Ceiling fans can add a touch of elegance and functionality to almost any room, indoors, and outdoors. Today, you can find a wide range of stylish ceiling fans to fit any room, interior design, and function.
Tropical ceiling fans are a style that is growing in popularity. They come in a variety of unique forms and materials to fit any use.
But these ceiling fans can offer more than style and functionality. Those who enjoy traveling can have a subtle reminder of their past vacations. Other people who live in a cooler climate can use a tropical ceiling fan to bring a little summer into their homes year-round.
Are you interested in learning more about tropical ceiling fans? Here’s everything you need to know before buying.
About Tropical Ceiling Fans
Tropical ceiling fans are ceiling fans with a tropical style. The most notable design element of tropical ceiling fans is the palm leaf-shaped fan blades.
Other tropical fan designs draw inspiration from art and styles found in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Pacific Islands, and other tropical climates found in Asia, Australia, and Central and South America. Tropical styles can include pattern, wood, natural colors, wicker, and canvas, to name a few.
The primary purpose of these ceiling fans is to create a refreshing breeze similar to the breezes you find in tropical islands. They also add a touch of ambiance and warmth to any room or outdoor space.
Ceiling Fan Pros
If you’re thinking about adding a fan to your home, you’ll be happy to learn ceiling fans offer numerous benefits. One such benefit is energy savings. During the summer months, you can save energy by using a ceiling fan to cool a space rather than turning on your air conditioning.
Ceiling fans can also keep you warm. When you set the blades of the fan to reverse, the fan will pull cooler air up and push warmer air downward. This helps to disperse warmer air evenly throughout a room.
Another perk to tropical ceiling fans is you can use them both indoors and outdoors. For those who enjoy lounging on their outdoor patio, deck, or porch, a fan can keep you cool during hot summer days. An added bonus is the moving air can push away insects.
Do you need a light? Many tropical ceiling fans come with the option of a light kit to offer ambient lighting to space. This can also add value to your home as the ceiling fan serves 2 purposes.
Finally, tropical ceiling fans look good. You can find a variety of tropical fan designs to fit your home’s style.
Popular Tropical Ceiling Fan Styles
The styles of tropical ceiling fans range from the traditional 5 blade fan to horizontal punkahfans. The most popular style is the 3, 4, 5, or more blade ceiling fans with wide blades shaped like leaves. Some of these fan blades may appear almost circular while others appear narrower.
A truly unique tropical ceiling fan is the punkah. It’s a long horizontal fan that suspends from a rope that has several short fan blades spaced along the rope. Today, these fans are electric and mimic a rope-pulling motion.
If you’re looking for a minimalist tropical fan design, then a Koa fan may suit your fancy. These tropical fans have 3 narrow waved blades usually made from wood. You can find them in silver, white, black, and many more colors.
Double ceiling fans are another unique fan type based on historic fans from the turn of the century. This fan features 2 fans turned at 90° angles and pushes air sideways rather than up or down. They have anywhere from 2-5 short blades usually in a round leaf shape.
But the styles don’t end here. As you shop for tropical ceiling fans, you’ll find many sub-styles based on these 4 popular styles.
Tropical Ceiling Fan Materials
The materials and colors of a fan are your next consideration. To determine the best materials, you need to have an idea as to where and how your plan to use your ceiling fan.
If you’re planning to use your tropical ceiling fan in a living room, bedroom, or dining room, you have more fan materials options. These areas are usually drier making them ideal for ceiling fans made from wood, cloth, wicker, and rattan materials.
Fans for use in a bathroom should consist of waterproof materials. In this case, you’ll want to stick to acrylic, metal, or treated wood for the bathroom. Bathrooms are smaller rooms meaning you’ll want to look for fans with smaller blades.
If you plan to use your tropical ceiling fan outdoors, you’ll want to determine how the elements will affect it. To ensure your fan lasts for years, it’s best to opt for ceiling fans specifically designed for outdoor use.
Both bathroom and outdoor fans must be safe and UL-listed for use in wet areas. These fans come with a protective covering for the motor to prevent corrosion or electrical damage.
Other Ceiling Fan Considerations
Now you have some idea of the styles and uses of tropical ceiling fans. The final 2 pieces of the puzzle are determining the best fan size for a space and its pitch, or the sound it makes when it’s on.
You need to choose a fan that fits a space. A tiny fan in a large open room will look awkward while a large fan in a tiny room will look crowded.
As a general rule of thumb, larger rooms need larger fans. This is to help with style and ensure proper airflow throughout the room.
Lower ceilings will require the fan to stay closer to the ceiling to prevent injury. There are Hugger and Snugger kits available for this reason.
Higher ceilings, taller than 8 feet, should use a downrod extension to keep the fan around 9 feet from the floor. Fans placed too high may not circulate the air near the floor.
You should also note ceiling fan motors often make some form of noise. If possible, visit a fan and light showroom to check the pitch of the fan. You don’t want to invest in a loud noisy fan.
Find Your Perfect Ceiling Fan
Tropical ceiling fans are a great way to stay cool while adding a touch of elegance to any room in your home. Whether you use them indoors or outdoors, a tropical ceiling fan will make your home feel inviting and warm.
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