While a lot in our bedroom has changed in the last three years, there's one thing that hasn't changed, but I've been conveniently cropping out of photos--our ceiling fan. Yes, we've been secretly rocking this beauty:
I am not usually one to wait so long to swap out something that doesn't align with our design vision, but I was so unsure if we wanted to get a pretty light fixture or a different ceiling fan. I mentioned in a previous post that every winter I lean toward a fixture and then all summer, we love to sleep with the fan on. This summer sealed the deal for us--another ceiling fan it was.
We ordered this modern, matte black one made by Fanimation from Wayfair. As much as I hesitated replacing our fan with another fan, most importantly we want our home to be functional and pleasant for us--and that meant sleeping with a fan on in the summer. After a lot of searching, I'm so happy with this one that has 4 settings (all so very quiet) and doesn't sacrifice an ounce of style.
Swapping the fans took about 40 minutes. We turned off the breaker and then Chris always likes to snap a pic on his phone of the wiring in case he needs to reference it when wiring the new fixture or fan, in this case.
One nice feature about Fanimation fans is you can attach the down rod to the base before wiring it, so no one has to kill their arms trying to hold it up while the other tries to connect the appropriate wires before my arms give out. It's very arm-friendly.
We replaced the old standard switch on the wall with this one, that's similar to a dimmer switch except for fan speeds. It sure beats the old chains that ceiling fans used to sport where you keep pulling the chain and then inevitably pass by the level you were aiming for.
Here you can see how our home flows a little more. Our bedroom is right off of the wallpapered entry wall and I'm standing to the right of the hall bath taking this photo. We have double doors that lead to our bedroom, which I always feel silly about because it's a pretty modest-sized bedroom. But we generally keep both doors open during the day and it helps me keep our room clean.
There are still a few spaces in our room that will continue to evolve, but we're really happy we didn't wait until we had it all figured out before we started. I think that's the biggest lesson I've learned in the past several years we've spent renovating our home--you don't have to wait until you know every detail to do something.
Last thing I'll note is, we opted for a ceiling fan without a light kit because, in our experience, they're never really that great anyway. We have plans to add a few recessed lights on a dimmer in the future, but for now we have plenty of natural light during the day and our lamps for the evening. Do you rock a fan in the bedroom? We always have in our last home and this one. It's hard for me to imagine not having one! (Although visually, I still dream about it sometimes.)
SOURCES:
Wall Color--Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray; Ceiling Fan--Wayfair; Curtains--West Elm; Bamboo Blinds--Overstock; Bed--West Elm; Mattress--Tuft & Needle; Striped Blanket; Pillow Shams--Urban Outfitters; Turkish Accent Pillow--Etsy; Duvet--Crane & Canopy; Area Rug--West Elm; Swing Arm Lamps--CB2; Nightstands--Vintage; Art
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It looks beautiful. We’re considering a black fan for our sunroom. Does dust show easily? I’m afraid of the potential
upkeep - I clean my fans embarrassingly infrequently.
Did you consider a white one so that it would blend in and be less noticible while still meeting your design criteria or did you really only look at darker ones? We're dealing with a similar delima throughout our house, we live in Houston and MUST have fans, an its hard to find matte white stylish ones.
Love the fan! We live in the south and ceiling fans are a must (especially in the bedroom that faces west...ugh) and I love the one you chose! Unrelated to fans, how are y'all liking your mattress after having it for several months now? still a good decision to order mattress-by-mail?
Yes! Still love it madly.
This fan looks amazing here, you can't go wrong with a Fanimation product! Yes to fans in any possible room for me, I get very annoyed when ceiling fans are ignored in design. Anyone who can't find a ceiling fan they love, or could at least tolerate, hasn't really looked at the HUGE array of options available these days. We aren't living in the days of polished brass and tulip shades anymore, there's so much to discover in ceiling fans.
Just love it! I have to ask you about the art in the wall. Esp. the one on the upper left corner.
We have a ceiling fan in every bedroom, but our ceilings are so low we opted for white "huggers" that sit closer to the ceiling and hopefully you don't really notice them, but this is a seriously good looking fan. We've got a 9' ceiling in our hallway landing upstairs and we're looking at something much more attractive like this to put there.
Can a fan be sexy? Yes. Yes it can. Totally sexy.
Looks sleek! I love a fan but my hubs can't sleep under one so I've gotten used to not having one. I do have to have a sound machine, though!
Definitely a fan of ceiling fans!! :) Can you do a post of nice looking fans that you found in your search? I really want to change out our hideous fans!
"you don’t have to wait until you know every detail to do something." YES! I have really been trying to keep this in mind recently! Now to get my husband on board.... :) Just the other day I was running an idea about some built-ins for our living room and he started asking me all these question about specific paint colors. Dude, do you want built-ins or not?! Not that we can't/shouldn't have a general idea of the overall look, but paint is the very last step! Hahaha!
PS the fan looks great!
Hahaha, it's a hard lesson to grasp but can save so much mind space!
Gotta have a ceiling fan here in Florida. And a floor fan. And smaller one on the nightstand. Lol
Hahaha, air movement for the win!
Living in Sweden were there's almost always cold, we do not have a fan in our house, and never had. I remeber in the nineties, some people had a fan in their livingroom but I think that was because the thought it was a nice interior design idea, rather than a need.
Interesting!
We have TWO ceiling fans in our bedroom! I'm not sure why the previous owner installed 2 and I wish I could have some pretty fixture instead, but we live in Phoenix so ceiling fans are a must! We have our on all year and I couldn't imagine living without it.
I totally agree and understand on the ceiling fans. They are not my first choice aesthetically but we use them too much to get rid of them in our main living areas. We're actually planning to get rid our bedroom one though because we sleep with a box fan anyways, year round.
Ceiling fans are so needed here in SC. So of course, we can't do with out them! Wish we could have one in our den, but for some reason there's zero overhead lighting, much less a fan in there.
As far as the fan having a light: In our bedroom, our fan light is always off. It's too stark of lighting in a weird location, and I too prefer using table lamps and more ambient lighting for our bedroom. It only gets switched on if I'm doing something in there that requires the light of a thousand suns! :)
Looks 1000x better! Great choice you guys!
It just annoys me no end when bloggers and designers pooh-pooh ceiling fans. Especially the ones who don't live in the South. A ceiling fan is a must here, IMO. At least if you want to keep your energy costs down and stay cool.
It's nice to see there are some stylish options out there. I'm still rocking the original builders grade ones with the tulip lights in my house. ;) But someday I'll get them changed out.
Oooo, love it!
Am I the only one who doesn't prefer a ceiling fan?
Nope, I'm not a big fan of fans either... (whoa... that comment just blew my mind HAHAHA) As long as I can remember, our rental spaces had fans in practically every room, but we never used them. So when we bought our house and began renovating, fans weren't even a consideration. But to each their own, as they say! :)
Yes to ceiling fans! I would love a chandelier or something super beautiful but it's definitely an area where comfort and function trumps aesthetic!
I, for one, love the fact that you have double doors leading to the master bedroom, even if it's not as fancy as one would expect. Kicking myself for not thinking of that idea when we were reframing the layout of our bungalow, but then again, because we were matching old hardwood with new hardwood right in front of the master bedroom, this particular idea wouldn't work out anyway because it would make the transition way too obvious... :( But oh, I just love it so much! Making a mental note for our next house (if there is a next...)!
You mentioned not waiting til you've ironed out every detail to start making progress; ironically, I'm currently struggling with the opposite – forced to make way too many house-related decisions in a very short time. It's been a year since we started renovating our place (which was previously abandoned for 20 years, so completely unlivable), and we're to the point that we HAVE to bring it to a livable condition ASAP (long story involving banks, mortgages, etc.) and I am SO TIRED OF MAKING A MILLION DECISIONS A DAY! haha And because this is our first DIY project of such scale, I feel like I'm researching house-related matters 24/7, let alone finding time to actually do those projects. Have you had to experience anything like that with either of your houses? Any advice for not losing my mind and yet somehow still being able to make informed decisions? Asking for a friend...
When we were doing the Pittsburgh kitchen in June, it definitely felt like that because we HAD to make ALL the decisions before we even started. It was a lot to take on, but if I could give one piece of advice it would be keep your vision in mind. Know the look you're going for and if you don't have the energy or time to choose the perfect thing for every last detail (it can take HOURS to find the perfect light fixture or hardware or flooring), find one that you like, that fits your budget and your style and be happy with that. I know sometimes I find a great option and then I keep looking just in case there's a better option out there. Cutting out that fear that this isn't "the absolute best option ever" really freed up my time and I felt completely content.
Would love a fan in our master, but not sure our ceilings are high enough. How tall are your ceilings?
They are just standard 8' ceilings.
Textured ceilings! Do you have them throughout the house? Are you keeping them, or are you planning to resurface eventually?
Oy. I hate those ceilings. I have grand plans to plank them or skim coat them one day, but that would be way down the road most likely.
Anna, I was just about to ask that question. We have them all over our house and I HATE THEM. I was hoping Julia (&Chris) had plans to get rid of theirs and it would inspire me to get rid of ours.
Yes to a ceiling fan! I miss having one, our home (built in 1915) currently only has wiring to wimpy pull string wall fixtures. So until we are ready to rewire we are rocking a box fan propped up on our picnic basket :)
Whatever works!
I love a ceiling fan in the bedroom (and everywhere else).... I would love to get a chandelier for above the bed, but my husband and I both love sleeping with the fan on all year long, so no go. Love this option!
Fan all the way. I am always appalled when designers take them out, especially in places like the South. Yes, they may not look that great, but they have such a great function. Sometimes you can't sacrifice things that make so.much.sense. At the very least get a less ugly one!
Oops. Just saw the last part of your post. The ads keep making my screen jump around. I guess that answers my question!
Are the only sources of light in your room lamps now? I love that fan. We recently switched ours out and the light portion was the part I found the most difficult to like. We wound up with something more traditional than I would have preferred but it was the best option within our budget that had a light. I can't deal with just lamps and pot lights aren't on the agenda for another 5+ year .
Yes, I talked about it in the last paragraph. We'll put in recessed lights eventually.
I'm team ceiling fan all the way!! We use ours all year round, I can't sleep without one now. There are so many stylish fans available that it's not the design faux pas it used to be. And I love the one you chose Julia!
I totally rock a ceiling fan year round. I love having a breeze!