Sounds like the general opinion is that adding a pendant light to the current set up is too much. Either install down lights, not really a real consideration at this stage, or get rid of the fan if I want to install a pendant light.

Ok so say if I decided to leave the fan in it's place, and I ditched the idea of getting a pendant light, what other light fixtures would suit my set up? Or should I just stick with the oyster?

The reason I want to so desperately replace the oyster is to give the dining area a more intimate mood, but the oyster doesn't seem to be able to achieve that.

I've been deliberating on this for a couple days- tricky one for you! I'd do 1 of 2 things- depending on how much available $$.

1. Frame up the ceiling and gyprock sheet- remove all existing lights and fan- start afresh with downlights and fans, better positioned than where they are.

2. Get rid of all 3 fixtures- replace both oysters with some modern fan/lights- terminate fan in the middle and repair ceiling.

Unfortunately replacing the gyprock, or putting a suspended ceiling will definitely be out of my budget.

Might have to really consider getting rid of this ceiling fan.

Thanks for your input everyone.

That may be the case- but it might be worth getting a quote...you never know. Friend of mine is doing her place slowly (room by room)- did her spare room recently for $1000. For the change it made, totally worth the spend. I wouldn't recommend removing what you have there- you'd need to get it lab tested for asbestos first. But even without asbestos- massive, messy job! and still doesn't resolve the issue of running new power cables to downlights (there will be concrete slab under all the vermiculite).

Try searching Houzz or google images for modern fan with light. You'd need to upgrade the LED light strength, but it would look 100% better. Your current fan doesn't add much aesthetically.

When I started doing reno's, that was one of the first things I wanted to replace but the cheapest quote I could find was a touch under $3000 and that was from some random guy from Gumtree that I could barely understand. Everyone else looked upwards of $4000 and that's just for installing the new gyprock ceiling. I had plenty of other things that I needed to do the place, so I quickly ruled that one out.

But now after living there, I don't even see the vermiculite anymore. I'll just try and work around it.

My thoughts now are to...

1) Remove the ceiling fan. Get a pendant light (either 2, 3 or 4 from my very first photo). Keep the bar light.

2) Replace the existing fan with something more modern. Replace the oyster light with an understated ceiling mount fixture, or just keep the oyster.