Something from Schoolhouse Electric? http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting-and-hardware.html. Or perhaps a find from a shop on Notre Dame?

I feel for you, because my place in Mtl had a similar fan.

I used the IKEA PS MASKROS in one of the bedrooms of my apartment and it looks gorgeous. Still unsure about the living room though.

Are the moldings original to the house or were they added on later? If they were added on later, you can select lighting that complements the time of your home or the time of the moldings. You should research lighting from that era. I would look at gaslamp-style fixtures and edison bulbs.

When I was an apartment manager, I showed a suite to a non-smoker that had been lived in for over five years by two chain smokers. When she moved in, she said she would never have guessed smokers lived there before. Here's what I had done to the suite:

1) pulled the old carpet

2) had every nook and cranny of that suite steam cleaned three or four times until no nicotine was apparent

3) painted every nook and cranny with four coats of Kilz primer

4) painted every nook and cranny with four coats of paint

5) Replaced the carpet once everything was done.

When I left that job, the tenant had been living there almost six months and her apartment continued to smell fresh and sweet.

Related question about hanging new fixtures from historic moldings:

We are very close to finalizing an agreement on an 1860's row house with beautiful moldings like these. The whole house is in need of repainting and repair to plaster cracks, including where these moldings meet the ceiling. We also want to purchase new lighting fixtures. At what point in the process do we have an electrician hang the fixtures? After the plaster work and painting are done or before?

I agree with Pi about researching lighting from the era your house was built. If you don't like what you find, I would say sparkly chandeliers all the way!

It depends on your style aesthetic. Personally I love the mix of modern with vintage in architecture and interior design. The simplicity of Tom Dixon style fixtures would look B.A. against your historic detailed architecture -http://www.tomdixon.net/products/family/beat

The good thing about lighting is you can purchase, hang, decide to keep or return. Dont be afraid to purchase more than you need and try different options.

For $100-$300/fixture in an old house that's probably on the dark side, I'd say you should get the brightest ones you can find. I've had some luck on Lamps Plus Open Box, but it's a waiting game. For instance, this is nice, but it depends on your style, furniture, etc.

thorndale - You need to get electricians over there before plaster/paint in case the boxes/wires/whatever need to be replaced and the electricians wreck some of the plaster/paint in the process. This is particularly true if you're adding or moving light fixtures.

AND after to hang the actual fixtures so the plaster/paint doesn't ruin what you bought.

I LOVED this when I saw it. I think the fixture base is West Elm and the Shade is from EQ3. http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/julie-and-jesper/item/348681

Getting light fixtures that reflect the period that the house was built is usually a smart way to go, but it can make a house look sort of "granny", so depending on your taste, it's OK to mix it up.

Friends of mine recently replaced the period correct fixtures in their Victorian with Nelson bubble lamps and it looks fantastic with their mix of modern and traditional furniture. (The period fixtures were installed by the previous owners and they were sold on craigslist.)

The only rules are to pick light fixtures that are the correct scale for the room, and ones that don't look cheap. I think it's worth it to look at designer lights or vintage -- avoid big box stores for ceiling lights.

Depends greatly on budget. There are some fabulous hanging lighting from Restoration Hardware that would complement the moulding greatly, but may be too costly. They do though, have sales, and considering I don't know the size of the space, come in different scales like small and large.

For example my thought for the entryway:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2111660&categoryId=cat1701013

Personally, I love this one and think it would be a good fit in any of the spots.
http://www.lightinguniverse.com/chandeliers/quoizel-yu5149ib-6-light-yuma-chandelier-imperial-bronze_g596058.html?isku=450667&linkloc=cataLogProductItemsImage

I am in the process of making the same type of decision...have the decorative moldings, problems with old electrical boxes ect.... I also have a couple that still have pull cords. I like the price and look of the Schoolhouse electric ones, but do worry that sticking to all vintage is a little boring. I found some great inspiration for mixing modern fixtures with old plaster detail at http://47parkav.blogspot.com/.

Hello to a Montreal compatriot. I'd suggest looking at getting some vintage or vintage-style Victorian fixtures, but I suppose that depends on how you plan to decorate the place.

But don't rush to eliminate the ceiling fans so quickly either. Sure, if you want to upgrade them to nicer-looking ones, go for it. But fans are amazing both in the sticky heat of summer and in the dead of winter (on reverse) to significantly lower your Hydro bill.

Here's another option akin to the turned wood pendent (West Elm) combined with origami shade (EQ3). This turned wood Pendant from Habitat is longer and more shapely while the shade is shorter and more interesting. I think the combined effect would be lovely.

Pendant:
http://www.habitat.co.uk/perle-wooden-pendant-light-fitting/pendants//fcp-product/26062#
Shade:
http://www.habitat.co.uk/kura-white-paper-large-drum-shade/pendants//fcp-product/25330