We'd like to fit a pendant light in our living room, but rather than get an electrician in to cut holes in the ceilings and walls to fit the cables, all the way to the light switch, I'm wondering if it's possible to have a floor weight and cable running to a hook in the ceiling, like the &tradition marble light in the attached photo. Is there an adapter that lets us hook a pendant up to a mains socket? I could then try attach the cable to a floor weight, and through a hook in the ceiling.

Hi Joe, in case you are still deliberating :-) I prefer the second layout with the diagonal view from the living room to the kitchen. Firstly, the space in the middle will function as a sort of lobby, leading to 3 different areas - upstairs, kitchen and living room so it needs more room to make it comfortable to navigate. It should be able to accommodate more than one person at a time. Also so often front rooms become dead spaces because there is no direct view into this room from the main activity areas of the house which is usually the kitchen/dining area. The view into the living room will allow vitality from the kitchen to flow into this room to enliven it and you also have the flexibility to close it off when needed for quieter moments. I am adopting a very similar layout myself for the same reason and so refreshing to see someone thinking along the same lines. I think the additional cost in beams will be more than worth it in the long run. All the best with your project!

I bought a very similar version as in the screenshot. It was perfect for the kitchen. It was perfect for the kitchen. Cute, small, but enough size and power. It gives a nice light, not harsh, properly diffused. And I bought it really cheap. But for my loggia, that`s spacious enough. I decided to buy a lamp that doesn`t use electricity. I found one on amazon, as well as flag pole lights. I think it’s perfect cause the loggia is on the sunny side, so the lamp stores the energy and gives off a soft and pleasant lighting at night. I don't really prefer to sleep in total darkness and this kind of lighting helps me doze off. So, for those who have a balcony or loggia, I strongly advise buying these!

Congratulations on your purchase - a lovely space! As to your dilemma - I think there are really only two main choices. In both cases, I would certainly keep both kitchen & dining room door - to do otherwise you could open a heap of slightly awkward structural problems. Then, I would either bite the bullet and fully open up the wall to a height of 2.1m or so, keeping a little over a door's width at the hallway end you will lose quite a length of wall for running kitchen units & worktop, so bear that in mind. Alternatively, you could put in a really large (in both width and height) serving hatch, starting it pretty much at worktop level. You have such lovely high ceilings, it could be of a really significant size that would maximise the sightline between the spaces, yet without sacrificing unit/worktop space. It could either have bifold traditional shutters or some sort of glazing, so you could open/close as you see fit. In either case, chances are you will need some form of lintel, probably a decent steel. In both cases, I would be moving your hob & ovens to the "party" wall. The space certainly would lend itself to being made fully open plan - probably retaining just a door through to the kitchen, but the structural implications are probably quite a bit more extensive - and expensive. If budget is restricted, I think I would avoid that at this stage. Finally, I would certainly consider splashing a little of the budget to get some beautiful, period coving into the spaces - with this cavernous ceilings, it would be a crying shame not to! Will be interested to follow this project and see what you decide - keep posting pics as you go!