Ceiling fans are a hot topic on Apartment Therapy. For such a common home item, it can be tough finding a style you can live with. One solution I came across was to antique a store bought fan for an industrial-age look.
How To: Antique a Ceiling Fan
It’s simple really. Start with a basic shape and stay clear of anything that might give-away the age of the fan. So pay attention to the style of the blades, the motor and hardware. I used a fan similar to this Harbor Breeze Classic which is available at Lowe’s for just $45.
The color doesn’t really matter as your first step will be to paint the fan with primer. Obviously this is easiest before you assemble the fan. Paint the motor casing, the blades, anything exposed. Careful to keep it even as too much paint on one blade can throw off the weight distribution and make the fan spin a little wonky.
After the primer dries, paint the fan with metallic copper paint. Copper paint is fairly common and can be found at most hardware and art supply stores.
Finally, after the copper coat dries, antique the fan with black, oil-based paint. Just dip cheese cloth or an old rag in the black paint and wipe the fan with long, smooth strokes. Try and keep the edges dark and let the copper show through around the middle. Again, antique anything that might show, even the pull chord. That’s it! Now you can assemble and install (or have a friendly electrician handle this part).
The first photo is how my own fan turned out, the last is the original inspiration from a local restaurant in Williamsburg, The Rabbit Hole. And one last tip — order the BLT.
(Images: Geoff Bentz)
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My solution to the ceiling fan problem was to take a gaudy brass one and spray paint the whole thing white. It ended up looking very retro and cute. Plus the white matches the walls and ceilings reducing the fan's visual impact.
view speck's profile
Uh that looks ugly.
Ceiling fans will always have the tendency to look antiquated, not cute and vintage. The first picture just looks so heavy and dark..am I alone here?
view maybeamezzo's profile
I did the same exact thing as speck. I'd rather not have it stand out.
view kipi's profile
Ceiling fans, like windmills are inherently beautiful because of what they represent - smart, low impact use/generation of energy.
view littlehouser's profile
I kind of like how the blades turned out, but the rest of it, I'm not really sure. I'd have to see it in person and in the context of the the room's decor. But I'm someone who just bought a condo with some really ugly ceiling fans, so I certainly understand the motivation behind this.
view insanity_pepper's profile
I like it, congrats. I painted my ceiling fan to match my ceiling (my ceiling is venetian plastered light blue/white mottled) and I'm quite happy with it. It's meta.
view olga's profile
please don't...
view fancy43's profile
My granddaughter had a celadon bedroom. Since she was in an insect/butterfly phase, I painted the blades of her ceiling fan like luna moth wings. It was strangely spectacular.
view Aulaire's profile
i actually like the idea of recycling things (say, a fan) transform it, instead of wasting and spending. I will try this before i buy my next fan.
view JennF's profile