A Cozy Southern Porch Transformation with Stylish & Durable Fans
Our southern porch had been in desperate need of an upgrade since moving in. The old ceiling fans were not only ancient, but also completely broken.
As in no blades.
They were busted off years before we moved in, no longer turned, and became perfect homes for hornets.
As a result, we basically never used our porch. Even after restaining the floors and painting the pillars last summer. Sure, it looked much better, but without fans in the southern heat and those darn hornets, well. . . it wasn’t really a usable space for us.
And that frustrated me, because the porch was one of the main reasons we purchased this old farmhouse.
Both of the houses we’ve lived in previously had no front porches, and I had always wanted one. When we saw the photos of this house, (we made an offer on it from 2,000 mile away) and finally flew across the country for our home inspections to see it, I knew, it was exactly what I’d always dreamed of.
Because this is the porch of my dreams, I didn’t want to pick up some cheap fans from a home improvement store on a whim. With our weather here, even under the porch the fans would take a beating. Instead, I did some research on what would work best and maintain quality for a long period of time.
The resounding brand after lots of research was Hunter.
This post is in partnership with Hunter Fan Company. All opinions are my own. For the full disclosure statement, click here.
And truthfully, it wasn’t a surprise. Hunter has been around for years in the fan world because they keep turning out quality fans that last and last.
Out of all the research I did, they were continually the most raved about in all the categories I was looking at: Water resistance, durability, a sleek look, good air circulation, and most important on my list: remotes. I really wanted remotes!
We chose the Dempsey Low Profile Outdoor with LED Light 44 inch. It’s sleek, classic, and fits into this space like it should have been there all along.
We went from this:
To this:
Can we all take a collective sigh of relief together? What a difference!
When I envisioned our porch, that last photo is what I dreamed it would be.
The difference between indoor, damp-rated, and wet-rated fans
I love that whatever your need is, Hunter has a fan for it! From indoors, to porches, to pergolas that get direct rain, they make fans (and lighting!) for each space!
And friends, they’re not just great quality, the designs are goooood.
I’ve had the fans up and running almost continuously for a month before writing this post, because I wanted to test them out myself before sharing. And even with many hot and humid days, storms, and lots and lots of use, they look and run as good as the day they were installed. No issues at all.
The saggy sad fan problem solved
I know you’ve seen it, you’ve walked onto a porch or maybe the patio of a restaurant and circling over your head are some very sad looking fans with drooping blades. They’ve been outdoors for a while and couldn’t stand up to the conditions. (That’s what I assume happened to our previous ones before they broke off.)
We really wanted to avoid that a second time. When researching we decided since they weren’t going to be in direct contact with rain, we would go with the damp rated fans. Perfect for most covered porches.
Quality matters, especially when exposed to the elements. And we have humidity here, which puts more of a strain on the fans. Basically the air is water in the summer. (Maybe a slight exaggeration.)
The Dempsey fan solves that issue. No dropping or sadness on this porch!
Fan installation. Spoiler, it couldn’t be easier.
The fans came with an instruction booklet that’s easy to understand and follow. In under an hour we had all three fans up and running!
Travis loved that the base had a side hook to keep the fan in place while he did the wiring. Most of the time I’m having to hold the light for several minutes in the perfect spot while straining my shoulders as Travis tries to speed wire the fan so I can let go.
With this hook, he was able to do it solo, no help from me required. Then he was able to spend all the time needed making sure the connections in the wires were good.
It’s small attentions to detail like this that make me love the Hunter brand of products even more.
Tips for Finding the Perfect Fan For Your Space:
When selecting a ceiling fan for your porch or any space in your home, consider these design tips:
- Choose a fan that complements the existing décor: Incorporate a fan that complements the style, color, and theme of your space.
- Pay attention to the size: Ensure that the fan fits proportionally to the room and doesn’t overpower the space.
- Consider the ceiling height: For rooms with low ceilings, opt for low-profile fans to avoid a cramped feel. For high ceilings, choose fans with downrods to provide adequate air circulation.
We are delighted with our three Hunter fans and recommend them for any porch.
The upgrade from our old, broken porch fans to the Hunter Dempsey Low Profile Ceiling Fans has been nothing short of a revelation. We now enjoy a breezy and comfortable cozy porch dates.
And no more bees!
It could be a morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. We love to start and end our days on the porch, waving to neighbors as they drive by and enjoying our cozy spot in the middle of the Tennessee forest.
Other Hunter fans we’re loving:
(These were all top contenders for our porch, but because of its lower ceilings, we had to go with a flush mount!)
- Skysail: this has their WeatherMax® innovation
- Gallegos: has the amazing SureSpeed® innovation
- Havoc: this has their WeatherMax® innovation as well!
