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Indoor and outdoor ceiling fans can transform the look and feel of any living space. However, many homeowners struggle with how to incorporate these popular lighting fixtures into their home designs. To that end, we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to ceiling fans for living rooms, bedrooms, porches, and beyond.
Read on for a roundup of tips aimed at helping you elevate both the interior and exterior of your home with indoor and outdoor ceiling fans.
Key Considerations
Interesting ceiling fans are an excellent addition to interior spaces like bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens. They can also be beneficial for exterior areas like porches, patios, and sunrooms. If you’re thinking of adding a ceiling fan to your living space, you may be wondering how to pull it off in a way that complements your current decor. For both interior and exterior spaces, the following five considerations come into play:
- Illumination
- Size
- Style
- Design Details
- Control Options
Let’s take a closer look at these considerations as they apply to interior and exterior fixtures.
Coordinating Indoor Ceiling Fans with Other Interior Lighting Fixtures
Lighting directly influences not only how we live in a specific room, but also how we feel in that space. When choosing an interior ceiling fan, consider the following factors to ensure that it effectively enhances its surroundings:
Illumination
Ceiling fans with lights do double-duty. Not only do they help with cooling and warming your home, but they’re also another valuable source of light. A simple way to make sure your ceiling fan complements the overall aesthetic of the space is to use a lightbulb with a similar wattage to the room's other sources of light. To further support consistency, avoid mixing halogen and incandescent bulbs.
Size
Scale is instrumental to achieving balance in a space. Generally speaking, the size of the ceiling fan should be proportional to the size of the room itself. For ceiling heights lower than eight feet, a low-profile fan is ideal. Meanwhile, ceiling heights of more than nine feet can accommodate something larger.
Blade span is also important. Small spaces (under 144 square feet) such as bathrooms, breakfast nooks, and utility rooms, call for blade spans of less than 42 inches. Bigger spaces (more than 400 square feet) such as great rooms and open floor plans, on the other hand, require blade spans longer than 62 inches.
In addition to complementing the dimensions of the room itself, a ceiling fan should also match the other light fixtures in terms of scale. Remember, all of the lighting sources in a space should work together to add up to the ideal combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting.
Style
From modern and minimalist to rustic and traditional, there are many different home decor styles. One easy way to ensure that your ceiling fan complements the rest of your lighting fixtures is to stick with a similar style. However, if your room is more eclectic, choosing a ceiling fan that contrasts with another prominent lighting fixture in the room can have a symbiotic effect.
Design Details
Materials and hardware finishes also offer guidance for selecting interior light fixtures. For example, if a table lamp in the room has a dark-stained wood base, choosing a ceiling fan with dark wooden blades will yield a harmonious look. Meanwhile, if a nearby floor lamp has brushed nickel hardware, then a ceiling fan with similar finishes will lend a cohesive feel to the room. In all cases, this common thread unites the space for an aesthetically pleasing end result.
Control Options
A room may call for more or less lighting, depending on the situation. By taking advantage of control options, such as dimmer switches and wireless remotes, you can make sure all of the elements of your lighting plan are working together. This allows you to fine-tune the amount of light being provided by the ceiling fan – thereby amplifying the overall functionality of the space.
Coordinating Outdoor Ceiling Fans with Other Exterior Lighting Fixtures
If you’re looking to cool an outdoor space when temperatures soar, outdoor ceiling fans are an effective and affordable solution. These fixtures are ideal for porches, patios, pergolas, sunrooms, and garages. Want to make the most functional and aesthetically pleasing selection when buying exterior ceiling fans? As with indoor ceiling fans, the following factors should inform your decision:
Illumination
Choosing a ceiling fan with lighting is a practical option for any exterior area. Why? Because it extends the livability of the space after the sun goes down. If your ceiling fan will be paired with sconces and other light fixtures, limit yourself to one type of lightbulb – halogen or incandescent. Furthermore, choose bulbs of a similar wattage to create a cohesive lighting scheme.
Size
As with interior fixtures, the size of exterior lighting fans is primarily determined by the scope of the space. However, the size of the fan should also be in scale with any other fixtures in your lighting scheme. A dramatic, oversized ceiling fan, for example, may look out of balance if paired with a set of small, intricate wall lanterns or sconces. Similarly, a small ceiling fan may be dwarfed by larger lighting fixtures.
Style
Are you buying a ceiling fan for a grand solarium or a rustic deck? In both cases, the style of the space dictates the type of ceiling fan you should choose. If the room is already outfitted with other lighting fixtures, coordinating your ceiling fan with the existing design style is a foolproof way to pull the space together.
Design Details
Your outdoor ceiling fan shouldn’t just complement the room – it should coordinate with the current lighting within it as well. To accomplish this, focus on design details like materials, hardware, and finishes. For example, if your wall lanterns feature stainless-steel accents, selecting an outdoor ceiling fan with similar hardware yields a unified look.
Control Options
The amount of light directly impacts the overall vibe of a space. Whether your outdoor space has an abundance of other light sources or is limited in this respect, features like dimmer switches and wireless remotes can be beneficial. These products enable you to quickly and easily change the feel of an event or gathering by altering the amount of light with the push of a button.
Find the Perfect Ceiling Fan for Your Space at Fashion Light Center
The right ceiling fan can completely transform your space and complement your existing lighting scheme. And with so many available options, you’re sure to find a perfect fit at Fashion Light Center. As one of the leading lighting stores in CT, we offer an extensive inventory of indoor and outdoor lighting from top designers. To find the right ceiling fan for your living space, shop Fashion Light Center today.
