After a very unforeseen hiatus, we are back on job. It’s time to wrap this home building process up! Last time I shared the selecting lighting process with you, and today I want to share another important decision process – Ceiling Fans. So how did we choose all the fans for an entire home? Let’s walk through the process together!
*If you’re just joining us, this is another installment of a series documenting the building of our personal dream home. So far we’ve tackled: Inspiration | Floorplan | Location | Breaking Ground | Roofing | Windows | Insulation | Sheetrock & Plaster | Selecting Paint | Selecting Flooring | Selecting Bathtubs | Selecting Lighting
Where To Start
Selecting ceiling fans for an entire house can be pretty daunting. The old school fans from the 90’s (with chains and light canopies) weren’t too designer friendly. Well, they’ve come a long way! I live in Florida…we need ceiling fans in every single room…so if we’re going to use them, let’s “make them fashion”. Here is the one I started with. Simple, clean, traditional but fresh.
Just like the other decisions I have made for the new house, I started off by selecting one line as my supplier. It makes things easier and the finishes go together instantly. Fanimation is my to go every single time…solid fans with a wide range of GREAT styles. You can select different finishes for the blades and the motor individually to fully customize each fan, along with different wall control panels. If you don’t know about them, you should totally look them up. Their Pinterest boards are inspiration enough. If you want to go down the rabbit hole, you can dive into their boards here and my blackhole of Pins for our new house here.
Style
The design for ceiling fans lie greatly in the style of blades. It’s more about the blades than the motor itself, and choosing between a centrally housed fan (a circular metal ring with the blades within it), or exposed (main motor with open blades coming off it from the center). From previous experience I knew I wanted to have the exposed style ceiling fans throughout the new house as the performance is better. It’s important to decide what sort of style of ceiling fan is applicable and suitable for each room so you can narrow down suppliers based on this if necessary. Next the quantity of blades is a key consideration… Generally this is totally down to personal taste – 3 blades creates a minimal barely-there look and 4 or 5 blades is fairly standard. Most importantly though, the number of blades does correlate to the performance and efficiency of the ceiling fan too. As the number of blades go up, the quieter the fan but circulates less air.
Rules
Sticking to simple, tried and true rules I’ve created for myself over the years makes selections much easier. Here are my rules for fans:
-No chains. None. Don’t do it.
-Clean lines. Nothing frilly.
-Dark and as monochromatic with the blades as possible
Size
OK, now for the logistics. Your fans need to fit in the rooms they’re going in! There are some critical factors to take in to consideration, particularly for small rooms or low ceiling heights. If you install a large fan in a small room it looks silly and equally a small fan in a large room looks weak and isn’t effective!
As a general rule:
-Rooms 75 square feet or smaller, the ceiling fan should be no bigger than 36 inches
-Larger rooms of 75 – 144 square feet, the ceiling fan should be 36 – 42 inches
-Rooms 144-200 can hold a fan with a 60 or 70″ span
-Rectangular rooms over this size can usually hold 2 fans. Space them out consistently
-Ceilings over 10′ or so will need a down rod… or 2! Read about the sizing here.
Finish
Once you have decided on a style and how many blades you prefer, thinking about the finish of the ceiling fan is another important consideration. Typically the finish of ceiling fans should relate to the lighting fixtures and hardware within each room. This may be different for each area and that’s perfectly ok! So long as the finish works with the room the ceiling fan is in.
I stuck with the Dark Bronze finish from Fanimation because we chose a mix of aged brass and polished nickel for internal rooms and a vintage finish for external lighting. I always knew I wanted darker ceiling fans throughout so they had a strong presence in the spaces and make up part of the overall design to each room. I paired the Dark Bronze finish with Dark Walnut blades for all of the ceiling fans which creates a cohesiveness throughout the house.
Selections
So here’s a round up of the ceiling fans I’ve chosen for each key room…
I chose different styles of ceiling fans for most rooms, but kept the finishes the same throughout for consistency.
Family Room
For the family room I decided to keep the design of the ceiling fan simple, as the overall design is very Hamptons chic. We need two fans for this space so opted for the 60″ blades. This is without a lighting kit as we have alternative light sources going in here.
Family Room Ceiling Fan, finished in Dark Bronze with 60″ Dark Walnut blades, without lighting kit, with wall control
A few installed photos from the house:
Master Bedroom
For the master I’ve chosen this classic 5 blade ceiling fan, again because it relates nicely to other aspects of the design for this room specifically. This is without a lighting kit.
Master Bedroom Ceiling Fan finished in Dark Bronze with 52″Dark Walnut blades, without lighting kit and with wall control
Guest and Daughter's Bedrooms
I chose the same ceiling fan style for these two bedrooms as we needed the same size blades so it made sense to simplify these. This is a really sleek and modern 3 blade ceiling fan which will look amazing with the other furniture and finishes used in these bedrooms! I chose to add a lighting kit to these fans so it provides some of the lighting for the rooms.
Bedrooms Ceiling Fans finished in Dark Bronze with 52″ Dark Walnut blades, with lighting kit and with wall control
Son's Bedroom
For my son’s bedroom we chose this sleek yet simple 3 blade ceiling fan to keep the ceiling minimal as the room is slightly smaller in size to the others. Again, it actually has a lighting kit with it because this is one of the main central source of light for the room.
Playroom
I’m using the same ceiling fan here as the guest and my daughter’s bedrooms. It made sense to use a sleek design here, and without a lighting kit.
Playroom Ceiling Fan finished in Dark Bronze with 52″ Dark Walnut blades, without lighting kit and with wall control
Outdoor
The outdoor spaces require three ceiling fans, so we’re keeping it simple but going for two 60″ and one 72″ sizes.
Outdoor Ceiling Fans, finished in Dark Bronze with 60″ and 72″ Dark Walnut blades, without lighting kit and with wall control
Exterior
I’ve decided on something slightly different for the exterior to the house! I just LOVE this old-style wall mount fan!
Exterior Wall Mounted Fan in Black, without lighting kit and with wall control
The FInal Selections
So here it is! The final selection of ceiling fans for the new house below! I am so in love with them, I love how they all relate to each other but are slightly different in blade styles.
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Can you really build a fresh, chic, modern family home for under $189,000? Yes, yes you can!
We set out to do just that in High Springs, Florida and we couldn’t be happier with the result! How did we do it? Here was my plan:
- Use budget friendly selections throughout. Keep the main selections classic and inexpensive. Here we used chic, but inexpensive vinyl flooring, brushed nickel plumbing and $1.99 tile throughout.
- Then, splurge on a few key pieces. Now that you’ve saved throughout, you can jazz it up with a few splurges. The island lighting and breakfast nook lighting were a bit pricey for this home, but were such a focus, the splurge was warranted. The Master Bath also got a stand out vanity.
- Use a monochromatic color scheme inside. Light and bright neutrals amplify the wide open floor plan, keeping everything fresh and clean. The interior paint color mimics, but doesn’t match, the exterior color for a seamless transition.
- Punch it up with a bold front door. Paint is cheap so let’s use it to our advantage! A clean, warm white exterior and a fresh, bold red door make a striking exterior.
So, let’s take a look and see the end results! All the info (with links) to recreate the style is listed at the end.
Now here’s a handy dandy Pinterest chart for you!
If you’re in the North Central Florida area, connect Evans Construction & Design about building one of these for your family!
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It’s that time of year. Yippee. Whether you decorate your whole house or just a room, holiday decorations should be fun and no stress. If you’re stressed out, you’re doing it wrong. 😉
Follow these 3 easy steps and sit back and enjoy.
1. Pick a Theme
I love traditional Christmas plaid and tartan decorations. Think Ralph Lauren in Connecticut on Christmas morning. Having this base to refer to makes shopping easy. But it’s not about me, it’s about you. What do YOU like? All white? Modern? Country? Pick a theme and go with it.
Here are my favorite picks for this year.
2. Vary It Slightly
Now that you have a signature look, vary it slightly from room to room. I mix different tartans and plaids in different areas. More formal rooms get silver champagne buckets holding mini trees with tartan ribbon. Kids areas get buckets holding trees, tartan blankets and shams. Keeping the same thread running throughout keeps everything working together.
3. When in Doubt, Add More!
This is not the time for subtlety. Your house is only going to be decorated for a month, max. Pull out all the stops and enjoy. It will be gone before you know it.
Now that we have a few guidelines, let’s see some inspiration images in my favorite look. Several are from my home. Enjoy! Sources and buying info at the bottom.
Here’s a couple handy graphics for your Pinterest boards with links below!
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If you’ve been in the market for plumbing fixtures lately, you’ve likely seen the newest and most beautiful finish out…”Luxe Gold” by Brizo. It will stop you in your tracks! See below for the Cheat Sheet with links.
It stands out in a sea of Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Oil Rubbed Bronze and (now) Matte Black. It’s the perfect warm-gold. It’s not bright brass from the 80s, not even close. They have everything you need for your Kitchen or Bath.
Here’s just a very small sampling…
So, let’s say you’ve decided to use this lovely combination in your home. Amazing! But… you need some things to coordinate with it. Knobs…lights…mirrors… What goes with this gorgeous finish? Brizo makes a few things to coordinate but not much….like one light…seriously.
What coordinates?
You can MIX the finish with other finishes…maybe matte black? That’s a valid option. But, let’s look at what will actually coordinate with Luxe Gold from other brands. Here are a few of my favorites. Don’t worry, all the links are down below at the bottom of the post.
But wait…
Is This The Same As Delta’s Champagne Bronze?
Mirrors and Accessories
Probably the most important item to coordinate…
Hardware
Lights for the Kitchen, Bath and Common Spaces
Or…Screw it and paint anything you want 😉
Just kidding, please don’t do that!
Cheat Sheet
So now we have a BUNCH of options to coordinate with the amazing Brizo Luxe Gold line. Here is a handy dandy Cheat Sheet for you, with links, along with one perfectly formatted for your Pinterest page.
Pin this one to Pinterest!
So, what do you think? Will you try this new finish? I am!
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E-Design is an affordable alternative to traditional interior design services. Let us help you create a custom room design for you!
You can follow along with a real life example here
COMPLETE ROOM DESIGN INCLUDES
First Look – A digital mood board depicting the overall look and feel of the space, with revisions, as needed
Furniture plan – All furniture, to scale, shown in your exact room layout
Source list with direct links to purchase items yourself
Paint colors and fabric selections
Design notes and instructions to pull it all together
$299+ Entryway or Half Bath
$499+ Living Room, Dining Room or Bedroom
$799+ Kitchen or Bathroom
A LA CARTE FROM $99
Stuck on a selection? For $99, we can help! Send us your dilemma and mark it off your list.
Three complete paint schemes of at least three colors for your space delivered right to your inbox.
To get started, fill out our questionnaire. We’ll take it from there!
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