This Fan Makes Me Feel Like I’m Living in an Episode ofMad Men(Except Not Sad)
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I have some nice things in my home:bookspleasingly arranged on a shelf, somegood art, a well-organizedbar. If I’m telling the truth, though, nothing in my apartment brings me as much pleasure as theVFAN Vintage Air Circulator by Vornadothat has, since its purchase (thanks, Dad!) in 2014, dazzled my guests and made me feel, with a turn of the switch, cool and glamorous on even the hottest, stickiest, smelliest New York summer days.
It helps that the fan, unlike the boxed versions you buy at Duane Reade at midnight, is entirely made of metal, which means it’s sturdy enough to withstand both regular cleaning and regular dragging around the house. It’s got a pleasing heft, and the blades and motor are shockingly powerful: I run hot, and sometimes when I’ve got thefanon I forget that I haven’t bothered to turn on theair-conditioning. Early ads for the fan, run by Vornado in the ’40s and ’50s, tout their unparalleled ability to make a fan that doesn’t sound annoying, and that’s still true: Mine sounds no louder than awhite-noise machine, and in fact I often use it as such.
I have the soft-green version, a shade that recalls the fans Vornado was indeed making in theyears after WWII, but just a touch more modern — less avocado and more washed-out teal. It also comes inchrome(if you love a space-age motif!),cream(classic), andred, which is what I think I’ll go for next — the high-gloss cherry would look great in a room full ofSottsass pieces, if you lean in that direction.
It also seems prudent to pause here and admit that the real reason I love the VFAN is because to look at it is to be transported into a version of the mid–20th century, where household objects doubled as décor. It’s actually impossible to look at it and not admire the attention to detail (the fact that the grate of the fan is gold or that the Vornado logo is rendered in a lovely scripted font). Owning the fan is like living in an episode ofMad Men— except not sad, because I have a beautiful fan and also a half-century’s worth of social progress to contemplate.
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Vornado VFAN Vintage Air Circulator Green Fan
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There’s also a slightly smaller version for $40 cheaper, too.
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We went in search of thebest non-hideous fanlast year and found it in the Otto, whose frame, not too much bigger than a watermelon, is handcrafted into a circle over a 21-hour process.
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For maximum airflow with minimal real estate, you can’t really beat a tower fan — this one by Lasko isbeloved by many, many reviewerson Amazon.
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Anotherfan favorite. The Dyson bladeless is perhaps accurately called the Rolls-Royce of table fans.
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