We've had ceiling fans in 2 houses, one with 7'8" and another with 7'6". My husband is 6'4" and he has no problem with them hanging over his head. One was over a dining table, I have one over the island in my kitchen, and a small one is in my son's room. They all have hanging lights. I confess I don't care for the look of the lights on them, but we have no AC and they certainly help keep our rooms more comfortable in hot or muggy weather. Of course, S.Carolina gets a lot hotter than Maine.

I also fretted about putting a ceiling fan in a room with an 8' ceiling but went ahead and did it and I don't regret it. I put 2, in 2 bedrooms with 8' ceilings, low profile models from Hunter which I think are discontinued. They have 3 speeds, the slowest of which is silent but useless. The 2 higher speeds make a bit of sound, a pulsing humm, in addition to the sound of air being pushed around, the latter to be expected. I put very beefy supports for the fan in the ceiling and I put additonal rubber padding between the ceiling and fann connections to further eliminate any vibration noise. But, that electrical pulsing humm is there. I figure it's a cheap electrical motor in the fan, and maybe getting a better fan would be a good idea. I paid about 200 bucks per fan. They have remote controls, which are nice when you wake up freezing in the middle of the night and all you have to do is reach for the remote on the nightstand to turn it off. Making the bed requires a bit more consideration but the room doesn't feel closed in to me.

The style of the fan should coordinate with the style of your home, and you likely do not need a light in the fan. A lighting showroom can help you figure out the correct length of the downrod and the diameter of the blades. Just take your measurements in and they will assist you in getting the correct configuration.

We have a fairly modern design (with big ceilings in a great room). Went with a pretty modern fan.