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Design Dilemma: Staying Fashionably Cool

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We’re still enjoying a beautiful spring, but we’re already turning our thoughts to how to stay cool during long summer days.  First option: throw open the windows.  But sometimes the gentle breeze wafting through the windows just isn’t  enough. And yet, we’re not quite ready to turn to energy-hogging air conditioners. So in our minds, oscillating  fans feel like a nice middle ground for energy consumption and comfort. Problem is, so many fans out there have been designed purely with utility in mind. However, our feeling is that any  fixture that takes center stage in our homes for several months should be beautiful too.  Here are a few options that can keep you fashionably cool this summer:

1) Above, witness the Allaire desk fan available from Restoration Hardware. The 8-inch fan is $99, the 12-inch fan is $149. The Allaire is also available as a floor fan, below.  Called the Allaire Telescoping floor fan, the smaller 12-in fan is $209, the larger 16-inch fan is $229. Finishes include black and brushed nickel. Made of solid steel, the fan is adjustable in height.

2) The Fitzgerald Fanimation fan bestows a bit of art deco cool on any room. The oscillating fan with four speeds comes in oil-rubbed bronze or satin nickel and comes as both a wall-mounted fan or desk fan for $238.81 from LightingDirect.com.

3) The Minka Aire fan exudes retro cool. Measuring 10 inches and available in white, pink, red, blue, brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze, the fan oscillates 70 degrees and can be tilted up or down. It’s available from LightingDirect.com for $50.

4) Swizz Style floor fans bring a little Euro-style to your home. Designer Carlo Borer designed the Otto fan of formed wood with a nice oiled finish. It measures almost 14 inches wide.  The “Q” fan is more industrial, made of stainless steel and aluminum. The Otto fan is available on Amazon.com for $199.99.

5) A concept fan designed by students at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, though this fan is not available on the market, we thought it was too cool not to include in our roundup.

6) Wind, by Maarten Baas is about as close to sculpture as a fan can come. Each fan is hand-made in industrial clay applied over a metal skeleton; each size is produced in a signed and numbered limited edition of 8 pieces, exclusive to Moss. Each fan will set you back several thousand dollars.