DESIGN TIP: WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LIGHTING A ROOM

 SEE THE LIGHT

For me personally lighting is everything in a well-designed room.  Relying strictly on a single overhead light source is glaring and harsh and relegating some of the room to darkness.

Scattered pools of light provided by lamps is a far more comfortable and frankly flattering way to light a room. So have plenty of lamps in the room to control brightness and darkness.

Also, over a dining table a pendant on a dimmer is usually best.