DESIGN DILEMMA // FIXTURE VS. FAN

There's been a long standing argument in our bedroom. So far, no amount of negotiating has convinced my husband to see things from my point of view. At the root is a clash between longtime sleeping preferences and prioritization of form vs. function.  An argument about whether we should replace our current ceiling fan with an actual lighting fixture may seem trivial (and in the grand scheme of things, lets face it - it is a bit), but design mojo aside, I'm rallying for fewer mornings with a scratchy throat and stuffy nose and a little more fun in the bedroom.  Here, let lay out my argument.

We've spent countless hours and expended all of our energies upgrading and decorating more prominent areas of our home like the living room and kitchen. The back of the house is still very much a work in progress. It's funny how we push aside even rooms where we tend to really live in order to prioritize spaces typically reserved for company. Our Master bedroom has certainly suffered from this behavior. But I'm looking to change that and spice things up in that part of the house with an upcoming renovation, which will hopefully include a much longed for fixture above our bed. Let's be honest, a well designed fixture can make an impactful design statement and elevate what is often in real life, an overlooked room in the house.

My husband has a slightly different idea about what should be going on above our bed. He prefers the soft wind and dull drone of our ceiling fan overhead when he sleeps. He has slept with a fan on his face for most of his adult life, something that many here in temperate Southern California have become accustomed to. The truth is, our summers are hot and nights are frequently stale with little to no breeze away from the coast. Ceiling fans have become a necessary evil.

While fan placement above the bed is often dictated by region, sleeping preferences also play into the decision. Here my friends, is the root of the root, the bud of the bud.  If I'm being honest, I dislike the feel of the fan on my face. I wake up most mornings allergy ridden and resenting a night's sleep under the fan. Yet, I'll attest to the fact that either the air conditioner or fan is necessary on many nights- particularly during the summer.

Setting aside sleep preferences for a moment, I'd argue that our master bedroom is also a prominent room deserving of a little drama. Not only do we spend much of our evenings there, it also opens up into a second wing in our house visible from all of the other rooms.

When we first purchased the home, we were in a mad rush to meet our electrician's deadline for fixture delivery and ordered several at once - including the fan. It's the most basic white model carried by Home Depot and has worked just fine for its purposes. Had we the budget in those early days, we might have selected something a little sleeker looking. While there are far more budget-friendly choices when it comes to choosing a fixture, the truth is that well designed fans at an accessible price point are indeed harder to come by- even now four years later.

So the jury is still out on our design dilemma. I've offered up a plan that would allow my husband to have a fan blowing on his face all night long while I sleep happily under the beautiful shandy of my dreams. Its easier to think about making this change as we face the possibility of cooler weather. But will I regret it come the next heat wave. Frankly, there's a really good chance. 

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