Ceiling Fan Questions
For our parlor floor living room renovation, a typical rectangular config, we just installed two ceiling points of light. I want ceiling fans but my wife makes the point that chandeliers give a much richer look and the lights on the fans tend to not be the brightest (since we don’t also have high hats)….
For our parlor floor living room renovation, a typical rectangular config, we just installed two ceiling points of light. I want ceiling fans but my wife makes the point that chandeliers give a much richer look and the lights on the fans tend to not be the brightest (since we don’t also have high hats). Question 1 – do most people always match the two fixtures in a room? The room itself will be separated functionally, with a sitting area on the front side and a tv/couch area on the other. So I think having a nice light fixture in the front, with a fan/fixture in the back might work. 2 – do people here think the fans really do save energy and help cool? 3 – for our garden floor, where ceilings are just about 8ft only, do you think a low slung fan can work in each bedroom or is that ceiling height too low? Thanks and happy new year.
Minka/Modern fans are much nicer looking than the “traditional” crap that’s almost everywhere…a sleek white/silver fan blends into the ceiling more. And a slow reversed fan in winter helps with heating bills.
A ceiling mounted light should not be considered the main lighting source (unless you’re living in the 19th century,) so a halogen dimmable fixture on the above fans could provide a good overall low light level. It’s much better to use multiple fixtures at lower levels for high parlor floors, ie table or floor lamps.
I agree with MM that ceiling fans are very effective for cooling and minimizing need for A/C, and I also agree with his assessment of the fan/light combo aesthetic. We bought fans from Minka Aire which are really simple and uncluttered looking (and the one in our kitchen does in fact have a light in it, but it’s not one of those bulbous horrors found at Home Depot). I wouldn’t put one in the parlor, though.
Fans definitely make a difference. My parlor floor is cooled by ceiling fans, not A/C. I originally wanted chandeliers, to pack a design wow, but actually prefer floor and table lamps for task and ambient lighting. Chandeliers have to be really bright to light up an entire large room, and in doing so, are strobe like, for me. Dimmers solve that problem, but then you can’t see, and you need table and floor lamps anyway.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fan/lamp combo that doesn’t look awful, even in the most expensive ceiling fans. Some things just don’t work together.
That said, I think you would be fine with your fan in back, and chandelier in front, as it seems you will be reading, etc more in the back. A large, powerful fan can cool the back really well, and move air around even in the next room. If your fans on a lower ceiling are adjusted to be as close to the ceiling as is safe and feasible, I see no reason why not. Just get fans with clean lines that don’t accentuate the lower ceiling height, and feel/loom like they are Indiana Jones death traps. Smaller, more modern blades, with no light fixtures work best.