I'd stick with a fan because you get function that can't be duplicated with a plain light.
I like C, even though it may be considered modern. It has a sort of no nonsense vibe, which works with a cottage look to me. If the blades could be white, or painted white, it would be even more perfect, but I like it as it is too. It would work well near your ss stove and fridge.
I think you have the space for a decent size fan in your kitchen based on your photo. Unless it is low down and in danger of hitting someone in the head or going to hit the side walls, the width will not matter.
I love fresh air and how fans aid circulation. We don't have to use much a/c because of our ceiling fans, skylights that open, whole house fan and big windows, even on fairly hot days. Our neighbors all have the central air blasting and we are comfortably cool without a/c much of the time. We do need a/c on the worst days, but I doubt we turn it on more than 15 times a year and NY summers get hot! I'd also hate to see their electric bills from the summer. With dh and the kids out of school in the summer, we have people home during the middle of the day on most days.

This is my first time seeing the other thread. Can I ask DH's logical reason for wanting a fan in the center of the kitchen? Because havIng my hair blowing while cooking doesn't seem appealing at all. I could get it for a living room if you're in a hot climate like we are. But I don't get the kitchen. We're in hot humid New Oreans and even my DH who insists on having a fan in the living room (I was sure to tell him how pricey a nice looking fan would be :) hasn't thought of having one in the kitchen. He also has to have our bedroom fan on medium in the winter and high in the summer while I bury myself! Maybe if you can state a logical reason why there shouldn't be one in there, it would work!

So my vote is schoolhouse fixture. And if he has to win, then I guess one of the bottom two? The ones with multiple lights scream bedroom to me. I prefer single bulb fans in any room.

I guess Dianalo and I were replying at the same time! I guess I was thinking about the 8 foot ceilings and the wind factor and cooking. I didn't thinking about practicality. In my mind fans in the perimeter rooms would be more practical. But I've not had a fan in a kitchen before so I was genuinely asking! If I'd seen dianalo's reply first I might have responded differently.

Oops!

I just realized that the in progress kitchen pic above does Not show the new fridge wall cabinetry layout. The fridge moved down towards the stove, and has a cabinet above it. I'm afraid a fan that is too wide will be an issue with opening the fridge cabinet doors. (Which is why we thought to stick to 44" max.)

Here's the new layout (microwave over the stove should be a range hood - we moved the microwave to the right of the fridge):

Dianalo - Thank you for making me realize my photo error! And thank you for your wisdom and your vote. I admit that I'm a little afraid of the modern-ness of C, but I do like its simplicity. (And DH LOVES the functionality that you described.)

babs711 - Thanks for your opinion! I would love to do away with a fan in the kitchen and stick with a light only. Now...DH ALSO wants a fan in the den (it's already wired for it...sigh). I wonder if it's possible to get a den fan powerful enough that it reaches the kitchen? Lol! (Possibly at the expense of people in the den watching tv who will get blown away.) Good food for thought!

For a ceiling fan selection, my vote is for C as well.

In expanding on what babs is saying...could you possibly put a ceiling fan in the area where the table is, and then just do the simple schoolhouse light in the actual "cooking" part of the kitchen? Would that be a compromise?

kellienoelle - Thanks for your vote and suggestion! We discussed putting the fan over the table instead, but DH didn't want it there for fear of it blowing napkins, etc. around and preferred it by the stove to help cool the kitchen off faster. =/

I also like C. And another vote for considering putting the fan over the table with a regular light fixture over the working part of the kitchen, if possible. That's my current set-up, which we will keep in the future renovation, and I really like it that way. I'm not anti-fan at all, but definitely would not want the fan right above me while I'm cooking.

Sorry, bellajourney, I guess we were posting at the same time... I'll just add that we do not have a napkin-blowing problem :) We really never turn it up that high. But it absolutely does noticeably move air through the whole kitchen.

Ok, I just measured my ceilings: 91" so not even 8 ft. (it's an old cape) and all my ceiling fans are the standard 14"-15" like the original ones you posted. Seriously there has never been an issue on height with them and I have a brother who is 6'5" and he's not yet been decapitated (since the blades are far higher than the lights anyway)

Right now I don't have one in the kitchen but one is going in there soon as soon as I find one I like. But it's going over my table, not in my cooking area. That said, prior to remodel my kitchen always had a fan right in the middle of the old fashioned eat in kitchen, and I never had hair blowing in my food LOL. The only trouble is if you have a gas cooktop, the fan WILL blow those burners around.

we don't have a/c so we use fans all the time just to move the air around. I love having them.

My vote is for D. I think that C looks top heavy. Fan D has a better scale for the size of your kitchen. I think the dark blades on D will tie into your dark counter tops. Or if they are not the right color you could spray paint the blades to match the fan's housing.

DRAT!!!!

After reading dee850 and buffetgirl's replies (thank you both!!) - I was seriously reconsidering the fan over the table thing. Just ran downstairs to take some measurements and realized that our Monster soffits would prevent this. They are 19.5" wide and 12" tall. There's no way we could come close to centering a fan over the table. =/ We could center it to the room though...

Here's a render showing the Uber Soffit next to the nook chandelier. (I'm currently argu..um..."discussing" with DH that I want the chandelier centered more over the table, even though the ceiling mount will be close to the soffit. Our current table is longer than the one shown. Looking at the render...maybe we will have to switch to a pendant light if we can't make the chandelier's dimensions work...uuuuuugh)

From a cook's perspective, what is the downside of having a fan by a stove (it's induction)? I admit that we are not super chefs, and only make quick, simple meals. Spices blowing around? Tousled chef's hair?

If a fan could only be by the stove, should we just nix it all together?

P.S. to buffetgirl - so glad no one got decapitated! :) Thanks for measuring and your thoughtful reply!

mak51 - thanks for your vote! Good point. C is on the top heavy side. (My decorating preference leans toward things that are more delicate.)

Now I'm worried about my chandelier fitting with the stupid soffit! The chandelier is 22" wide and 17" high. Going to run downstairs with the tape measure again...

A chandelier is supposed to be hung with the bottom 3' from the table, right? If that's right, then the top of the chandelier is about 1/2 inch shy of reaching the soffit. But to center it over the table exactly, it would be under the soffit by 2-3 inches. No good. Sigh. I need a drink...

I like D. It is more pleasing in its shape to me. If you like a lighter blade, some times the blades are a different color on the reverse side. Or maybe spray paint them. I would think spray paint would be a better finish than brush paint.

Just googled hanging a chandelier and it can be 30" from the tabletop. So that means I have 6.5" between the top of the chandelier and soffit. Would that work?

enduring - thanks for your vote! I don't think the blades are reversible, but spray painting them is always an option (DH has gotten pretty good with the spray gun). Thanks!

We have a ceiling fan in the kitchen and plan to have one in the new remodel. It never blew my hair around, but did cool the kitchen down. Also was no problem while cooking. If it was a problem, I wouldn't want one again.
I would vote for C or D for your kitchen. I love dianalo's fan, and think that would be charming in your kitchen.

No, you won't have spices blowing around ..I never ever have..and it won't effect your cooking at all if you don't have a gas flame. :) really and truly. A ceiling fan doesn't really give THAT much of a 'fan' direct air flow like you'd get from a regular fan. It's much more of a air movement feeling.

A and D will produce more air circulation than B and C. I would presume the reason you want a fan is because you need a fan, and if so, the hugger mounts don't move very much air compared to even the shortest downrod mount.

I like D, followed by C, the most. What type of bulbs do they take? I didn't pay too much attention to this when making our selection but wish I had. (My primary issue is with one in in the MBR over the bed, it's too harsh a light so typically keep it off). Not sure how it would be in the kitchen, just a small thing to keep in mind and not sure if you can get normal incandescent bulbs in that enclosed style (interestingly enough the two fans we have at our house are similar to your C&D)

enduring - thanks for your vote! I don't think the blades are reversible, but spray painting them is always an option (DH has gotten pretty good with the spray gun). Thanks!

i have a version of D in my bedroom, if it is the minka aire concept? It is a great fan, very quiet, and i never put it past the low setting (but i am in mild weather). the blades are sort of rounded, which i think makes it sort of less modern and a little cottagey. i also like that the light looks more integrated than what is found on most other fans with lights. one thing to note though, the fan light is not very bright, so for a kitchen it would not be great for task lighting.

I like option D the best as far as the look or the style goes but I do know that my daughter has a similar style ceiling fan in her bedroom and it does not give off much light at all. I believe it has a 100 watt Hologen bulb in it but with the white cover/shade that is on the fixture, it does not illuminate her roommate all. Just something to consider. We had a ceiling fan with lights like A and B in the kitchen of a condo that we owned and it definitely lit the room better. I guess you have to consider the main purpose of the fixture- is it for air movement or for illumination.

Argh, something screwy is going on with my pc - I double posted (sorry, enduring) and lost a reply.

misntroya - Thanks for your vote and I'm glad that you like your kitchen fan! I love dianalo's fan too, but the specs that I saw said that it was 18" high - that would be too tall for our 8' ceilings, no? (If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be corrected!)

buffettgirl - Thank you for enlightening me! :)

writersblock - Oooh! Good point! Here are the CFM ratings:
A: 3896
B: 4800
C: 4025
D: 3900
Oddly enough, A, C, and D are close while B (a flush mount) claims to be the best. Can CFM ratings lie? =/

homemaven34 - Lighting!! Another good point! (Guess looks aren't everything, huh?!)

Here are the lighting specs:
A: (3) A-15 Frosted, Candelabra Base
B: (3) 60B10 - 180watt Incandescent Light
C: (1) 100W mini-candelabra halogen bulb
D: (1)100w T4 Mini Can 120v Halogen

michoumonster - Thanks so much for your reply! Yup! D is a Minka Aire Concept. And we do need it for lighting (unless we add some more recessed lights). Right now we have 1 recessed light over the sink, and the rest of the light would be provided by the fan and chandelier over the breakfast nook.

badgergal - More great input! Thank you! It sounds like if I go with C or D (which seem to be the clear favorites), we will need to add additional lighting. Eeek. =/

We used to have a ceiling fan in the cooking area and it had a school house light fixture. It was not a problem, I just wanted a change. In fact I think we still have it!

I like D the best, but wish it was available in the color of C.

I'd go with D.
It picks up the stainless look of your appliances and the dark blades go with tour countertops.
As far as the air circulation interfering with your cooking, it's doubtful that you'll ever turn it up that high.

I like D too. I think it'll look nice with your appliances and the smaller light will be better with your ceiling size.

BTW-your kitchen is beautiful!!
Can I ask what your countertops are?

jilljohn - Thanks for your reply! I'm glad to hear that you liked having a fan in the cooking area! I'd love to have a schoolhouse fan, but they all seem too tall (and the few short ones look kinda cheap - and, well, they are, like $40 or so).

sail-away - Thanks for your vote! I did some googling and found out that different websites DO sell D (the Minka Aire Concept) in different colors. It also comes in:

Brushed Nickel with Silver Blades

Or, White with White Blades:

willtv - Thanks so much for your vote! It sounds like we will be safe having it by the cooking area. Phew! :)

maggiebkit - Aw, thanks for the compliment and your vote! (D seems to be the clear favorite!) We cheated on our countertops. Soapstone and granite were out of budget, so we copied brickmanhouse's brilliant idea and stained Ikea butcherblock countertops black with india ink and sealed them. I hope to one day replace them with soapstone or granite, but they will do for now.

If I could make my dream fan, it would be this one - but smaller (it's recommended for a 9' and taller ceilings) and cheaper (it's $400!!!!) I love how the glass is integrated and not below a big "neck" - much cleaner looking. Only comes in bronze though.

Too big, and too $$$ (but beautiful) Schoolhouse Fan:

We have D (in white) in our kitchen with a gas cooktop. No problems with the flame being blown out. We live in Massachusetts and only turn our AC on a few times during the summer - but the ceiling fan is going most of the time to keep the air moving. Our ceilings are 8', but no-one feels like they're going to get a hair-cut! We do have additional recessed lights. Hope this helps!

I like that too. Like Meg says, she has extra recessed lighting, do you have more lights? Because I wonder if it's going to give you enough work lighting.

I really like that Minka Aire Concept (D) in silver or white.

meg_ma - Thanks so much for your input! It's helpful to hear from a Minka owner!

buffettgirl - Yeah, I'm worried about the light output too. Talked to DH, he thinks that something equivalent to a regular 60 watt bulb should be fine. We have one recessed light over the sink. The range hood will have a light. We'll have undercabinet lights. And then we have the breakfast nook chandelier.

dee850 - Thanks for your vote!!

***********************************************************************

Okay, based on everyone's replies, I think it's safe to say that D is the clear favorite. It turns out that the brushed nickel and white versions that I found are NOT the same as D. :( They are more rounded by the light. I like the shape of D better (it is their "traditional concept").

Would you all kill me if I added one more option?? (I'm tempted to start a final new thread since the new option will be buried down here...)

I really do love school house lights, and tried one last time to find a fan with one, without the big neck or huge price tag, and I think I found it!!!

May I present: the FINAL 2 CONTENDERS!!

The Minka Aire Traditional Concept II - in Pewter (I can always spray paint the blades if the dark ones are too much; sadly the nickel and white Minkas were a slightly different, more modern shape, so I took them out of the running) :(

And -

The Casa Vieja Outlook in Brushed Nickel (a modern take on the schoolhouse fan - CUTE, right?!?)
Okay, I admit, I'm kinda loving the Casa Vieja. It is a bit taller, but more traditional looking than the Minka. If you think I am nuts to consider it over the Minka - please talk me out of it!

THANK YOU ALL, AGAIN!! :)

oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh..... G. G G G (it's smaller though) but I LOVE it.

Oh, nice! I prefer G, I like the schoolhouse-ish look to the light fixture. I'm putting that one on the list for my own house :)

same with me, it's going on my list. But I can't tell if it can be flush mount.

buffettgirl - You deserve an award for reading down so far!! THANK YOU!!! And, thanks for your new vote! I Love it too! So freakin cute!! I totally don't mind that it's only 36" wide (our kitchen is only 10' wide anyway). THANKS AGAIN!! :)

dee850 - Wow! Thank you as well for following my thread! I'm so grateful! And thank you for your vote! I am so smitten with G!

buffetgirl - I chatted with a rep at Lamps Plus and they said it CAN be flush mounted (which would make it about 12.5" tall). YAAYY!!!

No, Thank YOU for doing all this ceiling fan research! LOL. That's very reasonably priced and it's also a good size for my kitchen too.

Ack! Correction! I just re-read the chat that I saved with the e-tailer rep and they said about 12 3/4" tall when flush mounted. Sorry about that! Still pretty short, though! :)

G is perfect! Good for you in not giving up! :)

buffetgirl - Lol! My pleasure! I'm happy to help! And, I am so ready to STOP researching like a maniac and finally purchase the darn thing! I think I was even dreaming about fans last night! Lol! Yeah, I'm thrilled with the price too. I was worried about how I was going to break the Minka Aire price tag to DH!

controlfreakecs - Hooray! Thank you!! I am so excited!! :)

Just my 2 cents....I love the Casa Vieja Outlook in Brushed Nickel ceiling fan. I am putting it on my list too.
My only concern is total kitchen lighting. In order not to
hi-jack Bellajourney's thread I am starting another one.
Would appreciate any thoughts on lighting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen lighting along with a ceiling fan