I like ceiling fans in the living room/family room and bedrooms. We use the bedroom ones every night, even in the cold months. (we flip the switch to change blade rotation) I wouldn't want them in the kitchen and dining room areas. If you take them down you don't have to have that third switch hooked up to anything. Not sure what an electrician actually does, but our dining room is set up for one and we have a chandelier over the table. The third switch just doesn't work. We were going to use the third switch for can lights in the kitchen area (right beside), but we decided not to install the cans at this time.

I don't care for ceiling fans with lights. I think it's the lights that make them ugly.

Personally I prefer pedestal and table fans, esp. the table fans from the '70s and '80s. they word so well, you can point them right at yourself, get direct breezes, and move them around to position them as you want them, and then you can put them away and out of sight when you don't need them. I suppose not as convenient as ceiling fans, but more effective at their job.

I prefer plain fans without a light, but I think they are functional. I would not want one blowing on a dining table.

I like them mainly because of the function and I also don't mind the appearance though I agree that the lights can sometimes make them look more unsightly. Ours have low speeds that don't cause a wind tunnel effect. At our lake home we have one in the living room vaulted ceiling, screen porch and loft. At home we have one in our living area and the master bedroom. All of our ceilings are high (except the porch) so the fans are not right in your face. We often eat at the table in our porch and the gentle breeze of the fan is quite pleasant.

I much prefer open windows to air conditioning and the ceiling fans allow us to keep the AC off more often (in MN). And I like a fan up and out of my way vs. a floor or table fan in my way.

I don't have AC and much prefer open windows and cross-ventilation. Although the summers get hot here, we don't have high humidity and the nights cool way down, a Mediterranean climate. I have one ceiling fan in the living room which is vaulted so the bottom of the fan (no lights) is at about 9 ft.

I'm not a fan of the look of fans, so mine is off-white and blends in against the same color ceiling. It moves the air without being a detectable breeze. My inner hallway generally stays cool despite heat everywhere else, so I often lug out a floor fan and push that air in other parts of the house. Fortunately, my 1250 sq.ft. house (no upstairs) responds quickly.

Love 'em and hate 'em. We have a couple in the house and 2 on our back porch. DH loves to turn them on for air circulation. I can't stand to have a lot of air moving on me. I do like to have a gentle breeze so we use them on the porch a lot. In the house, not so much. I'd take them down and replace, but DH won't hear of it.

I'd take those suckers down in a hot minute before anybody gets used to them. Or at least most of them. Call it 'renovation' while you can get away with it.

I really like having ceiling fans in my home. I prefer to have open windows and turn on the ceiling fans vs. closing up the house and running the ac, whenever possible.

There are ugly ceiling fans, but they don't all have to be.

If your summers are hot, then a ceiling fan can really help with air circulation and be energy efficient then using the AC. Also the ceiling fans have more health benefits then the AC. If you dont need the lights in some of the rooms, you can try to remove the lights. You can also try to change the look of some of the fans, by painting the blades in some of them or just painting the hardware in some of them, to make them look different. Of course 15 fans are a lot, you can remove some of them in areas where they are not useful for you.

Otherwise I love our ceiling fan in the bedrooms, they are much better than the floor standing fans, I dont like the direct breeze on me and get cold easily, so I prefer the gently breeze of the fan.

Cooks

We have ceiling fans in every bedroom and family room on 2nd fl. Fan in bedroom and bathroom in first floor. All have lights. In TX, can't b w/o fans!

I love ceiling fans and have them everywhere. I am actually thinking of putting a wall mounted one in my bathroom. I have a wall mounted one in the dining room rather than over the table directly. I prefer ceiling fans that are huggers, don't have pull chains and that the lights are integrated into the design of the fan rather than something that drops down beyond the fans. I am more contemporary so my fan choices trend in that direction. I also like as many fan speeds as possible so that I can adjust the fan speed based on my needs.

My ceiling mounted fans - Modern Fan Cirrus Hugger with Spotlight:

My wall mounted fan - Matthews Fan Michelle Parede:

The fan I would love to have but cannot afford - Enigma from Fanimation:

We have a duster on an extended pole for cleaning fans. I would prefer a chandelier over the dining room table. If I were to build another house, I would absolutely put a ceiling fan in the kitchen and bathrooms. I prefer most fans without the light kits although there are some truly lovely ones out there.

I would add that I like them to be somewhat understated and blend in with the ceiling rather than standing out as some kind of decorative statement. Otherwise they give me the impression of clutter and I can't stand clutter.

I don't like the ones with lights, I prefer the traditional Hunter fans. And never over a dining area. Who wants wind blowing on their food?

I would take down the one in the dining room and leave the other ones up to see how much you use them. Especially the ones on the porches.

You can replace the fans with nicer ones if you want. I love the fan in my living room - it's a modern fan deco with light - beautiful but not as windy as the old school fans I have in the bedrooms. I think old plantation style fans would look good on the porches.

Also get a nice portable fan to carry around each room to see how it affects the air flow. I just bought a super cute brushed nickel retro oscillating fan at a garage sale for $10. It's a hunter century that got some bad reviews. I put it on the floor in oscillating mode and it takes the air that comes out of my AC floor vents and blows it around the room. I also have the ceiling fan going. It makes the room so much more comfortable than with just the AC and ceiling fan. The dogs love it too.

Once you learn the combos that make you comfortable, you can buy the fans you need in the styles you want.

we have a couple i actually like, both are reproduction type fans , both look like fans in dh's grandmother's home built in the 20's ...one is a two blade fan and neither have lighting....we rarely use them but i actually like their look a lot, not so with most ceiling fans these days

Maybe see how the house lives in the summer, then decide how many you want to keep.

And yes, the one in the DR is one too many imo.

I'm in Florida so have them in all bedrooms, living room and patio. Mine are all three blades and have lights. I don't love fans with lights to look at but I do use the lights often . My ceilings are only 8' so I had limited options .

I love my ceiling fans in the bedroom and family room. The new house has one over the which is not my preference and I think it is ugly also so it needs to go.

i opened windows at night on the west coast and it would cool down. It does not cool down during the night in NW Indiana so ac and/ or fans are a must. I don't like table fans but that is just me.

My house came with a ceiling fan in the bedroom. I was going to replace it, but instead painted it with a pewter spray paint. It is now obtrusive and I dare say good looking. I considered a wrought iron spray paint and think it also would have looked fine. There's a lot you can do to change the look of your fans without replacing them.

I can't live without ceiling fans, but I don't like them over a dining table as they cool the food off too quickly. The blades do get dirty, but I can dust them with an extension duster weekly, then pull out the ladder to wash them down twice a year. I prefer the ones that blend into the ceiling and are without lights. I buy inexpensive Hunter versions with a remote from the home improvement store.

Good idea Kitasel! I did something similar in my last house with very high ceilings. You know those big over 60" cheap white 3 blade industrial fans? Well I bought one of those and painted it. Best fan I ever had.

I posted a thread about buying a ceiling fan two weeks ago and got 100 very helpful replies. There is an overwhelming love of ceiling fans among members.

Reading the replies, I was convinced that the ceiling fan would make it much easier to sleep in our guest bedroom. It's the only bedroom that doesn't get a cross breeze at night after a hot day. I'd used a table fan for years, but it's loud and has to blow directly on you to be effective. I'm looking forward to the installation of our new fan next week.

You can reverse direction of the fan for winter, which brings the warm air down from the ceiling, so you'd get year round use of it.

I guess it depends on where you live. So common here that I don't give them a second thought - unless they are missing. I couldn't get through the summer without ceiling fans everywhere.

Hot and humid here. Ceiling fans are a blessing whether the a/c is running or not.

I don't like them in dining rooms or kitchens. Ours are in the bedrooms/office, keeping room, and screened porch. All have lights except for the one in the keeping room, although we rarely use them (the lights).

My opinion of the ceiling fans is like yours. If it were me I would start looking for lights starting with the kitchen table one.

I love ceiling fans. I prefer to have them in every room - except the dining room. A chandelier of some type is most appropriate.

For those of us that get hot easily, they are a god send. Especially in bedrooms.

Live in the Phoenix area I love ceiling fans, but I liked them when I lived in UT as well.

I enjoy redoing old fans. I've done them in other houses and it creates a whole new look. I've done 2 in this house so far. I take them apart. Paint the metal parts and the paddles. Add new switches etc.

This one is in my son's room. Ignore the popcorn ceiling and the vent - there is only so much we can do at a time. It was originally a brassy color with faux wood paddles. I painted the metal silver and the paddles aqua. I loved the little fan and light switch chains I found. OK, now looking at it I don't know what is going on with the color on the left too paddles. Light reflection or something. They are solid like the one in front.

This one is in my daughter rooms. Also originally brass with faux wood. She wanted to bling it up so she used silver paint and stenciled it and glued on jewels in the center of the flowers. The fluorescent lights are there because that is what we had when the lights went out and I forgot that they were in there till I was just taking pictures. We really need to change those out.

Have 3 ceiling fans on patio, 1 on the deck, 1 in each bedroom, 1 in LR, and 1 in FR. They all have 5 blades and lights. Wouldn't be without ceiling fans. The other evening our air conditioner went out, if it had not been for the ceiling fans in the bedrooms, we would have been miserable trying to sleep. However, with the ceiling fans on high and no cover whatsoever, the night was bearable.

I have found it very interesting with my granddaughters' preferences for the ceiling lights on even though there are more than ample lamps in every room (I am a lamp preference person). Do not understand why they prefer the ceiling lights.

We love our ceiling fans. Well, maybe love is a bit strong. I consider them a must have fixture, much like a toilet. Several of ours run 24/7, especially now with temps in the 90's. Here in the deep south, they really make a difference.

Mayflowers, reversing the fan in the winter to pull down the warmed air has never worked for me. In my house it just feels drafty, so I never use the fan in the winter.

Thanks, Linelle. In my thread, someone said their room felt warmer. I don't need it for winter but I hope it works well in summer.

I like them on porches and possibly a really tall ceiling to redirect airflow. Other than that, not a fan.

Your cabin is gorgeous. Was the house previously occupied? The previous owners could could have found good reason for a fan in each of the rooms. I'd live with it through each season then decide whether to keep/replace or remove them. I don't love the look of ours and get frustrated when they "click" but I wouldn't live without them.

We have fans in the upstairs bedrooms, family room, living room and gameroom. I would not have one in the kitchen or any eating area unless there was no AC. I gave up the fan in our bedroom to have a crystal drum chandelier, but I miss the ceiling fan. The floor fan works, but I don't love it.

I agree with the comment that areas with vaulted ceilings benefit from fans, but that looks like it would conflict with my not in eating area rules. Do you know if the climate and cross breezes will allow you to use less AC and do you enjoy that? I've said this before, but I think this may be one of those things you want to live with through a set of season changes so you can tell how much emphasis to put on form and how much on function --- and where.

Yes, fans allow you to set the thermostat a little higher. I would die in the kitchen without a ceiling fan

It was 110 at my house today. Ceiling fans are a must. :) were putting them in all the bedrooms and family room

of or new home as well. I'd live in the house for a while and see if you use the fans. If you like the airflow, then replace with some that more to your tastes.

I don't have any but "in my next house" I will strongly consider them at least for the bedroom. I have always just seen them as functional and never really focused on the various looks. I do think the first one amie posted is very attractive , though I really don't know what it would look like in a room,but it does look different to me, in a nice way

I've been searching for replacement fans. Most of the ones I like have been around $400 and up! I guess I will start with the most obvious places first and phase in the others as budget allows. Dining and kitchen area are first. The dining area will get a chandelier only, luckily the Ballard outlet is nearby and I always find great lights there.

Annette, check this site out. Even if you do not buy here you will learn lots about ceiling fans, like highest performance, best energy star ratings, best over all buys ect...I ended up buying all my fans except the living room fan from them. I may have been able to find them cheaper elsewhere but it was handy and shipped very fast. They have a large selection of styles. If anything it can help narrow down some picks. I know some fans I had looked at previously that were pretty ended up being ones with bad reviews on this site so it helped me.

http://www.hansenwholesale.com/ceilingfans/bestfans.asp

You might want to keep some out on the deck. I've read that fans are also good to keep mosquitos away.

We have one in the LR, and I would like one in my home office above my treadmill. It is a small room and it can get stuffy in there. I'd need an electrician since there is no ceiling light in there at all. I have a small fan, but I'd like more. we also have 8' ceilings so size and options are limited.

We have 4 ceiling fans-3 in the bedrooms, one in the family room. While kids constantly use theirs, I never turn the fans on. They all look like they are on the ceiling just to jump on people below with puma-like preciseness. I'm really afraid of them.

And by the way-maybe I told this story already-we were eating breakfast in some nice cafe when on a road trip, and my daughter said "Mom I'm afraid the ceiling fan above the table is going to fall" and I didn't even pay much attention to it because they all seem to me like they are going to fall-and within a minute it fell all right, missing my DD by an inch or so, pieces of glass everywhere..

The owners felt really bad and apologized like crazy and the breakfast was on the house. So they were very surprised when we came the next morning too and took the same table-but we took it because we knew for sure it didn't have a ceiling fan above it anymore lol!

Have them in every room and multiples in some. If want to look at some very unique fans some you would not know were ceiling fans take a look at this website. Ceiling fans

For example this is a ceiling fan

I'm not a fan of them, but I grew up in the northeast where ceiling fans weren't popular. We vacation every year in Florida in a house with lots of ceiling fans, but I find them visually distracting when they're on. My husband likes them so I tolerate them when he turns them on. I guess it's a regional thing and I'm sure I'd get used to them if I was around them more often than 1 week a year.

If you like the location of some of your fans but they're not your style, you could try spray painting one of them in a finish that blends in a little better than the white does against your wood (maybe an antique bronze or oil rubbed bronze look) and see if that helps. You might also find glass shades on ebay that are more your style but would work with the size fitter of the existing shades, though not sure if it's worth the hassle if you really don't like that style in general.

For a cool breeze on hot summer days, table fans are my favorite. They produce a strong breeze and remind me of being a kid. We didn't have air conditioning so we'd fight over who got to sit in front of the fan on hot summer days. Last week I found a cool little antique table fan at a flea market that's perfect for toting around wherever we need it.

Hey how about a chandy fan lol