Punkah Wall Fans
Usually when talking about decorative wall fans you think of Chinese hand fans. While beautiful, hanging them on the wall doesn’t help cool your room at all; it just looks cool. One solution to this comes from Fanimation and it’s called the Punkah fan system. While the automated concept looks modern it actually dates back to India which is where the name comes from. The first incarnation of this had a rope with several woven fans that could be moved back and forth.
Designers always complain about ceiling fans and usually in most design shows they take them out of the room completely. They don’t pay attention to whether the homeowner has air conditioning or not. I’ve almost never seen a designer leave a ceiling fan untouched or put one up.
The Punkah system changes this aversion to motorized fans in the decorating world. First off, it can be used on either the ceiling or the wall. A punkah wall fan on the other hand looks like a sculptural element but is an entirely new design concept that designers love.
A few of the downsides are that it can be noisy and doesn’t circulate tons of air so it will still be mostly decorative. The other downside is the price. However, if your room lacks a focal point it may well be worth it. This is why you should base the entire room around the fan.
Unmistakably Exotic, Yet Easily Incorporated
This is also one of the few pieces that just looks like an Oriental hand fan sculpture when not in use. Instead of the folding design that you might be used to this uses a flat fan design. There are two different textures you can get. It comes in a natural or red/brown finish. You can also choose a woven or palm leaf style.
The woven textures make it suitable for tropical decor even though it’s a pretty contemporary concept. Try pale yellow walls which will make the richer color pop. Typically in tropical design there is a lot of wicker furniture. I’d go with a dark wicker tone or skip it altogether if you can’t find black or hunter green pieces. Remember that you don’t want to compete with the chocolate brown of the fan. Spray paint can remedy this depending what your furniture is made out of.
The natural finish of blades can also be more elegant. It has a Southern air to it. It gives a contemporary edge to a shabby chic room and uses a cream furniture finish. Use pale gray or lavender walls. This saves you from the traditional floral art that you usually use in this style. Even if you have purple furniture like a dining room table then the wall feature still gets noticed. Placing the darker color against the lighter fan blade really highlights it.
The other style that uses woven materials is the contemporary look. Here you can get away with some wicker versions with your furniture. In the modern style it tends to use a sectional so the wicker elements are quite understated and usually a darker espresso color. Skip artwork in your room. Then it gives more focus to the wall fan. Keep the room cohesive and save money by spray painting your drawer handles on furniture and chandelier in the same oil rubbed bronze finish of the fan. Functional fans don’t have to be ugly anymore; even if they do look decorative.