Your long and narrow living room would benefit from 2-3 light fixtures. Have them professionally hardwired. That cheap Ikea fixture is not appropriate for that space (too small, not enough light etc.) Look for matching lights that are flush to the ceiling or even a duo or trio of hanging pendants would look great. And put them on a dimmer.

I'm a big fan of recessed lighting for pretty much any room

A single light fixture will never be sufficient for a 25ft room. You'll need a mix of fixtures, recessed, table and floor lamps for the space. Decide how you want to use the space and in what configuration and the lighting set-up will make more sense then.

I'd put in a few can lights on dimmers and then do the rest with lamps! I think overhead lighting tends to make everything washed out and feel a little on the cold side. Good luck!

I would invest in some table lamps and floor lamps. Over head lighting is very harsh. Work on your room first then decide.

I vote for multiple lights/light fixtures, too. Our living room is 20x20 and we have table lights, floor lights, a couple ceiling lights, etc. I think it works out better than just one super-bright overhead fixture because we can change the level of light if we want to (although I guess a dimmer would work for that, too).

I personally only have ceiling fans for airflow no lights on them. And only table and floor lamps, much more cozy. Don't be forced into a look that's popular now and don't think you have to matchy matchy all the fixtures. Hope to see what you do, good luck.

I love cable lamps over track lighting because they're intersting and versatile. However, I agree with the other posters - don't just have one light source. Use the focused lighting to hightlight artwork or bookcases and table/floor lamps for ambient lighting.

Your ceiling looks a little low for pendant lamps. I'd do two dome ceiling fixtures (agree with the others on having these hard wired) on a dimmer for overall ambient lighting on either end of the room, then add in floor and table lamps to brighten the spaces where you'll read, etc.

Our living room is about the same size. We installed recessed lights, placed appropriately (one row above the couch, one row above the console that holds art and stereo equipment) and they work so well that I rarely switch on my reading floor lamp. This may not be your case, but for us another consideration was the open floor plan - I did not want a living room light competing with the chandelier over the dining table.

http://www.ylighting.com/zan-domino-9.html or
http://www.lightinguniverse.com/general/bover-global-2-light-tekno-rectangular-island-light-satin-nickel_g335256.html?isku=3233045.

I dont know what your ceiling height is but if you need a "statement fixture" you could do something rectangular and long to go with (and be functional) the linear feel of the room. OR to oppose that feeling, you could do two circular cieling lights, like this http://www.eurostylelighting.com/eu01354.htm ( i suggest this b/c i dont know your cieling height).

another solution that i think would add value to your home if you ever waned to sell would be to get recessed lights on a dimmer system. then get a few accent table lamps of any kind. you dont have to spend an arm/leg on table lamps either. plenty of functional inexpensive options like http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40195350. you could get three or four of these and feel like you are getting a bang for your buck.
also, depending on where you live a ceiling fan can be functional and there are amazingly cool blown glass ones on dimmers etc. that could make your house feel completely different:http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202075587&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&srccode=cii_10043468&cpncode=25-24496961-2&cm_mmc=shopping-_-shopzilla-_-D27-_-202075587&locStoreNum=3631. if you did this, i would still suggest floor/table lamps or recessed lighting too.

hope this helps
hannah

What a great space. If you want to make a feature of the lighting I would suggest some signature lighting as I featured recently in my blog http://apdinteriors-blog.com/2010/08/19/favourite-products-lighting/

I also had some general advice on lighting http://apdinteriors-blog.com/2010/08/12/interiors-qa-planning-effective-lighting/

Recessed lighting might be good - but try some architectural fittings like these http://www.johncullenlighting.co.uk/index.php?moduleID=4&categoryID=2&productID=24 - more highend than traditional spots.

Hope it helps - and let us know how it looks when you've finished!