I understand the practicality of a fan with ceiling light, BUT they are just not the best looking solution. You can add so much style to your room with a well chosen pendant light. If you are renovating to sell buyers will be moved emotionally by the look of the amazing pendant and will fall in love.... the same level of passion does not exist for a fan in Victoria.

It is crucial in your design that you get the lighting right with your cathedral ceiling. Unlike a normal roof there probably isn't a roof space between the ceiling and the roof for an electrician to make changes if you get it wrong. You only get one chance to get it right which is when the house is designed, unless you remove the roof to access the electrical down the track. Don't be like these people who wanted to save money on their lighting design for their cathedral ceiling! Some large lighting retailers offer free lighting design services that is linked to the purchase of their products. If you don't want to be tied to a particular retailer then you need to engage an independent design professional who can read your plans, understand the space and who can understand your retirement lifestyle. Even so, when I do a lighting design for a client I end up creating the lighting schedules from one or two lighting suppliers that I have worked with before, that I know and trust, and who will stand by their products for any future warrantee claims. I would hope that the person you have engaged to design your home would offer a similar service? Best of luck with your budget, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Without seeing the design and construction , one possible idea that I have done in commercial buildings , is to get some plywood , say 800 x 1200 , cut 4 or 6 or whatever holes in it , insert LED downlights , take them back out and stain it or even paint ( charcoal is a logical one , but you could go as wild and crazy as you want -- bright red mightn't suit everywhere , but will suit some decors ; same with peppermint green or metallic blue or silver or yellow . You can hang on stranded wires anything from 10cm to 100cm or more from the concrete ceiling , makes a fake ceiling . I have even done several over a larger area , all at different heights and different colours and tones , and it adds even more interest . Maybe $200 a 'drop' , and it even hides the worst of the wiring , quick and easy and even slightly trendy , and probably even fits the Aussie inspired theme !

I'd make sure I had probably 3 'zones' or options . It is just crying out for a big industrial style centrepiece on 3 or 4 heavy chains , maybe even with 15 or 20 candles . Just as I'm writing this , I'm even wondering how difficult it would be to get 15 shorter stubbier candles and drill out the middles , and thread a cheap 12 volt LED through each one ? The local electrical supplier charges something like $12 for 10 -- you'd have to wire them , but its low voltage so a soldering iron and heatshrink tubing would do wonders . look way more authentic than those cheesy ones with flickering 240 volt bulbs and fake melted wax on shiny plastic bases ! Anyway , that would be my centrepiece , even if you had to use a transformer etc -- drop it to the ceiling line height . Then I'd do a seperate zone -- probably single LED spotlights ( prob in black ) . at least one each beam , some pointing up , some across to the other 'slope' , but also some pointing downwards , because you'll need to look for dropped coins or handkerchiefs or phone chargers every now and then haha . And the 3rd zone would be wall uplights and downlights , because I can almost guarantee there will be times you want light , but you don't want or need to emphasis the height . If its not too late , I'd have them maybe 1.5mtrs from the floor , and the covers in an aged copper or similar panels , and that would match the style of the centrepiece light too . I'd have the spotlights a completely seperate style though -- more modern and plainer , but not ultra-modern , if that makes sense .