Hi Andy, If you have a local Beacon Lighting, ask for advice. It's free and I have found the people most helpful in my area. Being a newbie and building for the first time, I sort of knew what I wanted but the advice I got helped me make the right decision. As for pendant lights, I have just one as a feature over the dining table, a trio and the rest of the house will still have downlights and of course fans in each room, so if you haven't already thought of fans, this will change exactly where you put your lights. I only have 2.4mtr ceilings. Good luck. Cheers, Barbara

Hi! I think your lighting choice should be influenced by what you see as the focal point of the space. If you have spectacular views out your windows, you may not want eye catching different sized pendant lighting fighting with the view. However, being west facing, you may have the top part of the window wall shaded with awnings or a verandah - therefore your lighting would not distract from the view. Maybe also think about what is going on below the lighting area: think about the overall style you are going for in the room: are the furnishings minimalistic so therefore could do with some eye catching lighting? or do you have spectacular artworks or an eyecatching coffee table? If so, dimmable, LED downlights could be the answer instead of feature lighting. Too many "wow" factors can confuse the eye and create a sense of unease. Hope that did not confuse you further!! Like the other people said, a photo of the existing space would help.Sounds like an amazing room. All the best with it! :)

Hi Wendy, I've had a similar dilemma from a client in Sydney and we plastered the ceiling up (similar to Dohraime's images) and it was a real transformation. You could box in around your skylights too so you don't lose that lovely light. If this is all to expensive then paint the pebbles (spraying might be the best to get coverage) and the beams the same colour so that neither attract any attention but rather they act as a neutral backdrop for the room. Good luck, this is a bit of a challenge. Cheers, Michelle

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.