6 of the best modern fans to keep your home cool – and stylish

Searching for the best modern fan and want to avoid spending your money on an eyesore? When you are feeling the heat, it can be tempting to panic buy any old thing to keep you cool, but remember this is going to be sitting in your home for the summer months. It will be on full show – it pays to pick something stylish and efficient.

Luckily, we've discovered six stylish fans that can cool the air in your home while looking pretty and blending in with your interiors. From floor fans to tower fans and desk fans – there's even a bladeless option for pet owners and parents – all of the top modern fans we think should be on your radar are listed below. Just in time for tackling the heatwave. Check them out, then scroll on for some advice on getting the most from your fan in hot weather.

Head to our best air purifiers guide for plenty more product recommendations.

1. This wood-effect modern fan for Scandi-style homes

John Lewis & Partners Pedestal Fan | £65 at John Lewis
This wood-effect fan is great for Scandi-style homes that need a little cooling down. It's ideal for the bedroom thanks to its large size,  while it would also blend in if placed in a living room. It boasts three speed settings, it can be tilted to an angle that suits you, and it's height adjustable. It even has wood-effect blades.

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2. A modern fan that's chrome – for your home office

3. A stylish desk fan that you could also use on a bedside table

John Lewis & Partners Circulator Desk Fan | £70 at John Lewis
This perfectly sized fan would be ideal for a desk – or a bedside table – to keep you cool while working or sleeping. It has an impressively small footprint considering its size, while it boasts a touch-control panel. It's also tiltable, it oscillates and it has four speed settings and three wind modes. It automatically turns off after a long time of use, too.

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4. This pedalstal fan has built-in storage

5. Don't miss this impressive Scandi-style tower fan

John Lewis & Partners Wood Effect Taper Tower Fan | £90 at John Lewis
When we say impressive, we mean in terms of both style and functions as this modern tower fan can cool down a room in minutes. With an LED display screen with a touch control panel, it has three speed modes and three wind modes. Not only that, but it has a handy eight-hour timer, while it can oscillate. Pop it on the floor and switch it on for a comfortable night's sleep, movie night indoors or just to cool down your home while you are doing chores.

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6. Opt for a bladeless fan if you've pets or children

Daewoo Black & White Bladeless Fan | £119.20, now £50 at Dunelm
This bladeless fan is ideal for those who have pets or children as it's safe to use around them, even when they are unsupervised for a few minutes. It's also compact in size so would be perfect for a smaller room or a flat. It can even be controlled via a remote, and it features an impressive range of eight wind settings. A built-in timer will save energy so that you can sleep with this modern fan switched on, guilt-free.

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How to use a fan to cool a room

The best modern fans might be plug and go, but there are a few ways to make sure you get optimum efficiency from your purchase. After all, while a fan will cool a room, the setup will make a difference between it creating a cooling breeze or just pushing stale air around, so try some of these tips to get the most from your fan.

1. Make it cooler with ice
Position frozen bottles of water in front of your fan on the hottest days. This will create a cooler breeze as the fan pushes air past the frozen bottles. You might find this works best with a desk fan and be sure to leave some space between the fan and bottles to create airflow.

2. Turn the fan around
It seems counterintuitive, but if your room is really stuffy, you should try turning the fan around to blow the warm air out of the window. This creates a crosswind drawing hot air out and cool air in. If you have two fans, you can really up the ante but having the other one blowing in, creating a lovely cool circulation. If you have windows on either side of the room, open them to get a good through-flow.

3. Reduce the heat to start with
Your fan will have its work cut out if the room gets too hot in the day. Keep blinds and curtains shut to prevent too much solar gain. Switch off any electrical items that are on unnecessarily as this generates heat, too.

4. Shut the door
Control circulation of air by shutting the door to the room you are cooling with the fan. That way you aren't expecting it to shift too many cubic meters or air in one go and you will feel the effect of its use.