Archive for the Feng Shui design
Decorating our homes is a bit like putting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. Before you begin, you must take time organizing the pieces. Decorating is a reflection of our personal sense of style, taste, and our experiences.
What inspires you, what captures your heart and mind, what do you wish you could do in your home?
Design books, blogs, websites, movies, people, art, nature – all of these things inspire me. How do they inspire me?
Sometimes it’s the turn of a phrase that inspires me to make a change in my living space. Or perhaps make a change in my life. Recently in one of the books I was reading, the French phrase Joie de Vivre (exuberant enjoyment of life), jumped off the page, and I immediately knew that this phrase exactly captured how I feel about my life, my home, my work, my family – everything! And to embrace the power these simple words have for me, I decided to paint them on the wall of my office! Now, whenever I’m sitting at my desk all I have to do is look up and see Joie de Vivre, and my personal life affirmation is affirmed.
Sometimes my inspiration comes from a beautiful image, colors or room design and I’m inspired me to redo a part of my home. I was reading a new design book last weekend and it inspired me to add a lovely shade of cobalt blue to several areas of my home. This is completely new for me as I tend to be more of a green girl than a blue girl, but the robust richness of this color absolutely captivated me and inspired me! Now I can’t wait to begin the process.
Yummy cobalt blue!
Sometimes it’s the beauty in nature, colors, texture, variety that inspires me to incorporate a bit more nature into my home environment. Bringing nature into your home can be as easy as fresh flowers, a new plant or even rearranging my furnishings to take advantage of a beautiful view from my windows.
Anything can be an inspiration, all you have to do is see it and then act on it.
Making our living spaces more beautiful improves the quality of our environments and when the quality of our environment improves, so does the quality of our lives.
The next time you’re watching HGTV, or looking through the latest design book, or taking a walk outside, open your mind to the possibilities, the opportunities that inspire you. You don’t need a decorating plan to create a home filled with warmth, personality and comfort. What you do need is a connection to your inner self, your personal sense of balance and beauty and then trust yourself as you begin the process. And it is a process – trial and error – your spaces constantly evolving just as you are.
“There is no such thing as “wrong” taste or styling, as long as it comes from an authentic place and is ultimately portrayed with confidence.” – Lili Diallo
We all have the ability to create what we love; we just have to believe we can.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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I’ve got a confession to make, before today I have never looked at design blogs.
It’s true! I’ve never even searched online for one. But today my life has changed, I fell down the rabbit hole. I Googled design blogs and was amazed at the fantastic variety of information, tips, suggestions, and imagery that’s out there.
Everything you could possibly want to know about design or decorating or redecorating or even undecorating is available to you online! Design blogs can provide you with the perfect ideas and inspiration to use as you create your Feng Shui Home!
Fabulous product for windows and mirrored closet doors!
(for more visit http://www.decor8.com – one of my new favorite design blogs!)
Up until now researching different design and decorating ideas meant buying design books, magazines or going to stores and while all of those options are still viable; you also have, at your fingertips, a wealth of information online. You have online shops, websites and design blogs - it’s a plethora of information.
Too much information you ask? Never! You can never have too much information.
This is the perfect time to create your own mood board or design journal. (A design journal is a binder or notebook filled with images representing things you like for various rooms of your home.) Print or tear out images out of books or magazines, take pictures of what you see in stores, pull color samples, fabric samples, pieces of wallpaper, photos, trim samples anything that inspires you. And then put those images, those items into your design journal. Arrange them by room.
An example of a mood board I created for a client.
As you play with your journal rooms you’ll find a theme, a mood, a feeling begins to take shape and you’ll begin to become aware of your authentic self, who you are, what inspires you, what energizes you, what makes you feel like home. And from that feeling, that awareness you’ll be able to create your perfect spaces, in fact, your perfectly unperfect spaces!
The second of today’s favorite design blogs, http://www.designpublic.com
Your living spaces should continue to evolve just as you continue to evolve. Your home is a reflection of you, your inner world is reflected in your outer world.
A featured apartment from http://www.freshome.com
another fabulous design blog!
Embrace change. I think you’ll be happy you did.
Right now, I’m going back online and doing more research! Don’t forget to add Feng Shui Life and Style to your favorites.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Q= I read that ceiling fans are poison arrows, (what is that?), and shouldn’t be used.
A= Ceiling fans are sometimes thought to be poison arrows or cutting Chi due to the slicing action of the blades.
Cutting or arrow chi refers to sharp objects or items that appear to point directly at you – picture someone holding a knife directly at you – uncomfortable feeling and unsafe. Arrow chi creates the same level of energetic disruption.
Like most situations, there is more than one factor to evaluate.
1. Is the fan secure? (no wobbling)
2. Is it used?
3. Do you like it?
4. Is it needed?
When viewing an object with Feng Shui eyes, it’s important to consider all aspects, not just the obvious. The purpose of a fan is to move air to create greater comfort in the room it is in. Ideally a fan should be positioned away from a bed. Fans are big and heavy and having something big and heavy directly overhead can create a sense of concern, a feeling of being unsafe. Comfort and safety are basic Feng Shui principles.
So my opinion, as long as you love the style of the fan, it doesn’t wobble, creak or feel unsafe, it’s lovely to look at and you’re comforted by it when it’s on – it enhances the space it’s in. And enhancing the space you live in is exactly what good Feng Shui is supposed to do!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Why does practically every Feng Shui book say my front door should be red?
In Feng Shui, front doors are the place where opportunity enters your world. They play a critical part in the dynamic energy of your home.
I once read that if a home was a one-man show, the front door would play the lead. Why? In the home, the door does it all. It provides protection from the elements, safety for the inhabitants and as the entrance to your home it also creates a sense of welcome by setting the tone.
Red is color associated with vitality, excitement, passion, intensity and action.
In Feng Shui it is also associated with Fame and Reputation, Wealth, Relationships and the element of Fire.
Red is the spark that moves us. It is excitement, passion, heat and sensuality. Red is the color of life and relationships. We are irresistibly drawn to red – as a color it visually steps forward into our line of vision, commanding our attention. Red is the color of confidence, power, security and wealth.
Red is a color that demands attention. Studies have found that the color red affects brain function more than any other color of equal intensity. It is the color that universally elicits the strongest emotions in every culture.
A red door is a wonderful way to attract attention and greet your guests. Using it on your front door energizes all its associations creating a vibrant, exciting and dynamic front entry. And of course, in Feng Shui red attracts prosperity, relationships, and a good reputation – all good things!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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One of the main tools used in Feng Shui is the Bagua. The Bagua is a method of mapping a space by designating that certain areas align with specific energy. These areas are known as the Bagua life areas, gua’s, and the 8 Aspirations.
The Bagua is a template that is placed over the space being evaluated. This 
could be a home, a room, an office, and property or a yard. The Bagua is comprised of 9 sections, or life areas. (Click here to download a FREE Bagua map with instructions.)
The Bagua is a symbol representing change, it shows how energy moves in the world of vibration. Because energy moves in a predictable manner we are able to ‘read’ its movement within a given space through the use of the Bagua map.
There are eight life areas in the Bagua map, each area corresponds to a particular life energy. The eight life areas are: Career, Inner Knowledge, Family & Foundation, Abundance, Fame & Reputation, Relationships, Creativity and Helpful People. Health sits in the center position.
In Feng Shui there are several different interpretations of the Bagua, the version I use is an adaptation from Black Sect Feng Shui.
How do I place the Bagua on my home?
The Bagua is almost always positioned so that the front door to your home or the door to the room being evaluated is along one of the three front areas of the Bagua. (Career, Inner Knowledge, Helpful People).
To determine where each area is located, stand at the door of your home or the door of the room you are evaluating. As you stand in the doorway you should be facing into the home or room. The center front section is Career. The left front section is Inner Knowledge. The center left section is Family & Foundation. The back left section is Abundance. The center back section is Fame & Reputation. The right back section is Relationships. The center right section is Creativity. The front right section is Helpful People. And Health is located in the center.
Each life area has attributes that are specific to it: color, shape, elemental relationship and the energy of the life area itself. Through the use of the Bagua map you are able to determine where each life area is within the space you are evaluating. And then, based on the life area and the energetic dynamic currently present in your life, you’ll be able to see if there is a correlation between what you see and what you are experiencing.
For example, let’s say that you’ve determined that your Relationship area is in your guest bedroom and this room is full of incomplete projects and clutter. How might this be reflective of your life?
- It could be that you don’t have room for relationships (clutter).
- It could be that you have lots of old unresolved issues with past relationships (unfinished projects).
- And it could be that you’re not ready for a relationship and so the clutter in this room serves as a barrier between you and any potential relationships, others can’t get through to you.
These are just a few examples of possible relationships between the energy of your living space and the quality of your life experience.
Give the Bagua a try, you might be surprised at what you ‘see’!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Many people today are interested in having a healthy, harmonious home.
Feng Shui is about enhancing well-being, the quality of your life, through placement of your furnishings, the way you use and decorate your rooms and the application of specific techniques designed to align and optimize the energy of your home.
Much of Feng Shui like sensible design is based on common sense. An uncluttered room, for instance, not only looks different than a cluttered one – but it feels different.
When we think about Green living and sustainability, it often seems like so much needs to be done and that nothing we do will make a difference. We feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
The good news – we can make a difference. In fact, we can make a BIG difference by making a few simple changes in our lives. I’m going to share 15 changes you can make right now to turn your house into a healthy home.
- Remove toxic, poisonous substances from your home (and dispose of at a proper location – not the garbage.)
- Store sharp knives in a cutting block designed to be placed in a drawer. This is much safer than having your knives on the counter or on the wall. (And it makes your kitchen feel much friendlier too!)
- All windows should open easily.
- Avoid sharp cornered furniture.
- Furniture should sit firmly on the floor – no wobbling.
- Keep area behind all doors, hallways and at the entrance to the home clean and free of clutter.
- Good lighting – indoor and outdoors. Entrances, paths and stair should all be clean and well lit.
- Maintain electrical equipment. Keep loose cords contained in a cord catcher, organizer or in cupboards. And keep electrical equipment turned off when not in use. A fantastic way to do this is to use a smart power strip- they look like surge protectors and while they do offer surge protection, they also allow you to shut down the power to all attached components. (Did you know that appliances and electronics draw power even when they’re off?)
- All doors should open and close easily. No stuck doors, squeaky doors, loose doorknobs or damaged doors.
- Change your HVAC filters once a month. These catch all sorts of airborne irritants, from dust to allergens.
- Use natural pest repellants instead of pesticides.
- Remove your shoes when entering your home. There is a significant amount of toxic pollutants on the soles of our shoes any given day, from petro-chemicals to pesticides. Taking your shoes off keeps it outside.
- Change to green cleaning products. (This is super easy to do, simply go to the grocery store and choose only those products that are environmentally safe and non-toxic.)
- Choose and use only low or no VOC paints for all your paint projects.
- Bring nature indoors. Plants are Feng Shui powerhouses; they benefit us on many levels and instill our homes with vibrant, positive energy. Plants are a fantastic and natural way to clean and refresh the air.
A Feng Shui healthy home is safe and environmentally friendly. Choose a few or all of the changes above and the feeling in your home will change. Your home will feel better, smell better and be safer for you, your family and pets. It doesn’t take a lot to create change, all you have to do is start, make one change and the rest will follow.
© 2010 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Green living and green design are about living in harmony with our environment. Feng Shui is about living in balance and harmony with your environment. Feng Shui has been green all along!
Feng Shui is the oldest form of holistic healing and that is healing through your environment.
What better day than today to learn more about Feng Shui and how it can help you create a living space that not only looks good, but a living space that feels good and is good for the environment. Energetically, all things are connected and through conscious choice and awareness we can improve the quality of our life and the quality of life on earth.
Today we have options and choices in all areas of our life that don’t compromise our sense of style, our sense of taste or our sense of self. We can be who we are and embrace a way of living that is more supportive and beneficial for our health and well being as well as the health and well being of the planet.
- Paint – All major paint companies now have low VOC paints, so finding one you like is easy. One of my favorite paint companies is Benjamin Moore. In addition to their low VOC line, Aura, they have introduced a no VOC line, Natura. Both lines are available in any color!
- Zar offers a broad range of waterborne stains and finishes.
- AFM offers a broad range of waterborne stain colors and finishes, caulk and other household repair products
- Titebond makes great tub & tile caulk, painter’s caulk & kitchen & bath sealant.
- AFM makes sealants for tile, concrete and floors
- Breathe Easy; this company makes low VOC cabinets. They are the perfect choice for your custom kitchen or bath.
- Cleaning products are the easiest change to make. There are so many companies and products to choose from in this category, you won’t have any trouble finding something you like at a reasonable price. It’s as easy as going to your favorite discount store or the grocery store!
- Bon Ami for scrubbing jobs (bathtubs, toilet, etc.)
- Dishwasher detergent – the best I’ve found so far is Ecover, I like the tabs.
- Dish soap – lots of choices, from Seventh Generation to many old, tried and true brands that have embraced green tenants, this is one of the easiest items to find.
- Meyer Cleaning products clean well and use natural essential oils for a fresh scent
- Shaklee products have been clean and green for ages. Effective and cost efficient.
- Clothing – You can find bamboo fiber, organic cotton and wool sweaters, tops and pants through many catalogs, at specialty shops and, of course, online.
- Green towels, rugs and drapery fabrics are now available in most of the major mail order catalogs, at the major home accessory stores and at major department stores. When you see products like these at such a diversity of retailers, you know that organic based fabric, accessories and home goods have gone mainstream.
Making sustainable or green choices is more than a popular trend; it’s about making choices that help you live a healthier lifestyle. To help you in your creation of a healthier lifestyle (let’s face it, we can all do better) see the tips below.
Top 10 Feng Shui tips for Green Living
- Bring reusable bags to the grocery store instead of using paper or plastic bags.
- Start a personal recycling program. Newspaper and boxes are an easy first step!
- Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Replace your old incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) with the newest safest energy efficient light emitting diode bulbs (LED).
- Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables (saves on fuel, packaging and more!)
- Group errands together to save fuel (one trip vs. many).
- Pay bills online – saves on paper use and fuel use.
- Use low or no VOC paint for your next painting project.
- Replace your household cleaning products with green cleaning products.
- Incorporate the principles of Feng Shui into your life and create an environment that looks and feels good – and is good for you!
In this world, we are all connected. What we do impacts not only the quality of our life; it affects the quality of life of those around us. All we have to do to change the quality of life around us, is to begin to change how we choose to live our lives.
Choose wisely.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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What colors should you use for your website? The world is your oyster. In the world of Feng Shui, colors have relationships with one another. Some are supportive, others aren’t. Let’s talk about five or six colors.
Green is the color of new beginnings. It’s the color of flexibility, it’s the color of health, and it is literally the color of money. It is supported by black and dark tones. If you’re looking to develop a strong business with lots of opportunity for growth, make sure you incorporate green.
If you want to have a strong successful career, incorporate black. Black is the color of adaptability; it’s associated with career energy and it’s representative of the water element.
If you need greater clarity, a crispness, focus and direction, consider white. White is associated with clarity, expansion and development. You can use white as the color of your text block. And if your text is black, you’ve incorporated clarity and also strong successful career. Good to have clarity in our careers.
If you want to seek great recognition or supportive relationships, incorporate the color red. In addition to prosperity, red is also associated with both our reputation and our relationship. Red can be intense, so a little goes a long way.
If you want to experience great abundance, consider incorporating red or purple tones. Both of those colors are strongly associated with prosperity.
If you want to create a sense of vibrancy and excitement, consider incorporating yellow or a yellow tone. Orange is a color that shares aspects of both red and yellow, Yellow is associated with warmth, with expansion and with mental stimulation.
To create a look and feel that’s enticing and compelling, use two or three colors – complementary of course, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming and dominating. It’s all about flow. Too much is not a good thing.
You use color in your business name, your logo, your page subheads and even the color of your text and text block. All of these unite and combine to create the look and feel of your website. Each of them should seamlessly flow into one another.
When selecting the color of your web page, your images and your text really consider the relationship the colors have to one another as well as what your intention for your website is. When you choose your colors this way, they won’t only look good but they’ll feel good. They’ll energize your web pages, supporting your goals and aspirations.
For more hints about how to use color in your website, click here to listen to Laurie’s podcast.
This is a very exciting topic for me. Designing a website with the principles of feng shui is design that feels good. Design that embraces a sense of balance; balance in content, balance of text and graphics, balance in color.
It’s a site that embraces who you are and what you do in such a way that your visitors are inspired, interested and they’re compelled to go further.
A website basically does one of two things:
- It offers information
- It sells a product, (whether that’s a tangible product or a service)
A website offers your reader an opportunity to get to know you.
What’s this have to do with feng shui? Feng shui is about working with the energy, the dynamic of a space, whether that is an internet space or our living and working spaces. Feng shui is about balance, it’s about flow, it’s about creating a sense of welcome. Feng shui makes the difference between a website with information but no interest to one that has visual interest, balance and compels you to stay.
I remember when I first created my website, I had no idea how to write it. I didn’t know in what order to put the pages. I didn’t know what colors or what type of design or font to use. I didn’t know anything about it, but I did know that in order for my website to attract the type of clients I desire, it had to sound like me; it had to feel like what I do.
First steps:
- What is the purpose of your site?
- What do you want your website to do for you?
- What is your intention?
Once you’ve determined these things, it’s time to begin writing. Write directly to your ideal client. Use your unique voice, your own words. Write with passion. Everyone loves passion, to attract your ideal client you must speak directly to them and in a manner that attracts them to you. The best way to do this is to be true to yourself and who you are.
Not sure where to start? If you have a brochure, that will make a perfect outline for your website. If you don’t have a brochure, begin the process of writing by drafting an outline of your services, the benefits your services provide your clients and what your client can expect. Once you have your outline in place, fill it in with text that flows from one point to the next. Read what you’ve written out loud; by doing this you’ll be able to tell when your words do not flow well or don’t sound like you. This step is invaluable. It’s easy to write in a stiff, unnatural voice and the only way to catch this is to read it aloud.
Text is king, no matter how your website looks, if it doesn’t have something interesting to say no one will stay.
Your website can be a single page or if you have more than one service it can have several pages. The length isn’t as important as the focus is. Take your time writing, this is the foundation of your site.
Want to hear more? Click here to listen to Laurie’s podcast.
Front doors are the entrance to your home and the first impression the world gets of you. They give you a hint of the home beyond.
Whether you enhance your front door or not, it plays an important part in the perception of the character and personality of your home. The question is, is what it reflects what you want to see?
I once read that if a home were a one-man show, the front door would play the lead. Why? In the home, the door does it all. It provides protection from the elements, safety for the inhabitants and as the entrance to your home it also creates a sense of welcome by setting the tone. It’s much more than curb appeal.
It may greet you with the vibrancy of beautiful flowers, or the beauty of a carved design, or the rich, full colors provided by stain and paint, or it may greet you with the fresh energy of a well cared for space.
In a word, it should be lovely. Stain or paint your front door a luscious color, a color that you love, one that steps forward while complimenting the style of your home and other colors used on the exterior of the home. (No, this doesn’t always mean red.) It can be any color, as long as it’s a color that lifts your spirits and makes your heart sing when you look at it!
In the world of Feng Shui, front doors are said to be the mouth of chi`, the place where all opportunity enters your home. Your front door represents the transition between your outer and inner world. It literally sets the tone and energy for your entire home.
To keep the energy flowing positively toward your front door you should:
- Keep the entire area around the front door clean, no leaves, cobwebs, dead plants or clutter (this is not the place for your garbage cans)
- The front door should be well lit and easy to find
- The front door should open easily & fully
- Your doorbell should be in good repair and in working order
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
All it takes is an investment of your time and energy. I promise, it will be time well spent!
For more tips about front doors and feng shui, listen to Laurie’s podcast here.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
