Add a Ceiling Fan this Summer
Want to stir things up around the house this summer? Add a ceiling fan.
It’s true 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,Add a Ceiling Fan this Summer Articles these overhead fans move in fashionable circles.
‘Fans today are design pieces as well as functional appliances,’ says Martin Shepherd, national sales manager for Minka Aire, a ceiling fan manufacturer based in Corona, CA.
Kevin Grimes agrees. ‘Customers are interested in using fans as design elements,’ says the marketing services manager for Casablanca Fan Company, a Pomona, CA.-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 Troy Lee, general merchandising manager for Progressive Lighting, Inc., a retailer in Kennesaw, GA. ‘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.
‘Today’s fan customer seems less interested in price and more concerned with matching their ceiling fan to their home decor. I think it’s great to offer a product that make a home more comfortable and adds beauty at the same time,’ said Cliff Crimmings, vice president of marketing, Craftmade, a fan manufacturer from Coppell, TX.
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 Kathy Held, manager, buyer and vice president of South Dade Lighting, a 10,000 sq. ft. lighting showroom in Miami, FL. ‘People are using their porches and patios as extra Radeaux de plafond 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. ‘Our research indicates that a majority of ceiling fans are sold with a light fixture because consumers are usually replacing a light in their room,’ says Mark Jeffrey, marketing manager for Emerson Electric Company Air Comfort Products Division, a St. Louis, MO., manufacturer.
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.
‘Ceiling fans have become an important part of the lighting scheme in homes today,’ says Held, who often works with customers to combine recessed and decorative lighting with ceiling fans.
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 uplighting. ‘The uplight bounces ambient light off the ceiling to create a comfortable mood,’ says Jeffrey. Emerson debuted uplighting last year, combining it with more traditional downlighting in several models this season.
