Considering A Fandelier For The Bedroom (Do These Actually Work?)
I didn’t get much done on the bedroom this weekend because my sweet little cat Felicity had a bit of a medical emergency that resulted in some very strange behavior and sounds that I’ve never seen or heard from her in the seven years she’s been with us. And as cats do when they’re sick or not feeling well, she found a hiding spot to get some solitude. I spent hours of my weekend searching every nook and cranny of this house, flashlight in hand and calling her name, but I couldn’t find her. I searched from one end of the house to the other about five times on Friday, and nothing. I repeated that at least ten times on Saturday, and nothing.
Before I went to bed on Saturday night, I set up a motion-sensing camera in the doorway between my studio and the breakfast room so that I would be notified on my phone if and when she walked by. So when she finally emerged at 10:30pm on Saturday night, I scooped her up and headed to the emergency vet clinic. We didn’t leave the clinic until 2:30am, and then I didn’t get to bed until after 3:00am. Long story short, she’s doing much better now, but what they found is that she had a mouth injury that was causing her severe pain when she tried to eat or drink. We have no idea what caused this mouth injury, but they gave her some pain meds and antibiotics, and she seems to be on the mend now. She hasn’t gone back into hiding since we’ve been back, so that’s a good sign.
All of that to say that while I did make some progress on the bedroom, I didn’t get anything actually finished to share with you today. But my overall “to do” list for finishing the bedroom and foyer is getting shorter, and I have high hopes that I’ll be able to get both areas finished by the end of this month. It will feel so good to get these projects finished and be able to move on to the next one!
One item I’m considering adding to my “to do” list for the bedroom is replacing the ceiling fan in the room. I know ceiling fans aren’t pretty, but we do live in central Texas. And while I’ve kept ceiling fans out of our other rooms, a ceiling fan in a bedroom is an absolute must-have item for us. It does kind of ruin the aesthetic, though. I’m aware of that.
Over the last year or so, several people have recommended that I look into Fandeliers. These are lights fixtures that look like a chandelier but also have a fan covertly included in the design. Some of them have retractable blades. Others have very small blades that are hidden in the design of the light fixture.
I had never given them much of a chance because, to be honest, I had never seen one that I actually liked. But over the weekend, I decided to give them a serious look and see if there was anything out there that might actually work in our bedroom. This time, I actually did find some that I like.
Probably my favorite one is this one (affiliate link). I have no idea if I got the scale right, but I love the shape, the gold accents, and the natural fibers of the shade.
I also like this tiered rattan style (affiliate link). This is the only one that I found (and like) that would give some contrast to with the ceiling.
I love the wavy design of the shades on this one (affiliate link).
This one is a very simple design (affiliate link) but it’s a Hunter, which is a well-known ceiling fan brand, so I like that. It’s also the most expensive option of the ones I like.
And of course, I had to include this flower option (affiliate link) because…well…I’m me, and I love flowers. But I think this is probably a better fit for another room and not our bedroom.
So there are definitely some options that I like, and I could see some of these working really well in our bedroom. But my main question is this. Do these actually work? I’m so used to having a really powerful ceiling fan that circulates a lot of air. I just can’t imagine these being comparable since the blades are enclosed in shades. In my mind, I can’t imagine them circulating as much air as a standard ceiling fan. So if you have experience using a fandelier, especially in a bedroom, I’d love to know your thoughts. Have you been happy with it? I’ve spent a lot of time reading customer reviews on all of these, and even though they’re all rated 4.1 stars or higher, I just have a hard time trusting that we’d be happy with it after having such a powerful ceiling fan in our bedroom.
More About Our Master Bedroom
see all master
bedroom diy projects
read all master
bedroom blog posts
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Just an observation and not real experience – those floor fans used in heavy industrial environments have a solid shroud that circles the fan, and they produce a whole lot of volume. I think the shroud on these fans won’t limit airflow, but they may make the air more directional just like those floor fans.
Hi,
We do have one in our bedroom. I love it and on those hot days, we are still using it on the low setting. We live in Canada but in summer time we do get very hot days. I find that the air flow is quite concentrated and direct on us when in bed. So no need to have it full speed. The light has different setting too and comes with a remote.
When I was a tester for things we got one (then in a few months got different to test a name brand regular one that we swapped). It required a remote, had simple B/W wiring (no extra red), the air was semi-directional but stronger. It had more features. Noise wise it varied -was like a quieter desk fan than ceiling. I wasn’t impressed overall, it looked okay/good but felt it would likely fail unexpectedly like some cheaper fans. The LED’s always have a variety of color and lumens and tend to be limited or difficult to replace. Another worry on these is, how you clean it. Something will accumulate somewhere and show. So I’d avoid a fabric shade many nooks unless it looks like you can take it apart. These are newer, so what’s available varies greatly. So unless you can hold onto the old as a back-up or feel comfortable with an emergency run to a box store. I’d say keep what you got.
After having once been hit in the head with a blade from our ceiling fan, I no longer want something whirring above my head! The arm of the blade snapped apart while it was going top speed. I was sitting at my sewing machine with my back to the center of the room and didn’t see it coming. I only got a good bump on my head, but the fear it instilled in me still lingers over 30+years later! So I’ll stick with my standing no-blade vortex fans. My choice for you (if you still want it!) would be the wavy design, just because it sits closer to the ceiling. I despise drop down ones unless you have 12 ft. ceilings.
My daughter has this type of fan in 3 bedrooms & likes then.
I have one in my living room. The small blades do a decent job of circulating the air, although not as well as a full-sized ceiling fan. It is very quiet, and I love the fact that it doesn’t look like a ceiling fan.
I have a crystal fandelier. The low speed is adequate for me and Mississippi heat, higher speed makes crystals shake noisily and like a jet engine. Lowest speed is so quiet I have to turn on light to be sure I turned it on. I don’t know the brand. I do have the collapsible blades n wonder how to clean them. Love the remote.
My kids have these in their bedrooms. When you go from no fan to a fandelier, these are great. So my kids are happy. And when you’re very near the fan, the volume of air is totally fine. But as you move farther away, they don’t have the reach of a ceiling fan in terms of air flow. I don’t live in TX anymore, but I’m from there. I would not recommend this for your bedroom if you really rely on max air flow to sleep.
I agree with the previous posters…. If you’re used to a lot of moving air with a regular fan, a fandolier won’t do it for you. I have used a couple different kinds now, in bedrooms and bathrooms and they concentrate the air right below it. It’s great for a small bathroom, but not for a decent sized bedroom like yours. I too do not like the look of a fan in the bedroom so I’ve opted for a tower fan right next to the bed. Which also helps because my hubby doesn’t like air blowing on him, so I can keep it all to myself 😉
I agree completely! I use a tower fan at night in summer, but my Fella hates any sort of air moving on him. This makes me feel like I’m in a coffin and I start to hyperventilate 😱.
I have several of these fans; in my bathroom, my closet, my office, and spare bedrooms. They work really well. I have had them for three years with no issues (crossed fingers). I do not have one in the bedroom; just a regular ceiling fan there. So not sure about the air flow for sleeping. If I bought one for the bedroom, I would definitely try to find one that has the largest circumference possible to increase the air flow.
Sorry to hear about Felicity, poor sweetie. I have never tried or even been at a hotel with these new-fangled fan/lights. But boy do they look amazing and might be the answer for us in our bedroom. When you live in the south, you have ceiling fans, end of story…or sweaty people, not a good look. It’s a shame that they didn’t have one with birds on it instead of flowers, that would be perfect in the room.
Cheers to you, Matt and the Fur Babies!
Southern ladies don’t sweat…we glisten! ☺️
If the fandelier doesn’t sound like it’ll work out, you could always look for white and gold ceiling fans? (Perhaps with the help of some paint if possible)
It would at least suit the room more than a big black and silver one heh
Have you considered painting/decorating the fan you have?
We have two, one in our room that has the blade retractable and we love it, it has power. Then one in our daughter’s room, the blades are in the middle like all your examples above, it works but even on high it doesn’t seem to be as powerful.
I live in the South, and have a fandelier in the bedroom. I love ours, but it’s definitely more limited than a regular fan. The airflow in ours is strong, but strongest directly beneath it, so it doesn’t spread out super far. It’s located over our bed, though, so it’s worked well for us. I’d suggest finding one with maximum width to ensure good airflow coverage. Anyway, super happy with our fandelier – I would never go back to ugly normal ceiling fans.
I love the contrast to the ceiling of the rattan fandolier! It gives more presence to the focal point of the bed, ties in the wood blinds, the side dressers, and continues a bit if the organic texture of the grass cloth in juxtaposition to the classic, refined table lamps, curtains, etc…which I love as well!
I very much disliked our fandelier; it has since been replaced with a standard ceiling fan. We live in northwest Florida. Even with a/c we have fans in every room to move the air, (especially at night). The fandelier created a column of air; meaning you felt it only when standing directly under the fan. Nope, that was not helpful. I personally have never considered fans being a eye sore whatsoever. I think there are many very attractive fans from which to choose. 🙂
I agree…I would look for a prettier fan, maybe at least white with fancy blades, or the rattan look? I’m in SW Florida, and would never sleep I think, with less air movement. We even have a box fan across the room, running at night and the sound helps us sleep, and makes more air movement…!
I wonder where this idea that ceiling fans are ugly came from? Probably the same people who photoshop out every outlet because being able to see something you will need to use offends their sensibilities. I think your ceiling fan is fine the way it is. If you don’t like the style, then there are plenty of real ceiling fan alternatives in different styles to choose from.
I love my fandoliers. My house is very small so they work perfectly for me, but probably not for your room. Why not go with one of the indoor/outdoor ceiling fans that has the rattan or wooden leaf shaped blades? You’d still have a larger fan, options to change out the light shades, and lovely leaf shaped blades.
I have a fandolier in my bedroom and it puts out quite a breeze.
I have these in my bedroom and I live in the Caribbean. My bedrooms are small but I am happy with them. I don’t care for the bright lights so I removed 1/2 of the bulbs. They are very directional so cool the bed area adequately even on Medium. At first I didn’t like the blades as they are obviously plastic but they won’t rust (a big problem here) and after 6 months I never look at the blades or bulbs. I love the shade! Overall I like them and would buy 2 more for my bathrooms . Mine are smaller than you would need.
https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/bay-isle-home-18-boho-woven-rattan-caged-ceiling-fan-with-lights-and-remote-control-w110471132.html
I have had the same experience as previous comments… the air is well circulated but concentrated to under the fan. Depending where your fan is placed, it might be fine for when you like the air circulated. The air flow gets more and more faint as you move away from right under the fan. It works fine for the 3 bedrooms we have them in but I don’t think I’d put one in a family/living room that is typically larger than a bedroom.
I don’t understand the reluctance of showing a ceiling fan, which so many of us need so that we can be comfortable. How many people will actually go in to your bedroom, and if they do, the fan isn’t what they’ll be looking at, it will be the pretty bedding, etc. You could get a white fan so it blends with the ceiling, I suppose. Please keep the fan if you’re used to a lot of air movement.
I have never even noticed your fan in any of your pictures until now. As a native Floridian, my eye completely skips over them like they’re an electrical outlet or light switch. I’ve been curious about fandeliers and their effectiveness, so I’m glad you asked!
I have a crystal fandolier with retractable blades and I love it. Not a name brand though. I think I found it on wayfair. My bedroom is not large though.
Sheila F
I’m so glad your kitty is getting better. I love the flower fan too. Actually I like all of them!
As a Texan in the panhandle – we didn’t like ours. Not enough air circulated. We did find a fan which sits pretty close to our ceiling and can use our smart phones to turn on/off the light. Although I loathe overhead lighting so unless I’m looking for the TV remote or cleaning, it stays off 🙂
As another Texas panhandle resident, we have a white ceiling fan with that works well and just last year we bought a Levoit circulating fan with remote that helps all year long—we have it on in the winter to offset the furnace in the winter in our bedroom and it has been a godsend. I know this isn’t the question you asked but I love this fan and we have several more throughout the house https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BVZFQ4DF/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
The rattan looks great with blinds and end tables.
I have ceiling fans in every room of my home, with 2 in the kitchen and I have a small kitchen. I want to get new ceiling fans and have been thinking about purchasing a fandelier. Now on to reading all of the comments from those who also follow you. This is another reason I like following you…comments from your readers.
I am a huge ‘fan’ of ceiling fans! I think they’re great and now days the options are unlimited. But this is the first time I’ve heard of enclosed ones so I had to take a look. I was sold on just about all of them but the wave one was my fav till the Hunter Douglas one—- it’s fan-tastic!!🤣.
But I agree I’m interested in the wind output.
Our Az home came with Hunter Douglas fans but none have lights on them which is driving me nuts!
Looks to me like you have a functioning fan that does the job. The comments from those with experience were helpful in giving you the straight-skinny. For the size of your room it appears the ones you are drawn to don’t do what you need. And although lovely in design, textured ones are hard to keep clean. Rattan, especially. eek! And that accumulation of dust would be right above your heads and moving around.
I’ve only ever had a fandolier but I’ve looked at a few. You did find some nice options. One thing to consider though is that fans and particularly fan blades seem to catch dust out of the air so I’d be cautious of any fabric or other hard to clean items.
Wrote that incorrectly, I live in south Louisiana and I’ve only ever had a regular ceiling fan, not a fandolier. I’ve read through the comments now and I’ll definitely stick with my Hunters. My fans are on year round; I like a gentle wafting of air for most of the year and only put them in reverse when we have a cold spell to move the warm air back down.
I would seriously consider how they would get cleaned. Ceiling fans get very dusty.
I hope your sweet Felicity recovers quickly! I have only had a ceiling fan for 5 years so my experience is limited. It’s in our screen porch and living in Michigan, it’s not used much. I don’t dislike the fan you currently have. I like the white fandeliers you are considering. The rattan one would be difficult to clean. The one with flowers seems like it would be more suitable for a child’s room. As always, it will be fun to know which one you select.
Listen to your gut! I have a fandelier in my 10 x 13 office. For that room, it is perfect. It is NOT as powerful as a 52″ room fan. BUT . . . it does circulate air in the room and does not blow papers around like the 52″ did in my previous office (12 x 16). Considering the cooling effect that Matt needs, you should probably stick with your current fan. Personally, I like white fans against white ceilings since there is not the contrast or visual imprint that other colors give. It just blends in.
If you think about the shape and size of the blades, it is pretty much physically impossible to get the same amount of air from a 24″ fan with 3 or 4 blades as you get from a 52″ fan with 5 or 6 blades. Maybe with a jet engine . . .
I have a fandelier in my bathroom and it works well for a small space. I have a regular ceiling fan in my bedroom and it is much better. A fandelier doesn’t spread (?), send he air out very far and can easily avoid it even in my small bathroom which is a rectangle. I can feel the ceiling fan from Al it’s every rea in my bedroom high is a much bigger square. After putting one in my bathroom, I would never put one in bigger room or a room in which I really wanted the fan to cool down the room.
We installed a fandelier in our living room, and it is honestly surprising how much air it can move, especially at top speed, considering how small the fan is. I’m not sure it would quite compare to a full-sized fan in terms of volume of air moved, but it’s not bad. I think if you have it installed directly above your bed, it would work fine.
In my experience with fandaliers, the air flow can only be felt directly underneath. If you are used to powerful widespread airflow, you will likely be disappointed. I like them better than the look of a traditional ceiling fan and have used one in a bedroom of a tiny house I Airbnb’d, but I did not get significant airflow.
I have been looking at them too for my master bathroom. It has a celing fan in it but it recently quit. It’s only 36 inches. I have to have a fan in there. If you decide to try one of those l will be very hear what you think interested to
I have seen these and think they are adorable – but living in Texas and needing a lot of air flow in my bedroom and because I sleep very hot, my recommendation would be to go with the traditional ceiling fan AND get the Home Depot (home decorators collection: Altura) We have these in every room of our house and outside. The fan blades are not flat, have a curve in them and they MOVE air. I know they are not “cute” or “pretty” or “fancy” but if you want something to keep you cool and move air – only way to go. period
Could you paint the blades on you present ceiling fan navy/dark blue and the silver gold. It would be lovely.
I have thought about painting the metal gold. I hadn’t considered painting the blades. Actually, I think the other side of the blades is a different color, but I can’t remember what color they are. I might see if that other color might work. There’s a possibility that they’re a lighter wood color, which would look really good with the metal painted gold.
No idea if they work, not a thing in the UK, but I like the rattan one best.