I live in an Edwardian house with 10-foot ceilings. From the entryway, I can see three overhead lights - one in the foyer, one in the hall and one in the dining room. Should the entrance and hallway fixtures be identical? And should the dining-room light be the same style but bigger?
I love this question because I am a lighting-fixture fan and because the 10-foot ceiling height allows you such play. (I once had a so-called lighting expert tell me and a client that he detested lighting fixtures and that all lights should be hidden. It was not a good meeting.) In the foyer, I would install a chandelier that is on a rod and is approximately three feet in length, perhaps a ball-shaped crystal fixture 18 inches in diameter. In the hallway, which is likely narrower, take that look, cut it in half and mount it tightly to the ceiling. (The two lights are thereby similar but different.) For the dining area, stay in the crystal material, but go to an armed fixture with matching wall sconces; the dining room should be distinct and celebratory. In some spaces, I have also mixed lighting that is both modern and traditional. Whatever you choose, just make sure that you don't hit your head when you walk underneath.
Follow architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace, president of Taylor Hannah Architect Inc., on Twitter: @ddtaylordd. Have a design dilemma? E-mail style@globeandmail.com.