Minka-Aire F596-PN/TL Cirque 54 Inch Ceiling Fan in Polished Nickel Finish

Looks high tech and works great in bathroom

I'd first seen this fan online about two years ago and finally purchased it for my contemporary home study (w/ loungy feel) that is 12' x 12' x 10' (I'll say later why the size of the room you'll install it in is important). The design is sharp, bold and very funky (like a model of Sputnik), but not as radical or abstract as the pictures may suggest. It is definitely a very uniquely designed piece that'll certainly be a conversation piece, and could easily "chew the scenery" of the room its in. The feel what I would call "retro-futuristic" -- as in this is what futuristic designs looked like in the 50's and early 60' (or what you would expect to see on the Jetsons. One thing to note for the discerning, Minka Aire must have airbrushed out of the photos the mounts for the blades' plexiglass inserts. It is not a super-clean on-piece design as is shown. The are four interior mounts holding the inserts to the frames on the large blades, and two on each of the small blades. Not really a big deal, as holding the inserts in place without those mounts would be very hard to pull off in a two-piece assembly. However, I'm deducting one star for that reason (more for hiding that fact). 4-Stars on aesthetic design.The fan comes in two finishes for the motor housing/downrod/canopy etc., and 4 finishes for the blades. The version I got is the polished nickel finish with clear blades. Contrary to how it looks in pictures, the blades are actually only two sizes. An optical illusion is created making the blades appear to be different sizes depending on what angle you looking at the fan from (not directly below). Unfortunately, I'm not that happy with the choice of clear blades. The biggest drawbacks to them is realized when you have a light above them (such as a recessed can) in close proximity to the fan. For one thing, the clear blades reflect some light back onto the ceiling, and around the room when in motion. Unless you're going for a disco feel... Another problem is that the light that doesn't get reflected gets refracted through the blades into the room below. When the fan is in operation, this pulsing mashup of light presentations is frankly a bit disturbing. So, if you're going to go for the clear blades, I'd advise against having a light source above them.Operationally, the motor is practically silent. The sound emitted from the fan (and it is significant) is from the blades moving through the air. However, despite the rushing wind sound at high speed, form precedes function in this example, as the air movement capability of this fan is just ok (3-stars). It is adequately suited for smaller rooms such as my study, but you probably won't find it to be too effective in large rooms. If you have tall ceilings, like I do, I would also suggest installing the fan with a longer downrod than the 3" or 6" rods that comes with the fan.The wall control unit has a good layout and offers all of the control you need. As opposed to one review I read, the fan IS reversible. However, for some reason, my light doesn't cycle through the low, medium, and high settings as the instructions state should happen. Rather, it's just on or off (really not a problem for me). Speaking of the light, again, it is adquate as an accent or spot pendant light (and is actually pretty bright in that sense). But it is not meant to be the sole light source of a room (especially a larger one). So if it's light you need, don't count on this fan to help you much there.The fan is not that hard to install for an intermediate do-it-yourselfer. However, there are a lot of wires (because of the control receiver) and things could get confusing fast. So be sure to take all safety precautions and triple check your work before powering back up. Also take note as mentioned in some other reviews that is a single-pole souce fixture. This means that there is only one AC powersource (and wall switch) used to control the fan AND its downlight, rather than two. Not to worry, though. If you have a two pole set up, just cap off the unused light pole. The fan is a bit heavy, so make sure that your junction box is rated to support at least 50lbs (as per the instruction).

love it

We’ve installed this fan in several of our homes, both current and past. Fun styling! Love the flexibility to switch out the blades (sold separately).