In many parts of the world, ceiling fans are a practical solution to help people keep their homes more comfortable without running up expensive energy bills. But choosing the right fan to install in your home isn’t always easy, especially if you have a small space.
Ceiling fans with a blade diameter of 42 inches or less are usually sufficient to cool most small spaces, but choosing a fan isn’t just about blade diameter. You need a fan that matches your decor, looks appealing, has the right features, and creates enough airflow to cool you down. Follow these five steps to find the right one.
1) Consider Your Decor and Tastes
What’s your decorating style? What is the architectural style of your home? How do the two interact? These are important questions you’ll need to ask yourself when it comes to choosing a ceiling fan that will be aesthetically pleasing to your sense of taste as well as fitting into your home decor.
Choose a fan that goes well with the dominant aesthetic choices you’ve made in your home. If you’ve decorated according to a theme, this will be easier than if your decorating sense is more eclectic. But even an eclectic home can accommodate a stylish, modern ceiling fan. Try to steer away from traditional ceiling fan designs and move toward more modern, industrial, tropical, minimalist, or rustic designs. Choose metallic finishes that match your other fixtures, or a wood finish that matches your floors and trim. Matching the fan to other design elements in the room can really help tie it in.
2) Measure the Space
Measure the square footage of the room or other space where you intend to install the fan. If you plan to install the fan in an outdoor space, like a covered porch or balcony, measure the square footage of this space.
Knowing the size of your space is essential to choosing the right size fan. A too-small fan won’t move enough air to make a difference, while a too-large fan will make you feel like you’re battling a hurricane indoors. You probably won’t have to worry too much about choosing a too-small fan for your small room or corridor, but choosing a too-large fan for a small space is a real concern. Even when a too-large fan isn’t running, the sheer size of the fixture can overwhelm a small space.
3) Size Fans
Ceiling fans start at 28 or 29 inches in diameter and go all the way up to 80 inches wide or wider, but for a small space, you’re going to want a small fan. For spaces with a square footage of 75 feet or less, choose a fan no wider than 36 inches. You can go up to 42 inches in diameter for spaces up to 144 square feet. Look for small ceiling fans sized appropriately for your smaller space.
4) Choose Additional Features
Size and design aren’t the only things that matter when it comes to choosing a ceiling fan for a small room. You may want additional features, like smart functionality that allows you to connect your ceiling fan to your thermostat, control it remotely (using your smartphone) even if you’re not home, or simply turn the fan off, on, up, or down using a remote. If your ceilings are low, you’ll want a flush-mount fan that preserves headspace. If your ceilings are high, you’ll need a long downrod to hang the fan at the right height for efficient heating and cooling.
5) Make Sure You’ll Be Getting Enough Airflow
The power of a ceiling fan is measured in how many cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air it can move. The higher the CFM rating, the more powerful a breeze the fan creates. At high speed, a good fan should produce at least 4,000 to 5,000 CFM of airflow. Better fans will produce 5,000 to 6,000 CFM of airflow at high speed, while the best fans will move 6,000 or more CFM of air at high speed.
Choosing a ceiling fan for a small space can be a little tricky. You need to make sure your new fan won’t be so big that it takes over the whole room, but not so small that it doesn’t make a difference. Once your new fan is in place, it will offer many years of cool breezes and comfort, so choose it carefully.
