Rip out every freaking ceiling fan.
Y'all, I'm from the South. The Deep South. The Humid South. I'd rather have the ugliest ceiling fan in existence (and this house came with some truly hideous ceiling fans) than not have a ceiling fan (and no, table top fans don't count).
I see so many pictures of bedroom with romantic chandeliers over the bed. Do you know what I think is romantic? Not being so hot and sticky that the mere thought of J's arm brushing mine makes me want to scream. Not waking up with the sheets sticking to me is also awesome.
Also ceiling fans are a truly green, frugal choice. A good ceiling fan will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter (flip the switch that changes the direction of the blades).
And you know what? There are actually attractive, modern fans on the market. So lets discuss...
1. Keep It Simple.
Ceiling fans can be awkward. Boob lights are ugly. Why would you combine the two? Why? A general rule of thumb with ceiling fans is that the simpler, the better. The ugly usually comes in through the light kit. If you have an existing fan with an ugly light consider taking it off. Amazon (and hardware stores) sell add on light kits
if you like having an overhead light.2. Pick The Right Size and Kind of Fan
Ceiling fans come in sizes between 50" and 70". Try to keep your fan proportionate to the size of your room. If you are unsure, tape the area off on your ceiling. Truly large rooms will be better off with two average sized fans over one large one.
Mounts are the problematic element.
The types of mounts are flush, standard, extended mount and sloped. Flush mounts lay right against the ceiling. These are best for homes with eight foot ceilings.
Here's a classic ceiling mounted fan. It's very simple!
The next type of mount is the standard. These are the fans that hang from a small bar from the ceiling.
These fans can be rather claustrophobic in homes with lower ceilings. This was the standard mount for older ceiling fans; this is what EVERY SINGLE FAN IN MY HOUSE HAS. (Nice, sleek fan, though!)
Extended mount ceiling fans are for homes with lofted ceilings.
Sloped mounts allow extended mount fans to be safely mounted on sloped walls.
3. Awesome Fans Exist
You heard me. I spent a little time on Amazon, Home Depot, and Design Within Reach and found amazing, modern fans ranging in price from about fifty to five hundred dollars.
, Home Depot, and Design Within Reach and found amazing, modern fans ranging in price from about fifty to five hundred dollars.
Here are my favorites!
The Amazon Fans! Click on the picture to go to the listing!
Fans From Design Within Reach. These are the nicest lights I've seen on any fans.
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| Design Within Reach |
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| Design Within Reach |
Home Depot Fans- Affordable Options.
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| Home Depot |
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| Home Depot |
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| Home Depot |
We have the ceiling fan debate all the time. We have a few that we really need to replace.
ReplyDeleteThe only not-awful fan in this house is the one in our bedroom. I feel your pain.
Deletethe ones with the metal grate around them.... LOVE!
ReplyDeleteRight? I LOVE those.
DeleteI am a new follower of your blog and I am really enjoying it. Especially because we are about to move to Atlanta and appreciate your insight to the good neighborhoods and reasonably priced homes. Not that we'll be buying anytime soon as we won't make any money on the sale of our Tennessee house. We'll be renting an apartment for a while.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm rambling. I love ceiling fans. We put one in each bedroom a few years ago and I think it was a great decision. They made the rooms look bigger.
Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about a specific part of town.
DeleteCeiling fans are a necessary evil.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteI am totally weird about ceiling fans: don't like 'em. I don't like my home to be windy. I know, weird. But I agree--simple as possible so your fan does not become dated in a few years. We had one in our bedroom in TN that was beautiful--I just did not ever turn it on. :D
ReplyDeleteYou are weird. :) I wonder if has something to do with growing up with fans? I had one in my room growing up.
DeleteI always wonder when people take out fans if they never get hot. Every room in the house I grew up in except the kitchen and bathrooms had a ceiling fan... even the dining room! We have 2 dated ugly fans in our house now but we use them all the time! I would love to update them with some of the simple modern fans available these days.
ReplyDeleteWe even have one in our kitchen! And I LOVE it.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
You are now my must read blog. I flipping love your blog! It always annoys me when all other design blogs are all NO CEILING FANS. I'm just over here like, well good for you wasting money on air conditioning and not living in a southern state. Lol sometimes practicality comes before beauty. (Of course there are some pretty ceiling fans as you've illustrated!)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm always happy to find another ceiling fan fan!
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