Decorative hand fans have been claimed by almost every country for centuries. Each nation puts its own personal spin on the materials, decor, and symbols. If you have a lot of elegant furniture in your home, such as a Louis XIV dining set then the typical oriental hand fans won’t do for your decor. You’re going to need to explore the other countries that have also used this.
Spanish fans are one of the most intricate styles of fans you can find. Even though they are often more extravagant, man made materials still keep them within the same price point that you would expect for traditional Chinese wall fans.
We often see lace accents on these Spanish pieces. In some cases, the entire fan might be made of lace. This may be too expensive if you’re on a budget. For a less expensive option, you can find paper ones with the same effect; although it will be quite delicate and needs to be protected.
Usually lace occurs at least on the edge of the fan. These are more ornate and costume in nature just because they were often used in Spanish dances. For this reason too often these fans will be larger so that you can see them from far away. Many dances use the opening and shutting of the fan so it still needs to be functional and going for quality pieces will ensure that there aren’t any wardrobe malfunctions.
The prints are different too. There isn’t as much handpainting in this style. Instead, an all over floral print is quite common. You’re going to see very rich fabrics that mimic silk or faux satin. If you think of the Spanish style of dress of Flamenco dancers this is what was really going to complete their outfit.
The other common embellishment to Spanish hand fans is feathers. Typically, you wouldn’t see an entire fan made out of feathers. That’s another genre and nation. Instead, it may have these embellishments just on the edges. If you try to do this as a craft project then make sure that it’s still going to open and close.
Opulence is also a hallmark of this fashion. You’re going to see gold metallic elements. Embroidery is also popular. If you’re going with true gold leaf of course this will be more expensive. However, printed fans can incorporate metallic elements pretty easily. This is what adds the drama instead of the intricate handpainting.
It is important to modernize the rest of your room. If you were to base a room design completely off of this fan it would feel dated just because of all of the heavy fabrics and intricate details. Skip lace curtains. You don’t necessarily need velvet furniture either. Instead stick with a crisp appearance on your furniture lines but keep them within the same color palette.
This is also why there are so many rich and deep colors to match the dramatic dresses. In the Orient we saw a lot of muted tones. White was used quite a lot too. In the Spanish styles there’s deep burgundies and a lot of black. You’ll even find bright red lace versions. When dealing with lace fans typical for a wedding, of course you choose cream or white. This Spanish style of hand fans is going to use more all over black lace.
If you want the Spanish look then choose heavier fabrics with lots of richer and deeper colors. It’s perfect for a dramatic look.