It got real hot here on the East Coast for a few days and now it's cool again, but it still got me thinking about ceiling fans. I've seen two in particular in the past few months that I really like. One is a metal fan that is really pared down and simple. Made by Westinghouse and sold mainly for industrial spaces, it's also cheap. The other is a more "designy" fan, made by Minka Aire. The Artemis has a unique bent blade design, and the really nice, warm appearance of bent wood. I recommend them both. Enjoy and stay cool...
The Westinghouse Industrial fan comes in white or nickel finish (very nice) and is "designed for large, open spaces with high ceilings." Super affordable - I found one at Amazon for $44 - the catch with this fan is that it can turn at higher speeds and has thin metal blades, so it's more "dangerous" than a residential fan and recommended for at least 10' above the ground. I didn't consider this a serious concern for most people, and it does come with a remote control that adjusts it to five speeds.
>> Westinghouse Industrial Ceiling Fan
The Artemis is a pricier ($500) but comes with a very fancy pedigree. Designed by Mark Gajewski of G Squared, it was the winner of the GOOD DESIGN award of the Chicago Athenaeum, it is made mainly of recycled materials, creates almost no noise due to the shape of the blades and is also "ecologically sound: the blades form the body so there is no waste."
The catch with this baby, aside from price, is that it's not actually made of wood. It is made of some kind of polymer or lucite and is treated to look like maple or mahogany. I was a little disappointed, but then I appreciated the sense of using recycled materials instead of cutting down trees.
>> Artemis Celing Fan by Minka Aire
I think the best modern fans have to be the Modern Fan Co Fans. I have had mine for years they are super quiet and beautiful to look at. see them here:
http://www.nest-living.com/pages/modern-fan-co
view thetroll's profile
I like them both, and the Westinghouse especially at that price.
perhaps the perspective is off, but in the picture at the house in Brooklyn, it seems like that might not be the best place, right above a ladder near the edge of a loft bed, especially with "higher speeds" "thin metal blades."
when I moved into my attic apartment, I bumped my head a few times before learning where to duck a bit - but I think the body has less tolerance for even mild decapitation!
view travislessness's profile
i have the artemis fan with translucent blades in my living room. it's the coolest fan ever as far as i'm concerned!
view muro.lamere's profile
oh, and we didn't pay $500 for it. we found it on craigslist for $200, posted by someone that had bought it for even less at a fan auction.
view muro.lamere's profile
We have the Artemis fan and we love it! i agree with Muro, it's the coolest fan ever :)
view dosergirl's profile
Yeah........that whole decapitation bit is SUCH a drag! Even significant maiming as the thin blades slice through your arm when you reach up to take your hat off - just no fun! And messy.....blood everywhere.
So:
the catch with this fan is that it can turn at higher speeds and has thin metal blades, so it's more "dangerous" than a residential fan and recommended for at least 10' above the ground. I didn't consider this a serious concern for most people,
is just a tad too frivolous I think. :)(:
view pambamboo's profile
Love that Minka-Aire one! I love it as much as I did my Minka-Aire Cirque fan 6 years ago when I bought it. They seemed at the time to be the only company with great looking, nice quality modern fans at reasonable prices that I could find.
The other fan looks like $44 well spent to me!
view annessa's profile
Thank you for the Westinghouse tip. I really dislike ceiling fans but am finding them way to necessary living in Houston. I admire the plain, simple, industrial look for such a bargain. Modern Fan has always been my favorite website, but I go for $44. price right now!
view dumbwit tellher's profile
The Artemis fan is gorgeous. I have a pendant light made from the same polymer and it really does look like wood in person.
view Seaside's profile