I have never lived in a 2 story but I am in the process of building one. The family room is 20 x 25 with a ceiling that starts to vault at 21' and will probably end up around 24 to 25' high. The upstairs is open to the family room.

We are doing recessed lights in the ceiling but the room feels like it needs a large lighting fixture or a large fan. The house is in Texas so I like ceiling fans but I have never had a fan mounted on a 10-15' downrod. I was thinking about buying a fan that is 8' wide. I am not sure about potential wobble.

If the fan doesn't work, then we can hang a light but we kinda have the same issue with a large chain/rod to hold the light minus the potential of wobble.

What is the board's thoughts on 2 story family rooms and lighting fixture or fan for that size room?

We have an 8' Big Ass Fan in living room and one on back porch.

Potcake said:

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We have an 8' Big Ass Fan in living room and one on back porch.

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Picture doesn't work and I'd like to see it.

Big Ass Fans are high quality. You will pay for them but they will last a long time and use very little electricity.

This is why I try not to design these kinds of ceilings. Now you are just going to blow the hot air back down and you have to pay to cool all of that space.

Be careful putting in can lights and then using a long downrod for your fan. Your living room will turn into a disco room (strobing)

Thanks for the comments. I like the idea of this open concept but this roof is really turning into quite the headache trying to figure out the lighting or fan. The height of the ceiling at its peak is around 25' so I am probably looking at 10-13' down rod to hold a fan or light. I have always had a fan in the living room but the wife is afraid of the fan wobbling especially if we go with a 8' fan and just general aesthetics and is leaning to a large farmhouse light fixture with no fan. I am concerned the room will be stuffy with no air movement except from the hvac unit.

This might be completely nuts and tacky but what about wall fans. My thinking is that the living room is open to the upstairs on two sides and has an open hallway on both sides with metal railing to look down into the living room. This space between the floor height of the upstairs and the lower level ceiling is around 30 to 36" for duct work, plumbing lines, etc. I wonder if we mounted some nice farmhouse looking wall fans on the wall that would oscillate the air would this work to move the air, prevent wobble, and still give the wife her nice farmhouse chandelier.

Ours is about 25' and the fan is around 22' but has a downrod of maybe a foot and a half.

cowtown ag02 said:

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Thanks for the comments. I like the idea of this open concept but this roof is really turning into quite the headache trying to figure out the lighting or fan. The height of the ceiling at its peak is around 25' so I am probably looking at 10-13' down rod to hold a fan or light. I have always had a fan in the living room but the wife is afraid of the fan wobbling especially if we go with a 8' fan and just general aesthetics and is leaning to a large farmhouse light fixture with no fan. I am concerned the room will be stuffy with no air movement except from the hvac unit.

This might be completely nuts and tacky but what about wall fans. My thinking is that the living room is open to the upstairs on two sides and has an open hallway on both sides with metal railing to look down into the living room. This space between the floor height of the upstairs and the lower level ceiling is around 30 to 36" for duct work, plumbing lines, etc. I wonder if we mounted some nice farmhouse looking wall fans on the wall that would oscillate the air would this work to move the air, prevent wobble, and still give the wife her nice farmhouse chandelier.

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My mom's house has a similar space and it has 3 AC registers going into the space and it doesn't get stuffy. If the HVAC is set up correctly, it shouldn't be a problem.

If youre thinking wall mountable, doesn't Dyson make bladeless fans?

I have two beams with cathedral ceiling in similar sized room. I went with two large Hunter fans and hung them above the beams with 5' rods and no wobble.

I can't imagine a living room in Texas without a ceiling fan. I have an 8 or 9 ft dia copy big ass fan with light hanging in a covered patio area on about an 8 ft downrod and I can't imagine that thing wobbling. Very well made.

My house has a vaulted ceiling, the fan hangs down about 8ft but the only ceiling lights I have are attached to the fan so I don't have to worry about the strobing.

We have 20 ft ceilings in our living and a 5ft rod for the fan. Beyond the strobe and wobble issues, I think a 10ft+ downrod that brings the fan down that far would look really strange.