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Before there were air conditioners, there were ceiling fans. In southern climates especially, they’re used to keep the air flowing and the temperature down on steamy days. A ceiling fan can significantly lower the “feels like” temperature of your home. In the colder months, reversing the direction of the blades to a clockwise motion will draw warm air down from the ceiling, providing your home with better air circulation. There are tons of styles to choose from to compliment most any décor. Along with outdoor rugs and furniture, you can use some fans on patios and porches (Note: they’ll need to have at least a damp rating). Here are some of the best ceiling fans we’ve found to keep you comfortable all year round.
If you’re looking for something more stylish than a basic ceiling fan, this one from Laurel Foundry is for you. It features a down rod and metal and wood grain shade that adds a rustic feel to the fixture. It’s rated for low noise so you won’t be bothered by it while sleeping and works with sloped ceilings up to 15 degrees.
This indoor/outdoor fan from Honeywell has a tropical feel to it because of its large, palm shaped blades. It works well in your living room or on your front or back porch. The durable, plastic blades withstand natural elements and won’t bend. You can mount this fan three ways including close mount, with a four-inch down rod, or on an angled ceiling. Whichever and wherever you mount it, you’ll enjoy the feel of powerful airflow with a tropical look.
We’re fans of the rustic, farmhouse kitchen decor and this fan from Hunter Mill Valley fits in perfectly. The single metal shade makes me think of the old barn lights on my grandparents’ farm and the matching metal rivets are a wonderful touch. It’s also rated for damp locations, so you can even hang it in an actual barn.
With a 65-inch blade span, this is a large ceiling fan; one of the largest available. It features eight sleek, all-weather blades (for indoor or outdoor use) and an LED light kit. You can configure it to work with Alexa or Google Home by connecting it to a Bond BD 1000 hub (sold separately). It’s also energy-efficient. We love the understated, modern design that fits in well with a variety of decors.
Suitable for both standard and angle mounting, this modern looking fan from Honeywell has a sleek, integrated globe with three 40-watt LED bulbs that provides excellent illumination, no matter where you install it. It also has five blades for ultra-efficiency and prime airflow.
This fan includes a four-light kit with painted cased white shades and reversible blades so it can be easily synced to a range of decors. The four light bulbs are dimmable and the fan can be mounted in three positions: standard, low, or angled. Hunter fans are known for their quality, often lasting for more than 20 years. In fact, I’m pretty sure my brother has had the same one of these in his office for the past 25 years.
A traditional ceiling fan style found in apartments and homes across the country, the Hunter fan provides excellent value and reliability. This is a low-profile fan, designed to sit close to the ceiling, making it a good choice for a foyer, pantry, or bathroom. You won’t necessarily win any design awards with this, but you’ll be happy with the quiet operation and more than adequate air flow.
A great budget option for low-ceilinged rooms, the Portage Bay Hugger fan extends a little less than a foot from the ceiling, keeping the blades out of the hairs of taller folks. With its unobtrusive modern style, it works in a range of places and with all sorts of interior design styles. A quiet and powerful fan, it does what it's intended to do without any added tech—or cost.
If you’re in the market for a high-tech fan with all the bells and whistles, the Haiku L from the Big Ass Fans (yes, that’s the actual company name) is for you. It’s wifi-enabled (comes with a wifi module that allows you to pair it with the app) and connects to Alexa or Google Home. There are seven speed settings with whoosh, sleep, timer, fan, and eco modes. We confess to not knowing exactly what ‘whoosh’ mode is, but it doesn’t matter: With motion, humidity, and temperature detectors, this fan essentially runs itself.
If you have a home with a modern—or even mid-century modern design—this fan is for you. It features a clean, sleek capsule or bullet shape with three slim blades. Manufactured by the Modern Fan Company, one of the few makers of ceiling fans with contemporary, minimalist shapes and profiles, this fan is a statement in and of itself. Can be installed both indoors and outdoors.
One of the cool features in the Ashby Park ceiling fan is the integrated LED light kit with three temperature settings and color changing technology, so you can set the light to reflect your mood—all via the remote of course. The modern design fits a variety of styles.
The Minka Aire Lightwave has a unique design that the company says draws its inspiration from graceful ocean waves. This is evident in the beautiful shape of the fan blades. The silver version reminds us of a plane propeller, as does the amount of airflow this fan produces. Included is an integrated and dimmable light kit. It’s also smart home-compatible.
This is an excellent budget-friendly ceiling fan from Harbor Breeze that compliments a range of design styles. It’s a flush-mount style, so you can install it in rooms with low ceilings if needed. If you buy them in bulk, you can even get a discount—so feel free to order one for every room in your house. And maybe your parents’ house, as well.
If you’re installing a ceiling fan in your bedroom, you’ll likely want one with a remote so you can control it without having to get up from your comfy bed. Many fans have both remote and pull-string capabilities. And some, as evidenced above can be integrated with your smart home.
Ceiling fans can either be flush-mount, sitting close to the ceiling or hang from a drop rod. If you have 8- or 9-foot ceilings or lower, you’ll probably want a flush mount style to avoid the possibility of anyone getting hit on the head by spinning blades.
The size of room you want to install a fan in will determine how wide the blade span should be.
The following is a good general formula for blade span:
Less than 80 square feet: 36 inches or less
80-150 square feet: 36-42 inches
150-250 square feet: 42-52 inches
250 square feet or more: 52 inches or more
We selected the best ceiling fans from scouring extensive online reviews as well as from personal experience. I’ve owned and renovated a few homes in my day (as have my parents, who always used my brothers and me as free labor) so I’ve bought and used more ceiling fans than perhaps the average consumer. I’m also obsessed with them. I feel every room would benefit from a ceiling fan. The best way to clean ceiling fans
First, turn the fan off (the most important step). Then spray a cleaning solution into a microfiber cloth and wipe each blade. This method requires a ladder or tall stool to stand on. Alternatively, you can also use a long-handled brush or Swiffer of some kind. If you’re up for a creative DIY method, you can wipe the blades with a pillow case so that all the dust ends up inside the case rather than on the floor. If you’re feeling especially lazy, simply switch the motor into the reverse direction and watch the dust fly (not that we recommend this method).
The best places to buy ceiling fans are in online furniture stores and retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, and more.
Ceiling fans are measured by their total blade span (or wingspan, as it were). The number you see in fan descriptions includes the total width of the blades from the tips on one side to those directly opposite. The length of a ceiling fan refers to the total distance from your ceiling to the lowest hanging surface, usually the light fixture.
There are many best brands for ceiling fans including Hunter, Harbor Breeze, Honeywell, Minka, and others included in this guide.
Five blades will produce more air flow, but can possibly be louder than three blade options. One is not necessarily better than the other; it depends on what’s most important to you.
In summer, ceiling fans should turn counterclockwise to move air down. You’ll be able to feel the breeze from the fan because of the blade angle. In the winter months, switch your fan to a clockwise direction to create an updraft, pulling the warm air that naturally rises to the ceiling down. As we learned in science, hot air rises.
Generally, ceiling fans come in 36, 42, 44, 52, and 65 inches.
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