Home Improvement – Designing a Beautiful Home

Archive for the ‘Feng Shui’ Category

One of the most frequent desires of people seeking a feng shui consultation is to attract or enhance a loving, supportive, intimate relationship.  If this is your desire, pay particular attention to the Relationship area of the feng shui grid or bagua.

Before you even go there, think about the qualities you most value in a relationship.  Make a list of the top ten most important qualities of relationship for you.

Personally, laughter is high on my list.  This automatically includes intelligence, quickness of mind, and seeing the humor in just about everything.  Feng shui translation: Fire energy; whimsy and vibrant colors.

Allowingness is another biggie.  We each accept the parts of each other we find odd, weird, or silly.  Feng shui translation: the easy flow of life force/chi energy.

Mutual support of each other’s dreams.  Maybe you want to learn to dance, develop a new business, and your sweetie wants to go back to school to become an attorney.  Feng shui translation:  symbols that represent dancing, the new business, and the study of law.

Shared Activities.  Perhaps you have a passion for bird watching, travel, bridge, or golf and wish to share them with your beloved.  A hand crafted pair of doves or other birds that mate for life organically combines your Relationship desires with bird-watching.

Now go to the Relationship area of your overall home and then the Relationship area of especially the bedroom and see what’s there.

Standing at your architectural front door, facing in, the Relationship area is the far right corner.  Likewise, as you stand at the door of each room, it is the far right corner.

It is not necessary nor is it recommended that there be a relationship symbol in the Relationship Area of every room.  Frankly, that is overkill.

What is important is that there is nothing there that actively harms relationships.  This is not the area for a gun collection unless you both collect them, prickly cactus, or kitchen knives.  If you’re a golf widow, the golf trophies are better placed elsewhere.

If that area is “missing,” it is outside rather than inside, all is not lost.  An outdoor patio ready for a cozy conversation for two with a pair of doves and healthy plants is an area that welcomes relationship.

Does your relationship area warmly embrace your top ten relationship qualities?  Or does it repel them?

For help in understanding the subtle feng shui messages your surroundings are sending, call or email Kathleen for a feng shui consultation, feng shui interior design services, or feng shui design coaching services.

Feng Shui is an ancient school of design, of Chinese origins. This design theory is based in the placement of objects in a room, in order to achieve a proper flow of energy or chi, as it is called by the Chinese. Finding a perfect balance and flow in a room can be difficult for those who do not understand the principles of Feng Shui; however, the following tips can help you to get a basic grasp on the ideas behind this type of design and create a comfortable living space that allows energies to flow properly through your home.

- Mirrors in smaller spaces can create the illusion of space and make a tiny room feel more open and inviting. Mirrors also symbolize reflection in Feng Shui, so placement of mirrors is important. Look at the things that are being reflected in your mirrors, naturally, and see what kind of image they present. Avoid placing mirrors in front of clutter or other undesirable things. The reflective properties will “double” these ideas, creating problems.

- Avoid dark areas in your home, particularly in hallways and walkways. Choose light colors for rooms without any natural light and place artificial light sources where needed. Dark spaces can be places for bad energy or evil to fester and develop. Positive chi cannot flow through these dark areas, so they are best avoided.

- Seating is extremely important in Feng Shui, but not the amount or design of the pieces. In this design theory, where the items are facing is what is the most important. Chairs, couches, and other seating options should never leave occupants with their back to a door. In the ancient beliefs, this arrangement will keep unwanted negative energies from sneaking up on you, unsuspected.

- Color is one of the most complicated aspects of Feng Shui. Each color represents one of five elements, and each of these elements must be used with care in conjunction with the other four. Each of these elements has a directional position where it is best used in the home. Fire colors should be used in the south areas, metal in the west , water in the north, wood in the east, and earth in the northeast and south west.

- Clear, open pathways are important in Feng Shui, so that chi can flow freely. Open walkways through a bedroom, living space or hallway will make the room seem to be more open and comfortable, plus will leave a better feeling of balance.

One of the most important things to remember when decorating, whether you are using Feng Shui or simply rearranging your furniture, is that the comfort of those using the spaces is of the utmost importance. Assure that everyone can be comfortable and happy and you will find your living spaces not only more beautiful, but also more pleasant to be in as well. Feng Shui design can bring a wonderful level of enjoyment to the décor of your home, if done properly.

Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, has been practiced by Chinese peoples for thousands of years, and now captures the minds of people from all corners of the earth. Homes, offices and businesses often apply feng shui colors to help them with the right design to help create health, balance, love and even attract wealthiness into the space or more pleasure in the bedroom! Colors for feng shui are a great way to add a harmonious touch to any decorating project. Here are some tips to help you get going.

How Feng Shui Colors Work

The Feng Shui system arranges the house into 8 regions, and says that putting the correct color elements in the proper place enhances the positive vibes of that area and bestows prosperity, long life and luck to those who live in that home. The effects that the Feng Shui colors have on your home and overall well-being are briefly outlined below:

Blue usually represents calm, meditation and peace; utilize this color in the knowledge area of your home for the maximum effects in your life. Green is related directly with life, longevity and hope. As the trees and gardens stands for life and prosperity, this color also gives the inhabitants of the house harmony and vitality.

Further down on the spectrum is red. Amongst all the colors for feng Shui, this color is the most influential color. The Chinese view Red as a very vibrant color, and in Feng Shui it symbolizes truth. If used well, it is said that it brings luck, power, glory and happiness. This will actually enhance the fame and good reputation of your home if applied correctly.

Like red, purple is affiliated generally with power, and also with the royal lifestyle and attitude. This color has the power to generate your wealth if used correctly, according to the Feng Shui colors guide. Pink, derived from red and white, is used for enhancing relationships and romance.

For children, look at white, one of the most important Feng Shui colors, which will bring you spiritual lucidity and moral purity. Black, on the other hand, is very crucial among the Feng Shui colors while not always thought of as lucky. It is usually balanced with other colors which result in the absorption of the negative energy, or chi, in that area. Used in the correct area, each of these Feng Shui colors has the ability to bring you luck and prosperity. Books are ready to help guide you in using Feng Shui principles. Using this Chinese Feng Shui system is a great way to bring spiritual elements, abundance and balance into your home.

Next time when you go to buy furniture, mattresses, a new bed or table, you might want to think about carrying an extra ruler – a Feng Shui reuler. Really. The use of feng shui measurements started in China long long time ago, where they used to measure the furniture, windows and doors of the Emperor’s Palace. The method is derived from the belief that furniture can take in the Chi (energy) that is around them.

A table that is built with the right feng shui measurements can bring professional and academic success. On the other hand, a bed that was not built by these measurements is believed to weaken health, create mental problems and complications in relationships. Also, you should try to avoid furniture that is too low as this will block the energy flow in your home.

But what happens if you find the perfect entertainment center and it is way-off the feng shui recommendation? Don’t worry! You can get it and modify it later. Add a piece of wood or material to make it bigger and if it’s too big already, try and curve the corners of the furniture, as curves assist easy flow of energy.   

If this doesn’t work for you as well, remember that when arranging the interior of a home, one can influence the energy flow in every room only by placing furniture in a certain way. If you have pictures and art work in your living area, try and place them at eye level and only above furniture.

Materials should be also taken under consideration. The wooden dining room table for example, can absorb more energy than a glass table which is a hard surface. Wood would be the smart choice when buying office furniture as well. As an element, wood represents steadiness, originality, professional success and growth.  

Once you understand the meaning of materials, it’s pretty easy to make feng shui decisions. For example, metal represents a transmitter or conductor of energy. So if a part of your house lacks energy, a metal object can create attention and bring energy to that area.  

Fire is considered to be the strongest and most powerful element. It represents passion and energy but that doesn’t mean you have to have a fire place if you want passion in the bedroom. Try using red colors, silk fabrics or animal patterns and designs. Still, you should paint your bedroom red and turn it into a zoo. Your goal is to achieve the ideal Chi which will help you balance your life.

When you plan to buy a mattress, it is also feng shui to sleep on it for a couple of nights and only then decide if it has an optimal energy flow. You might find out that water is too strong of an element for your bed.

Visit www.NYMatress.com, New York’s premier mattress outlet, where you get your mattress delivered to your door and if it’s not what you wanted, www.NYMatress.com will take the mattress back, at no cost to you. No shipping fee, no nothing. Very Feng Shui.

www.nymattress.com, New York’s premier furniture outlet, offers dozens of styles of both regular and platform beds, sofas, sofa beds, futons, mattresses and much more.

The ancient art of Feng Shui is basically the practice of managing the energy in your environment. This energy is also known as “Chi”. Since everything in the universe is made up of Chi, the logic behind Feng Shui is that it is possible to arrange the objects in your environment to direct and control the flow of this energy.

Feng shui “experts” disagree on how literal you need to be when practicing the art, as well as how to interpret the five elements that comprise the Chi energy. But they do agree that the elements are fire, earth, wood, water and metal. Fire is the element that symbolizes passion. Earth creates patience and a relaxed environment. Wood is the symbol for creative thinking and innovation. It is also used to make you more popular and increase your circle of friends. Water symbolizes clear communications, whether verbal or through the written word. Metal symbolizes a successful career, including pay raises and promotions.

Today, most modern practitioners of Feng Shui tend toward symbolic interpretations. For instance, someone hoping to increase their wealth might bring into their house a small statue of the tortoise sitting on top of a pile of Feng Shui coins. Rather than thinking that the statue will magically and automatically deliver wealth, the practitioner will use the statute to remind herself to stay focused on building her professional skills and sticking to her budget. By focusing on those activities she can increase her income, decrease her expenses and increase her wealth. So the Feng Shui statue won’t make direct deposits to her bank account, but it will help her to focus and control her energy if she uses it properly.

Proper use of Feng Shui objects includes taking care of them and treating them with reverence and respect. Actually, this makes sense when you stop to think about it. In the example of the “money statue”, in order for it to be effective in helping the practitioner remember her goals, it has to be a positive reminder every time she sees it. So it would not be effective if she let the statue get dusty, piled things on top of it so that it could not be seen or otherwise neglected it.

Looking at Feng Shui in this light, it’s easy to see that there are a lot of modern applications for this ancient wisdom. People today are constantly looking for ways to decrease the chaos and stress in their lives, and to introduce peace and harmony into their environments. And that’s exactly what Feng Shui is designed to do. To find out more about this practice, go to => http://www.101fengshuitips.com.