Form Plus Function

Not your grandmother’s ceiling fan!
Designed in 1986, the Stratos was the first truly modern ceiling fan. It is now a modern classic and has paved the way not only for a large collection of ceiling fans by The Modern Fan Company, but also other more traditional fan companies.

The Stratos  has no reference to the Victorian-era designs that pervade the fan industry. Among its innovations is the column-like support in place of the down rod used on other fans, lending a sense of attachment to the architectural space.
The Stratos also introduced Ron Rezek’s patented, single-piece, die-cast rotor, which continues to be the signature element of nearly all Modern Fan designs.

Cloud-Fan from the Modern Fan Co

The Cloud ceiling fan represents latest fan design of the Modern Fan Co.  More than “just” a ceiling fan, it has a wonderfully generous light output and can  replace an overhead light while adding a pleasant air flow.
A mouth-blown opal glass shade houses either 120 watts of incandescent or the equivalent of 200 watts of energy-saving compact fluorescent light.
The inspiration for the Cloud ceiling fan came from designer Ron Rezek’s appreciation of American mid-century modern light fixtures. He has taken the idea of a floating oval glass shade and integrated it into an artistically compact ceiling fan.

Ron Rezek is one of the leading American product designers.
His state-of-the-art lighting as well as his ceiling fans show wonderful simplicity  paired with unique design and perfect functionality.
At Form + Function we have had the privilege of being able to surround ourselves with Rezek  pieces, lighting as well as ceiling fans for many years, well, decades. We started buying from Ron Rezek Lighting in the mid 80’s and added modern ceiling fans as soon as they became available.

What strikes me about Ron’s designs is that they are contemporary, yet timeless. In our showroom I am constantly changing things around and so many fixtures have a certain life span after which they feel dated. We have gone through waves of different styles, colors and designs that were the rave. But the good old classics by Ron Rezek have a quiet staying power firmly rooted in their good looks, superb quality and simple, straightforward design. More »

Modern Fan Co Cloud Fan

You have decided that you need a ceiling fan, you have browsed a lot of catalogs and magazines and have a style in mind. Now you “just” need to make a choice of a fan that combines form and function .

The problem is there are just SO many fan designs out there! Unique Fans that have that “wow” factor. Fans that make a design statement. Fans that plainly and simply help on your heating and cooling bills.

And the prices are all over the place from $49.99 to close to $1000.

What do you look for in a fan? More »

Fan season has started again and we are consulting clients on purchases, printing out tips to distribute, completing and refreshing our showroom displays with new ceiling fan models.
Today we added a few fans by Period Arts Fan Co,  sister company of  The Modern Fan Co. I just love both lines: same quality, sense of style and unfussy lines and yet spanning styles from cutting-edge contemporary to rustic Craftsman Style.

Ron Rezek was THE pioneer in designing  ceiling fans that fit modern surroundings. He developed a patented single-piece rotor for his fans that made installation easier and diminished the  wobble, previously taken for granted.  Instead of fitting this rotor into the traditional embellished fan with a pull-chain he cut away all frills and gave us – the Stratos Ceiling Fan. Many models later, the Stratos still going strong, The Modern Fan Co. has established that there is indeed a ceiling fan for all of us.

I just had to stop and think about how fortunate I am to get to know so many great people through my work, Ron Rezek, way up there on my list. After 25 years in the lighting (ceiling fan) business I have gained a deep appreciation for the enduring quality of good design and craftsmanship and even before I met Ron in person I knew I’d like him a lot. More »