Bill Bushnell wrote in message ...

I prefer not to use ceiling fans as I have no central ceiling outlet for
one in the living room, and because I believe they would look ugly in the
dining room and bedrooms. (I don't fancy the idea of lying in bed looking
up into a spinning propeller.) Also, I prefer a more passive approach.

Suggest you reconsider ceiling fans. Some of them are works of art.

Another thing you can consider is a destratifier
(http://www.airstrata.com). I bought one on eBay this year and hung it
above a staircase. It's too obtrusive for a bedroom, IMHO.

Mike