Whether you opt for the incredible power of a large indoor fan, the attractive glow of a beautiful Tiffany glass fixture central to its wooden blades, or the clean cut, modern finish of a contemporary ceiling fan – you are actually investing in the environment by adding a ceiling fan to your space instead of relying only upon your trusty A/C unit. In this week’s Top Ten list of Residential Ceiling Fans, we bring you everything but the dusty fan from your grandparents’ attic or the twenty-dollar useless version from your local superstore. These fans are machines, and they may change the way you feel about natural air in motion.

Include a Ceiling Fan for a more Energy-Efficient Home

1. Castaneda
MANUFACTURER: Savoy House
PRICE: $615
Dimensions: 54″ blade span

Using a Honey Beige glass surrounded with five walnut blades and an all-over English Bronze finish, this Castaneda ceiling fan fashionably brightens up any space. By diffusing the three 40W lightbulbs through the warm Tiffany glass lamp at the base of its downrod (sold separately), you can take advantage of the light and 3-speed motor made conveniently adjustable with a hand held remote control.

2. Isis
MANUFACTURER: Big Ass Fans
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 8′, 9′ or 10′ blade span

You have not lived if a Big Ass Fan has not been moving the air in your space. Only since the summer of 2009 the Isis has used the same “sturdy components and aerodynamic principles” as all Big Ass Fans. Prior, these mammoth-sized circulating machines were built for commercial spaces. But now, in what they’re calling a “lighter, smaller and customizable package” the Isis is ideal for public and commercial spaces in its 8 to 10-ft diameter frame. Silent, energy-efficient, and more powerful than nine, 52-inch ceiling fans, the Isis packs the heat (in non-temperature terms) into a residential fan.

3. Blow
MANUFACTURER: Luceplan
PRICE: $1,100
Dimensions: 55″ blade span

Defying the notion that a fan should blend into the ceiling, the Blow by Luceplan comes with your choice of clear or opaque-colored – blue, green, orange, or multi-colored – methcrylate blades. The dimmable halogen lamp and air circulation are operated with a remote control. The color and bright light combined create a gentle glowing effect in your space. It’s motor, at just 32DB, is mounted on aluminum ball-bearings inside of the opaline polycarbonate base.

4. Halo
MANUFACTURER: Modern Fan Co.
PRICE: $352
Dimensions: 42″ or 52″ blade spans

As Modern Fan Co. states, “the Halo fan is a classic integration of form and function, combining a refined aesthetic with state-of-the-art air movement and quality lighting.” Choose between a gloss white with amber finish or a nickel with opal finish, and blades in either a nickel or white. The Halo comes with 2 standard down rods – 3″ or 9″ long, yielding 18″ and 24″ overall lengths – and the option to have 42″ or 52″ blade spans.

5. Torto
MANUFACTURER: Fanimation
PRICE: $Price
Dimensions: 52″ blade sweep

If you thought a fan was old-fashioned compared to air conditioning, you might want to think again. Determined to bring fans into the future, Fanimation designed the Torto Modern Downlight Ceiling Fan in a Metro Fray or Oil Rubbed Bronze. The rounded-blade fixture comes with two 60W Candelabra type bulbs and a remote control. The three blades sweep at varying blade pitches, swirling around to give you an extra cool rush of air in style and movement.

6. 48″ Casa Moderna Contemporary
MANUFACTURER: Lamps Plus
PRICE: $299
Dimensions: 48″ blade span

This Sapelle wood finished fan comes with a central nickel motor pod and the option of installing a trio of 50W GU10 halogen lights. With the Casa Moderna fans design both compact and spacious – with the three blades and a 48″ blade span – it reminds me of a contemporary spin on the huge ceiling fans from the past. Bringing it up to speed, it also includes a hand-held remote control which includes optional wallplate bracket, and a 6″ downrod.

7. Concept II
MANUFACTURER: Minka Aire
PRICE: $270- 300
Dimensions: 44″ – 52″ blade span

The bulbous shade of the Concept II – in brushed nickel – houses a single 100W mini-can halogen light. With a blade sweep ranging between 44″ and 52″, and having just 3 blades, this minimal style of a fan is industrial in appearance, and fits into just about any contemporary space.

8. UFO
MANUFACTURER: Modern Fan Co.
PRICE: $396
Dimensions: 42″ or 52″ blade spans

The perfect compliment to mid-century modernist furniture collectors, this UFO fan is a straight shooter. Developed by Modern Fan Co. as a “fanciful alternative to the minimal look of our collection”, it comes with plenty options to suit your needs: choose between three standard downrod lengths of 3, 6″ or 14″ that yield 12″, 16″ or 24″ overall lengths, respectively. The halogen light is glows in its disc-like UFO shape and finds the perfect (upside-down) landing on your ceiling.

9. Ceiling Fan
MANUFACTURER: Bernadette Livingston Furniture
PRICE: $895
Dimensions: 42″ total sweep

We might as well call this fan the ‘Princess Leia’ of our Top Ten list this week. This (no-named) dual turbofan piece by Bernadette Livingston Furniture is the brassy option to its bladed counterparts. Created ornately with an adjustable 4.5″ or 12″ downrod and a wall mount control system that incorporates a 100W Mini-Can halogen bulb, the Princess Leia Ceiling Fan is as unique to the other ceiling fans listed here as her hairdo was to the realm of possibility.

10. Enigma
MANUFACTURER: Fanimation
PRICE: $999
Dimensions: 60″ blade span

Seen in the awesome 3rings post by the amazing Amanda Smith earlier this fall, the Enigma by Fanimation reappears as itself, “helping to thrust fan design into the space age” she wrote. With the second to largest blade span of the list (behind the gigantic Isis by Big Ass Fans) this optional single 75W halogen lamp with remote control is a functional way to circulate a room. Offered in a metro gray, wood, or iridescent purple finish, it effortlessly tops off any room with its single blade. With a steep pitch of 18 degrees, the Enigma comes with a 6″ downrod, though longer rod lengths are available.

Hope you enjoyed our roundup of the Top Ten of Residential Ceiling Fans!

Top Ten articles publish every Tuesday. Email 3rings@designerpages.com if there’s a category you’d like to see.