please put in the ceiling fan. We live in the Mid Atlantic and when I moved here from the upper plains states I thought I moved to the tropics!!! I also dread visiting the Atlanta relatives any time other than Christmas. My DH wants the AC at 70 or lower and I have to have air movement. Year round. I would keep the window open all winter if my DH allowed. I also have been known to travel with a small fan in my suitcase. Yes really. There are so many different styles of ceiling fans I'm sure you could find one thats not too offensive to your design.

vavavoom, you are not going to regret installing ceiling fans. Thanks to the ceiling fans, our AC only runs about two weeks during the summer, and mostly at night. Saves us a lot on our utility bills, and makes me a lot more comfortable. I'm one of those people who is always cold. If you go to Lowe's/HD, I think you'll be surprised at the selection of fans available. Ours do stock the basic oak-and-brass look, but there are many others available--even a really cute one with planes on the blades that would be perfect for a young boy's room. We have the fan in equest17's second picture in our dining room. We replaced the shades that came with the fan with antique-look cut glass ones and installed the fan with an antique-look ceiling medallion. Looks great with all of our woodwork and vintage furniture. My only note of caution has to do with the fans you pick. Check the type of light bulbs they take carefully. The gorgeous Craftsman-style fan in our living room only takes intermediate-base bulbs, which are a pain to find. One of our friends bought a very space-age fan and has to special order his bulbs. We've been much happier with the fans that take standard-base bulbs, because we can pick up spare bulbs when they're on sale. Check out this fan at the Home Depot site! Hampton Bay 52 In. Santa Cruz in Brushed Nickel Finish Model AG712-BN+RED Also try fanshack.com--they have more fan styles than you could ever dream of. Here is a link that might be useful: A real

Ughhhhh, but I think I need a hugger. The ceilings are 8', even if I get one with a short 3" downrod it will put the fan under 7'. I don't think I can have one under 7'. I have to go do some exact measurements today. Maybe the ceiling is higher by a couple of inches. I did do a lot of research on the hugger style. They are all not created equally. The 52" Hunter moves a lot more air vs the 42" Hunter. If I can avoid the Hugger I will do so. The 52" Hugger does get great reviews on Amazon. Quiet, good air movement. Tonight I will measure the exact height on the 2nd floor. And Sochi--no hugger on the 9' ceilings. I'm thinking of using the one originally purchased for the bedroom in the 9' study. I'm leaning towards that white one pictured above for my bedroom. It has a tray ceiling so it is probably about 9+' high. My furniture in the bedroom is black, but the bedding is all white, so I think it will work. I painted my fan in the last house a white, and I loved how it looked, well, it still was a ceiling fan...

I've seen the Dyson fans -- very cool and very quiet. Will have to check out whether they oscilate. They are pricey, but not a lot more than a mid range ceiling fan. DH sleeps with a c-pap machine that sits on his nightstand with a lamp (crystal hunk that stays) and a clock, so I'm thinking table top is not likely to work. I was thinking a decorative floor fan on the opposite side of the room where there is a reading chair. We also have a tray ceiling and the small wall fans mounted up inthe corners might be a possibility, but I don't want them to compete with the light fixture (if we go that route). We have ordered a new fixture for the dining room and won't get that in until January, so I don't think we will get to this project until spring. Maybe someone will come out with a crystal drum fan in the meantime. ;-)