Archive for the Feng Shui for the bedroom
This week’s blog post is in Q & A format. I received a great question about the color white, sheets and Feng Shui that I’d like to share with you.
Q = I’m confused. I just read that it’s ‘bad’ to have white sheets as they represent death, is that true?
A = Colors have different meanings in different cultures. Cultural associations are very specific and rarely translate directly from one culture to the next. It’s best to adapt these types of statements to fit the culture you are in.
In China, white is the color used for a death shroud. Here, black is used as death shroud and white has a completely different association. Here, white is pristine, the color of virtue and cleanliness.
But in both cases, each color is also used in daily life with no association to death at all. Like most things, meaning is something we assign, it isn’t inherent.
When it comes to color, the best way to choose is to choose a color that ‘feels’ good to you. The color of sheets should support rest and relaxation. Mid-tones, pastels and some earth-tones are best. Bright colors are energetic and can be counter productive to rest and relaxation.
Keep the function of the bedroom in mind, when choosing colors choose colors that you find comfortable, colors that support rest and relaxation and you’ll be fine.
For more information about bedrooms and Feng Shui, click here.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Your bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your home.
This is the place that embraces the ‘no place like home’ energy. When you are decorating your home, you want to begin with your bedroom, and seek to create a refuge, a place of comfort and tranquility away from it all.
By doing this you have to be aware of the aspects of a room. These are: the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the lighting, the bed itself, the bed-frame, the headboard and so on, and the other furnishings in the room like artwork and mirrors. All of these aspects combine to create the total effect in your room. It’s not just about pillows or paint, it’s about all the details.
Your bedroom is about rest and relaxation. It is a place where you restore and rejuvenate. It is a place for physical intimacy. This space should be delicious, inspiring and personal.
Remove Distractions
Distractions are what your bedroom is not about. It’s not about exercise. It’s not about watching television. It’s not about working on the computer.
One of the main distractions in a bedroom is the television. If you have a TV in your bedroom and you’re in a relationship, that means that one of you is going to lose out attention-wise. And the loser never seems to be the TV! If you must have a television in your room, keep it covered or in a cabinet when it’s not in use. Ideally, it’s best not to have a TV in the bedroom.
Incorporate Color
Look at the color of the room. Color is multi-sensory, you don’t just see it, you feel it. I like to use food words like tantalizing and delicious when I describe color because it is that powerful of an experience for us. One way to bring in color is to paint the walls. Or just paint one wall, behind the bed. If you can’t paint, you can still bring color into the space through other items like bedding, pillows, artwork, a throw or area rugs. These are things that are quick and adaptable and they allow you to create the feeling you desire without the commitment of paint. Don’t underestimate the power of color -color is the quickest, easiest way to shift the way a room looks and feels.
Ambient Lighting
In most bedrooms there is a central overhead light. That is what we call general task lighting. Most times it does not create a warm and cozy feeling that we need in our bedrooms. We are attracted to warm pools of light – like moths to a flame. You should only use your overhead light when you need a lot of light. Other than that, your table lamps or accent lights should be used to create those warm pools of light. The pools of light created by accent lights and lamps create a much more intimate feeling. A lamp should be beautiful even when it’s off. That’s a place you could also incorporate some of that yummy color – in the lampshade. Then it becomes a piece of art.
Surround yourself with things that you love.
Love Your Bed
Now the bed. If you love it, it will stay with you forever. Don’t make the bed too big. I know a lot of folks love king size beds, but for two people a queen is usually big enough, it allows each of you your own sleeping space without a lot of empty space between you. What does your bed look like? What’s it made of? How big is it? What does the bedding feel like? I love cotton jersey sheets because they are just like a tee-shirt. They are not cold or hot, but they are comfy! That’s my favorite. What’s your favorite? We all gravitate toward different textures.
Where is the bed positioned? You want to be sure you are in the power position. You need to be able to see the door from your bed. But you don’t want to be positioned directly in line with the door or directly opposite it. It’s OK to be on the wall opposite the door as long as you are off to one side or the other. It matters because the door is a narrow confined space. Imagine water moving through a narrow space – it moves faster, it’s a little more disruptive. We do not want disruption, so we want to position ourselves so that we are the master of our space.
Romantic Artwork
Now the artwork. What is most romantic to you? Color, landscape, seascape, forest, meadow, a couple, an abstract? What the art is isn’t as important as the feeling it creates. The bedroom is not a place for lots of pictures of our family or children. The bedroom is a place of intimacy for two people. Keep family pictures to a minimum. The same is true about mirrors. We want to keep the energy level low in our intimate room. One mirror is plenty in your bedroom and it should be positioned so that it is not at the foot of the bed facing the bed. It’s best when it is positioned off to one side or the other.
These are the basic elements of an intimate room – be sure to keep your personal paradise in mind. Embrace all the aspects of what you love. Consider all of these items as you begin to create your personal paradise, your ideal bedroom. This is the place that embraces and represents intimacy. Don’t be afraid to make it a little sensual, a little daring, don’t be afraid to create the mood!
To learn more about How To Create a Romantic Room, listen to my podcast here: http://www.harmony-life.net/simplefengshuitips.shtml
© 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 http://www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
Wanting romance is one thing, making space for it is another. If we want romance, we need to make room for it in our heads, hearts and living environment. Where to start?
The bedroom is one of the top three rooms in your home, and represents the single most important relationship you have in your life. It’s important that you take the time to make it your own and personalize it.
To simplify the process, I’d like you to use your imagination to take a couple of mental snapshots of your bedroom. To do this, go to your bedroom and find a comfortable spot to sit or lay down. Support your head and shoulders. Find a place of comfort and relaxation. Breathe deeply in and out.
With each breath begin to slow your thoughts and focus on the following information. As you read each question, allow your gaze to gently lift to your room and view it as though you are seeing it for the first time. Don’t evaluate your responses, or talk yourself in or out of what you feel, trust what you feel, trust what enters your awareness.
As you face the room, answer these questions:
- What color is your room?
- Where is your bed located in the room?
- What type of linens are on it? Flannel? Comfortable an soft, like a t-shirt? Or perhaps silky and sensuous? Perhaps they are crisp like cotton or linen. Allow yourself, in your mind’s eye, to see and feel your bed.
- Look around the room. What type of lighting do you have?
- Where is the window?
- Where is the door in relationship to the bed?
- What color are the walls? The bedding?
- What texture and color is the floor?
- How does this room make you feel? Are you compelled forward, embraced with comfort, a warm welcome? Is this a place that sings to your soul? A place that captures who you are with nurture and support?
Now in your mind’s eye, take mental snapshot of your room exactly as it is now. Move this mental image over to the side. And now, still standing at the door, if you could do anything to embrace your heart’s desire to your bedroom, what would it be?
- What color would it be?
- Where would you put the bed?
- What kind of bed would you have? Would you change it?
- What about the bedding? What’s the texture and color of your perfect bedroom?
- What is the scent in your room?
- What type of lighting is in your perfect room?
- Would there be furniture other than the bed?
In this place of imagination, there are no barriers. Your room can be whatever you’d like it to be if it were perfect for you.
Now take a mental snapshot of your perfect room, and in your mind’s eye put the images next to each other. Notice what is different from the room today versus your perfect personal paradise. Take a few moments to write down the differences. Write down the aspects of your perfect room that seem the most exciting, the aspects that make you smile and feel good about the space.
Part of embracing romance in your life is embracing that yummy delicious place that is your personal paradise.
There are many ways we can do it. Now you know what your perfect personal paradise looks like, you have a template to begin the process.
Give yourself permission to walk through the door and begin the process of creating your perfect bedroom, your personal paradise. This is the most important room in your home, where you honor who you are … open your arms to the opportunity for romance by opening your arms to yourself!
To learn more about how to enhance your romantic life with Feng Shui, listen to my podcast here: http://www.harmony-life.net/simplefengshuitips.shtml
© 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 http://www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
