Ceiling Fans - How to Choose?

Minka Aire's Artemis fan - beautiful, sleek, and minimal for a modern space

Designers hate them, homeowners love them. What does a designer do when a client insists on ceiling fans in all the major rooms of the house? This is a common dilemma in hotter climates, especially when many homes have 2 story living/family room spaces and lots of windows. The heat just sits there and ceiling fans are just the thing to conserve energy and move the air around.

When I remodeled my bathroom, I decided I wanted a small fan in the space. I was my own worst client! It is so hot in Houston and my husband is always turning the thermostat up to save energy costs. I hate to sit and do my make-up when it's hot and I'm perspiring, so I decided to go for the fan. I absolutely love it! I use it all the time. My bathroom has a 9' ceiling height and I didn't want it to hang down into the space so I chose a ceiling hugger, Minka-Aire, Concept II fan in dark bronze.

My bathroom with it's fan.

This was hard, I'm not a big "fan" of ceiling fans....(sorry). I love beautiful light fixtures instead. When selecting a fan, I always tend to go plain and simple. I like fans to look like fans, preferably without a light kit attached.

In this house with a lake view, I decided to use a Fanimation fan with a wide, woven bamboo blade to accentuate the resort feeling of living on a lake.

You can see the fan in the mirror.

I like the industrial look of this fan from Kichler, Hatteras Bay, in dark bronze.

The Industry fan, from Modern Fans. I like its clean, tidy look.

Lights on ceiling fans like this spider set above provide easy access for bulb changing, but are really unattractive. I prefer to install can lights several feet away from the tips of the blades. Strobing occurs when you get a light source too close to the blade.

This ceiling fan is just too heavy and tricked up.

Is this a barrel????

When deciding on a ceiling fan for your space, I think it's best to err on the side of simplicity.

Keep cool!