Agree if the ceiling is white and fan is white it disappears after a while.

Our new (to us) house had what I called Mary Poppins fans in the LR and kitchen when we moved in. (victorian shiny brass with candy cane stripe detail on the pole like a carousel and gawdaweful lights). In the LR we replaced with satin nickel and it is just kind of there (up high) In the kitchen we went with darker wood blades to add a richer look and add some richness as it is so close and visible at the table.

And not that you asked, but do you have a plan B in case the humidity is just too much to bear? Are you not adding in any ductwork for forced air heat and air? Can you retrofit AC easily if you turn out to be wrong? I ask because I work in the HVAC industry. From time to time people have to add it later and it is very difficult and expensive to make it work later. Not saying you need it, but mold control is a difficult thing and may be more easily done with an AC system that is run based on humidity levels, even when the home is not occupied. Please be sure to consider this before deciding not to add in ducted or mini split AC. It is one thing to not turn on the AC when you are there, but to have it available to control the environment if necessary. It is difficult to add it later. 2012 energy codes may require a tight house, and you can't assume because beach homes built in the 1940s didn't have AC and don't have mold that yours won't. Again, not trying to tell you what to do, just want to make sure you are covering any risk.
If you or your builder have questions, an HVAC contractor or mechanical engineer familiar with your region and climate should be consulted during the planning and framing stages.

I think the fans you picked are too gimmicky looking, mtnrdredux. I like the haiku fan someone else mentioned also. Or something simple white that will blend with the ceiling. We have white ones in our bedrooms from Modern Fan Co. and they really do disappear. They are well-made, too. When it comes to ceiling fans, simpler really is better IMO.

I agree with those who urge simplicity and blade color matching the ceiling, they will seem to disappear. We have them in all rooms of our southern coastal home, by necessity, because I, too, like to take advantage of natural air as much as possible, and the fans keep it moving.

I agree with those who urge simplicity and blade color matching the ceiling, they will seem to disappear. We have them in all rooms of our southern coastal home, by necessity, because I, too, like to take advantage of natural air as much as possible, and the fans keep it moving.

Do not like either of those fans, mtn. Camouflage is rarely successful. That light thing--- which I agree is about as wagon wheel-y as it gets--- May disguise the fan, but would stick out as a really poor design choice as a light. I'd also rather look at a utilitarian fan than something that looks like a stage prop (second choice). I would get a plain as day hunter fan and be done with it. Form follows function, even in a recreation/renovation/remodel.

And while we're talking about them, I don't know why everyone hates fans so. We live where they are a necessity unless you want central air on even in October. I think they look a lot better in some rooms than chandeliers (kitchens come immediately to mind).

Plain white Haiku Fans.

I feel your pain. I knew we needed ceiling fans when we renovated our beach house, and ours did need lights, so it was quite a search to find models that I didn't hate. I did get all white ones so they'd blend in with our white ceilings, except in the master bedroom, where the ceiling is Healing Aloe, so I found a matte nickel fan for that room. I'll see if I can find pics of the fans we have.

Meanwhile, I'm going to tell you that I also did NOT want AC in our house, but I was talked into it and I'm glad. In a house near the ocean, when it's humid and/or rainy, the house gets really damp and icky feeling. And we are farther from the water than you are, about 1/4 mi. (In our previous beach house, which was 1/2 mile from the beach, we even had issues when the sliding door to the kitchen was open on a damp day and the tile floor would get wet and slippery.) We have to run the AC periodically just to dry out the house. Just my two cents on that. And yes, we also use it more than I expected for actually cooling off the house even though we get ocean breezes from all sides.

Just because you have central air doesn't mean you have to use it. We have it in our house, but I love the fresh air from outside (and we are energy aware) so given the prevailing winds and how our house is situated, and with the casement windows, we don't turn the a/c on unless it's 90+. We use it less than 10 days a year. The rest of the time the windows are open and we enjoy the natural breezes. If you're putting it in the 3rd floor (which I'm sure will need) you might do the 2nd as well.

i sleep with a ceiling fan on year round because i really 'need' the moving air....

we were recently looking at houses and also ceiling fans and in a house we looked at i turned on a fan like the 1st one you pictured and was surprised that it was quite noisy--too loud for me- i like air that moves pretty quietly!!!
i looked at the 2nd one in a lighting store and the fan itself looked quite small- much smaller than the average fan- and i would worry about how much air it actually moved.....i also thought about how dusty all the fake candles would be after hanging for awhile and what an awful job it would be for me or anyone else to clean it!

we picked up another casa blanca which i've had in several houses and i like because they're so quiet.

When I had a large, finished 3rd story suite, I installed a "Spacepak" type A/C in a large unfinished area at the sides of the attic. They snaked ducts up to the attic ceiling in the suite, put one in each of the second floor four bedrooms and one in each of the 2 baths on the second floor. It was a lovely old house and this did not hurt the appearance at all. The idea was not to cool the first floor, but to cool the bedrooms and attic suite mostly at night when nobody was going in or out. Some of the coolness did still fall down to the first floor in that naturally dropping way that cool air behaves. Kind of like the opposite of the too-hot second floor of my colonial in winter when the heat likes to go up and sweat the bedrooms while we are cold in the living.

We had the largest size "Spacepak" system available, and an open 2-way staircase between the first and second floor. The stairs to the third floor had a door.

I thought I'd mention this because I loved the system and it didn't cost twice what your fans cost, installation included. It was 13 years ago though. (It was not the Spacepak brand. I use the term as a generic for high velocity, flex duct cooling system).

A second vote for looking at fans by the Matthews Fan Company. You might want to consider hard wired wall fans.

Ditto - plain white - KISS

Ditto - having AC does not mean constant use since you do have on/off control. Like Annie, we are windows open until humidity makes it too uncomfortable.

Ditto - juliekcmo - a house without AC (in a humid environment) is sticky, smelly and uncomfortable if there is no way to 'wring' the moisture out of the air and contents. Your cold water pipes will sweat and drip, and that can open a can of worms where you can't see the collected moisture.

Agree with everyone....simple, white, ceiling hugger.

I think AC is a godsend! I can't imagine life without it...I do not like the heat or humiidity.....it zaps my energy.

Twenty-five years ago my DB and SIL built a beautiful new home in Mystic (CT) with no AC "because no one has it here." Well, we spent the most ungodly 5 days there with our then 3 kids under 4..one an infant....no one slept! And their brand new wood floors all buckled from the humidity! What were they thinking?!!!!

Do consider the humidity. I live less than 20 miles from your new summer home and while I'm not right on the water, I'm not far from it. We have a window a/c unit in the living room, not for the heat, but for the humidity. I can take the heat, but weeks of over 90% humidity just do me in.

The ceiling fan will be enough most of the time, but you might want to consider some sort of a/c for the master bedroom for the really hot, sticky nights. I manage with two fans--one window fan to bring the cooler outside air in and one regular fan to blow air directly on the bed. A lot will depend on how good the cross-ventilation is in the room.

We are in the south - no way would I be without AC or my ceiling fans. As someone else mentioned, we sleep year round with our ceiling fan. Love having fresh air flowing, but it's not always feasible here.

There are some nice looking fans out there. Then again, they don't repulse me as they do some.

tina

If you don't want to go white this fan looks quite nice, IMO.
Edited to change word.

Here is a link that might be useful: I rather like this

This post was edited by holly-kay on Tue, Nov 26, 13 at 11:16

As long as the tangent is there, the honeywell IAQ thermostat is the only one I know of that is easily set to run the ac based on a humidity level, independent of the temperature. So if you do decide to add in AC, I would suggest that thermostat. In the humid midwest many people with lake homes use it so that the system can keep the home dehumidified somewhat, even when unoccupied, to prevent mold issues.

I can't imagine not having central AC, but it's more of a necessity in the Deep South. Ceiling fans are too! I prefer plain white ceiling fans with no lights.

I haven't read through all the replies, so I apologize if I repeat. This fan looks like a light when the fan isn't on. I've seen it at Lowes and it looks pretty neat.

Of the two you picture -- ugh and ugh. Sorry. I agree with a white ceiling hugger type. Mine is by Litex. It is at least 15 years old, runs constantly from mid-June through early September and I could not live without it. Perfect for warm nights and to distribute the AC on those stinking hot nights.

If you needs light too maybe this one...

Here is a link that might be useful: This one...

I am not a fan of disguised fans, fans are fantastic and useful and have nothing to apologize for - my favorite is the lapa (hugger style) from Modern Fan Company - simple with clean lines. We have several throughput the house - and they've been terrific.

Attic fans are also quite helpful...we noticed a huge difference in our second floor in the summer when we installed them.

I don't apologize for ceiling fans...to me they are a functional "appliance" .....I can't imagine not having them on for sleeping in the summer, even with the A/C.

My brother lived in Cape Elizabeth Maine for 3 years in his early married days. Their eldest daughter was born there. We are all from the South, and we all love our A/C. Their house there had A/C and yes there were many days and nights it was still needed. On nights you want to enjoy the breezes, turn it off, open the windows, and dare anyone to use the a/c!

I don't think there is anything horrible about a functional ceiling fan that fits with the overall decor of the room it is in, just like any other ceiling fixture.

I'm embarrassed to say I have ceiling fans all over my house. I almost put one in my master bathroom and often regret that I didn't. I don't love the look but I love the function. By the time we finished this house the budget was blown. So my fans are inexpensive but they move the air.

I had to google Pals fan suggestion and I really like it.

Not crazy about either of the fans you posted. But I can see why you want fans.

I have this same dilemma, I'm thinking about getting a drum shade ceiling fan kit...looking at Amazon.
Good luck!

Check out the oscillating fan below. It would be perfect in your house. I love oscillating fans in the bedroom. I use mine in the winter also. I get kind of hot when it's 20 degrees outside. ;)

Come April, it will be miserable here with high humidity. I have to run the a/c when it's in the upper 60's or low 70s. Of course we run our a/c all summer too, but on cool mornings when the air is dry, we always open our windows until the heat sets in.

Central air is a Godsend, not the anti-Christ. lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Hunter Oscillating Fan - Stand

First, I have seen that wagon wheel you posted in real life. It is an eye grabber. Not right for me, but it is fascinating--the candle flames actually move. Maybe I couldn't take my eyes off of it for the same reasons people look at car accidents...I'm not sure.

In my world, I like the ceiling fans to blend in to the ceilings. Here, they are all ceiling huggers, matte white blades.

I do have a sculptural one in my office though. Funny, many people have seen it asked about it and said they hate ceiling fans but love this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Artemis

PS--You can remove the light part from that Artemis fan, it comes with a cap.

Central air is the anti-christ

Laughing at that.

I was raised in South Georgia, so I consider central air (and chocolate) to be proof that there is a loving and merciful God.

You should probably take this suggestion with a grain of salt considering I've just built a new house outfitted completely with antique light fixtures. But have you considered an antique fan? There are sites that restore antique ceiling fans and you could choose the style and vintage most appropriate to your lovely old house. Or go with an antique wall mounted oscillating fan. We used one in the master bedroom of our 1920s house and it moved LOTS of air. Granted, it was a bit noisier than the new ones. Okay, it was a lot noisier than a new one.

Here's an example from VintageFans. They also have ceiling fans.

AC may be expected if the house is used for rentals.

AC may be expected if the house is used for rentals.

Ceiling fans are such a given here that it looks odd to me if someone doesn't have them. I even have one in my master bath and it's great in the summer.

I have the Minka-Aire in my great room. Because I did not intend to use the light, I put the cap on it. I have it in the Koa finish but it comes in several finishes including white, nickel, maple, shiny black, translucent, red and others. I chose to have my fan be noticeable rather than blend in with the ceiling. Here is the 58" Artimis with an extended down rod
{{!gwi}}

In my bedroom I have Minka Aire's Wave fan. It also comes in several different finishes. At 52" it is a little smaller than the Artimis. It does not come with a light.

{{!gwi}}

Both fans do an incredible job at moving the air. Everyone that has seen them comments that they are great looking fans.

Dear all,

Sorry that I cannot reply to all individually, there is no school here tomorrow and the natives are restless!

A few general points...

1. It has been my experience that when one has central a/c, the default is to run it. Running around opening and closing windows, especially over multiple floors in a large house, is just too much trouble. If you don't have to do it, you won't. I like to see four seasons, and I like to feel them too. I want some days and nights to be warmer and drier than others. I don't want to live in a hermetically sealed 68 degree box 24/7/365.

We only have central air here in CT because the PO did. I am often cold in the summer, which makes me mad because it is so wasteful.

In our last house, there were nights when it was uncomfortably hot. We would jump in the pool for a midnight swim. We all lived to tell about it. Every single buyer wanted central air and was shocked that with all we did, we never did that, relatively low cost, improvement.

We no longer intend to rent the Maine house. Choices that would be most conducive to renters are tertiary (not to mention it has rented in the past with no problem).

2. As for humidity and the seaside location, we did not see any issues, or importantly, smell any. The house smelled surprisingly fresh (and not scented in any way, either) for a 1906 home. Hooray for leaky homes!
I will risk the extra expense if we are wrong.

Thank you for all of your excellent suggestions and relating your own experience.

Nutherokie, thank you especially! I am so sold on those vintage fans! I do need to think about the sound though.

I say the classic Casablanca Panama. Comes in tons of color metals and woods and works like a charm. Fast and uber quiet.

Mtn I agree with you about the air conditioning. I don't care for it at all. I have a 1910 house that faces full west and it gets very hot in the afternoons. We cope by drinking Pimm's and gin and tonics and looking for shady spots under the trees:)

Rosylady, I like your style!

Another vote for modern fan. I have the cirrus fans through out the house. They move an incredible amount of air and are very quiet. I sleep with a fan all year long. I am a fan of AC but I like air movement.
As part of a pending remodel, I am planning to get rid of central air and use a mini split system throughout the house. The house is one story and a mid century modern. I like the idea of zoning that mini splits provide. Some family members are always hot and turn the AC down to frosty. This would localize that behavior to one room at a time. I have spent considerable time doing research on these units and I am leaning towards the Fujitsu. They are very flexible units so you can start with one room at a time.

I also have one Matthews fan, it is a wall mount fan for the dining room, Michele Parede. It is well made but not installed yet.

Best of luck!

Oh, I didn't realize the age of your home.

If it is that vintage, then it has probably, by design, been engineered to ventilate. So unless you are adding in tight design features, I think you will be fine with no AC if that is your preference.

I have the invisible fan. It's great.
http://www.luxist.com/tag/invisible+fan/

That was my mom's argument against central air, she feared that once we had it, no one would want to open windows in mild weather anymore. This was in Maryland. We finally got central air when I was 18 and I loved it, and we still turned it off and opened the windows on cooler days and evening but maybe not as often as my mom would have liked.

I live in Texas and we open our windows every chance we get but from late May until early September we very rarely do, it's just too hot. We keep our AC at 76 to 78 though, not at 68.

Ha, I've been popping drum shades over my existing ugly lights on my fans, like this:

There are blingy light fan kits, e.g.

or just go with something simple like this:

then there's always the derwish celing fan:

Aaaaghhhhh! Derwish aka derkarwash!

Good eye; it is based on a car wash.

Here is a link that might be useful: inspiration behind fan

This post was edited by nosoccermom on Thu, Nov 28, 13 at 15:46

Oh how funny is that!

What about a nice looking floor fan? Can store or use elsewhere if wanted/needed.

"I was raised in South Georgia, so I consider central air (and chocolate) to be proof that there is a loving and merciful God."

Daisyinga, I am SO with you!