Everything about your new home in Philadelphia is perfect. Well, everything except for one detail. The ceiling fan in the living room or kitchen is a bit of an eyesore. If you don’t have the budget to take the fan down and replace it or don’t want to go to the effort of replacing your fan, there are ceiling fan decor tips that will help you dress it up. Whether you want the fan to blend into its surroundings a bit better or be an eye-catching center point of the room, here are a few ideas for dressing up a dull fan.

Dress Up the Blades

The first step to improving your ceiling fan decor is to try to spruce up the blades. Your fan’s blades might have some sort of faux wood grain pattern or a wicker pattern on them. Alternatively, you might simply not like the color of the blades.

There are a number of ways you can spruce up unattractive or boring blades. If you’re a renter and can’t make any permanent changes to the fan (without paying for a new one when you move out), try dressing the blades up with washi tape, a type of removable decorative tape made from rice paper. You can find a wide selection of washi tape at Omoi Zakka shop near Rittenhouse Square and at chain retailers such as Paper Source and Michaels. Place strips of tape across the blades to create stripes or arrange pieces of tape to create a chevron design.

If you can paint the blades, all the better. You can either paint them so that they match the ceiling and blend in, or choose a vibrant, stand-out color if you want the blades to be the main attraction in the room. You can also flip the fan’s blades over, so that any out-of-date decorative touches are on the side that you can’t see. Use a flat paint that matches your ceiling color or a semi-gloss paint on the blades.

Paint the Fan Body

Another permanent way to spruce up the look of your ceiling fan is to paint the metal body of the fan. Many older fans have a brass base, which might not be the most stylish. You can spray paint the base another metallic color, such as silver or gold, or paint it white or a color that matches the ceiling color.

Before you paint the base of the fan, turn off the power to it. Unscrew the blades from the motor, then take down the cover and the base of the fan itself. Go to a ventilated area, or outside, and spray paint the cover, the arms that hold onto the blades, and the base of the fan. Let everything dry completely before you put the fan back together.

Take the Blades Off

If your home is air conditioned or you have lots of table fans, you might not even need to use the ceiling fan as a fan. In that case, you can simply take the blades off of it and pretend it’s an overhead light. Once you take the blades off, you’ll want to hang a wide lampshade over the light fixture on the fan, to cover up the fan’s motor.

Whether you own or rent your home in Philly, you don’t have to live with an ugly ceiling fan. A few quick changes will turn a blah fan into one you’re proud to have hanging in the center of your ceiling.

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