I agree about consulting an architect or a designer who can work up a scale drawing including perspectives. That said, the ~ 8 foot ceiling was the standard for decades (and still is in much construction), and people have been perfectly content in reasonably sized rooms with 8 foot ceilings. I think the need for extra tall ceiling heights, particularly these near double height spaces, is grossly overstated in modern architecture. I live in a building with 14' ceilings and 23 foot (approximate length) parlors. This is a Very high ceiling. The floor I lived on with the 10 foot ceilings was a much more human scale for an interior, and 8.5 - 9 would have been adequate too, without the ornamental ceilings.

Not sure I see the logic here. Using a moving fan to keep the heat down also makes you feel cooler because of the moving air over your skin. Have you considered installing electric baseboard heat, or having the registers re-done?

I live in the South(very, very warm!) and have a question about lighting and ceiling fans on a vaulted ceiling. I’m having work done on the central beam and a large portion of the sheetrock is removed. Before they cover it up, this is the time to make any changes to the ceiling fixtures. I need air movement and wouldn’t want to remove fans altogether ( bronze finish/walnut blades/ white ceiling). I need more ceiling light and would really like a large contemporary chandelier. ( thinking the open circular ones with 6 lights. OR a flat circular ring with 12 lights or similar)Would it look awful to have a chandelier in the place of the fan that was 6 ft in front of the fireplace and leave the other two fans in their place on the opposite wall? Would you spend the money to change the color of the blades on the 2 fans? ( I heard painting gets on the fan motor and when it heats up it’s a mess). Any advice is so welcome. Thanks!

noise depends on what you mean by open concept. our kitchen and living room are all one room, so I think of that as open concept, but our bedrooms are down a hall. therefore, we don't have noise issues with sound from the living room. when it comes to heating/cooling, it depends on the engineering. how high are the ceilings? how much insulation? how big are the windows and what way are they facing? all of our ceilings in the whole house are vaulted but not super tall (about 11'). we don't have much of an issue with heating in the winter, but the living room is really hot in the summer, mainly due to the fact that it's not in the shade and has big south facing windows (this is Seattle, where it rarely gets over 90 deg). we had 6" of rigid insulation installed under the roof, but it's not nearly as good as having an attic with blown in insulation. I love vaulted ceilings and would absolutely have them again, but just be sure your architect is considering the best when it comes to wall, ceiling and window insulation. finally, other noise factors to consider: we have a metal roof. so that plus no attic means we can hear everything that hits it. rain? very pleasant. pinecones hitting it in a windstorm? SO LOUD. the last time it happened, we barely got any sleep. of course if you have a shingled roof, it won't be as much of an issue.