Cool fans

August 26, 2009 - 6:26 PM by

The Fanimation Enigma

The Fanimation Enigma

I’ve always been a fan of ceiling fans, particularly since living in Israel. They provide a welcome, steady breeze during the long, sticky, sweaty summers, occupy a modest part of the ceiling, and are generally quiet. There is the standing fan, but it doesn’t really appeal as a piece of furniture, it occupies floor space and you have to store it somewhere for at least six months of the year.

And so, I’ve had ceiling fans in most of my abodes, often the cheaper, Ace DIY versions that sometimes feel as if they’re about to fall on your head. I also once had a ceiling fan in my dining ‘corner,’ only to learn that it’s not a good option for table settings, as it can blow away paper napkins — when you’re not using cloth — and even the odd glass. I’ve learned that it pays to invest in a quality ceiling fan, as they can be easily moved and often last many years. We recently added lights to one of our fans, and while I’ll admit that I don’t love the light design, it’s effective.

This summer, we were toying with the idea of putting one in the kitchen, which gets hot and not enough air from the window or the air conditioner. After seeing an ad for extremely mod-looking ceiling fans displayed at the Electrostar Tel Aviv showroom, we headed to said store in south Tel Aviv the other week. Not surprisingly, I was in fan design heaven. So were my ten-month-old twins, who love staring at the revolving blades; it’s baby spaceout time.

Ceiling fan by Yaakov Kaufman, won the international Red Dot design competition

Ceiling fan by Yaakov Kaufman, won the international Red Dot design competition

Granted, most of these fans were imported, but there are already signs that enterprising Israeli industrial designers are taking on ceiling fans. In the meantime, these were fans beyond the simple four-five blades that we’ve known until now. There were fabulously contemporary fans with just one massive blade of wood, gently folded in half and with the appearance of a small wave (or in one fell swoop of metal); there were starkly white bullet-like fans; rattan bladed-fans for the outdoors; industrial style fans for a more severe look; fans with blades in sailcloth; and horizontal row fans instead of the usual circular style.

We’ve decided not to go for the kitchen fan; our fix-it guy has advised us that kitchen fans will circulate beads of oil and cooking detritus around the walls and cupboards. Not a smart option. (Although this article disagrees.) But am I thinking about a fan for our garden, which can get hot, even on a cool Jerusalem evening.

Tags: • Category: design, General, Life 

Comments

2 Comments on Cool fans

  1. Security Screen Doors on Wed, Aug 26th 2009 7:28 PM

    2. Well now a days in urban areas i hardly see any one using fans, thanks to modern technology and science that have created AC’s(air conditioners). But their are some places where still people love to use fans in their houses, offices,etc. Fans have also taken a huge change by modern designs with more rpm (speed)…

  2. Pamela Levene on Wed, Sep 2nd 2009 10:23 PM

    3. Modern techonoly has its down-side. Every one of those air-conditioners pushing lovely cool air into our houses, shops and offices is pumping out hot air, raising the temperature. Causing us to need our air-conditioners even more!

    They also push out water that adds to the humidity …

    So three cheers for the advocate of the “old-fashioned” fans and thanks for the info about how they are now coming in more modern formats.

    I shall be checking out the option you mentioned in South Tel Aviv.

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