Ceiling Fans More than Just a Breeze

Want to stir things up around the house this summer? Add a ceiling fan.
It’s true that stirring up the air will make you feel immediately cooler. But ceiling fans do more than just bring about breezes. Designed with the latest home decor trends in mind, these overhead fans move in fashionable circles.
“Fans today are design pieces as well as functional appliances,” says Dave Bellwoar, vice-president, Bright Lighting Design Center.
“Customers are interested in using fans as design elements,” says Bill O’Connor, marketing director of Casablanca Fan Company, a Memphis, Tennessee-based fan manufacturer.
High-tech, contemporary designs have become popular in the last few years. As a result, brushed nickel, steel, and sleek pewter finishes get thumbs-up approval from trendsetters. Earth tones like rustic copper and bronze are also hot-sellers. Ditto painted finishes and washes.
“People are more inquisitive than ever about ceiling fan possibilities,” says Doug Miller, general merchandising manager for Bright Light Design Centers. “People want something attractive on their ceiling and they are concerned about matching the fan’s design to their decor.”
Ceiling fans work well in any home, thanks to a variety of design options. Ornate filigree blade holders offer a graceful, turn-of-the-century ambience.
Brushed steel housing and light-colored maple blades offer the ultimate in contemporary styling. Classic polished brass finishes work well in more traditional homes.
The soaring ceilings and expansive great rooms in today’s newer homes have increased demand for larger fans with bigger blades and longer down rods. Manufacturers comply, creating phenomenal fans that move massive quantities of air and work well in 30-foot tall spaces and lofts.
Fan design isn’t the only thing that’s expanded. Places to put ceiling fans have also increased.
These fans bring a breeze to almost any home space, inside or out — from kitchens, bathrooms and dining areas to porches, patios and gazebos.
“We are seeing more fans being used on patios than ever before,” says Jennifer Roemhild, lighting specialist at the Cape May location. “People are using their porches and patios as extra rooms. They spend money on landscaping and landscape lighting, then add the fans so they can sit out and enjoy it all.”
With more than 14 million ceiling fans sold annually, most do double-duty, lighting a room as well as moving air.
Research indicates that a majority of ceiling fans are sold with a light fixture because consumers are usually replacing a light in their room.
Little wonder; ceiling fans today offer a wide variety of lighting options that add interest to any home.
Mission-inspired fans look great with mica or stained-glass light fixtures. Art Deco styles boast white frost fixtures for a clean look. Glass shades etched with flowers add a romantic touch to a little girl’s room.
Some fans feature built-in lighting. Others work with light kits, allowing dwellers to mix-and-match light fixtures and fitters to create a customized look.
When choosing lights for your ceiling fan, be sure they meet the room’s needs. Workspaces like kitchens and home offices demand bright light.
Bedrooms and dining rooms, however, require more subdued illumination. Dimmer switches also allow you to adjust the light on a fan to fit your mood.
To create more relaxed lighting, consider the latest introduction — ceiling fans with indirect up lighting.
“The up light bounces ambient light off the ceiling to create a comfortable mood,” says Roemhild.
Casablanca is the undisputed leader in design and they’ve combined up lighting it with more traditional down lighting in several models this season.
Like garage doors and television sets, some ceiling fans utilize remote controls to not only adjust lights, but operate the fan itself.
“Everything else has a remote, why not a ceiling fan?” says Casablanca’s John Pearson.
In addition to turning fans on and off, some remotes automatically adjust the fan based on changes in the room’s temperature, turn lights on and off when you’re not home and dim lights as you leave the room.
Ceiling fan prices are as diverse as the styles. Experts agree, however, that quality counts.
“Customers are more educated than ever about the different grades of fans,” says Pearson. “Fans can cost up to $800 for a quality, deluxe model at a lighting showroom. Customers seem to be turning to the lighting showrooms and trading up to better merchandise, replacing ceiling fans that wobble, make noise and don’t move air as well as top quality fans.”
In fact, independent research from the American Lighting Association (ALA) indicates that 70 percent of consumers do not mind paying more for a higher quality product. The ALA points out that consumers will have the ceiling fan for many years so quality and style should be key factors in the buying decision.
Bright Light Design Center offers expert advice on ceiling fans with the latest innovations in technology as well as style. Consumers can visit the Bright Light web site at www.brightlightdesigncenter.com for more information.
Finding the fan that works best for your home is a breeze, when you follow the expert’s advice.
• Bigger rooms need bigger fans. Choose a 50-to 56-inch fan for rooms up to 225 sq. ft. and larger. Pick up a 42-to 44-inch fan for rooms up to 144 sq. ft. Rooms up to 64 sq. ft. can use a 32-inch fan.
• Ceiling height is also important when choosing a fan. For safe operation, fan blades should be at least seven feet above the floor. A blade height of eight-nine feet is optimum.
• The amount of air moved by a ceiling fan depends on the angle, or pitch, of its blades. A pitch of 14 degrees is optimum for maximum air movement.
• Consider your home’s style. If you want the fan to be part of your home’s decor, look for colors and detail that complement. If you want the fan to “disappear,” choose one the color of the ceiling.
• Look for light fixtures and fitters that match your fan’s finish.
• Determine if you will need electrical wiring brought to the part of the room you want to add the fan. Since most fans replace existing lights, the wiring is usually already in place.
• When adding a fan to the bathroom, look for one specifically designed and UL-listed for damp locations. Want one for the patio? Opt for a fan that is UL-listed for wet locations.
• Buy the best quality you can afford. Spend a little more money to achieve quiet operation, better performance and a look that complements their home decor.