Interior Design Meets Oriental Wisdom in Feng Shui

If you're looking for interior design ideas, you probably haven't considered feng shui. Your focus might tend more towards your personal tastes, colors, and ideas. After all, who wants a huge Chinese dragon staring them in the face every time they come home?

Well, some people might. But it doesn't really matter: even if you're interior design style is completely modern, you can still adjust your life to benefit from the practice of feng shui!

Modern Interior Design With Feng Shui

Many people consider feng shui a specific style of interior design -- specifically, an Asian themed, slightly dark and mysterious look. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is not a decorating style. It's an approach to life that involves considering the energy you manufacture and invite into your home.

Feng shui is about energy. For that reason, surrounding yourself with items and interior design styles you don't like is absolutely the wrong way to approach it. The guiding rule of feng shui is that your associations make or break your home. That means that something that appeals to you is far more likely to create positive energy than something you just slapped up there because traditional wisdom said to.

Working With Symbols

It's true, though, that certain accepted symbols -- such as candles, coins, and yes, the dragon -- have powerful symbolism when it comes to creating specific types of energy. No problem! If you don't like these traditional symbols, there are several ways around the problem:

-Hide them. Feng shui doesn't try to take over your entire interior design; you can tuck Chinese coins under the couch cushions and still create powerful financial energy.

-Change them. Who says a Chinese dragon has to be red and black and breathing flames? Why can't he be done in subtle shades of white and silver? If that's your taste, it is a bit harder to find the images, though: often, you need to contact a specific artist (such as visiting www.futurewords.net) and commission the piece. This can be done for surprisingly reasonable fees.

-Replace them. Yes, Chinese coins on a red string symbolize wealth in feng shui. So what? Funky metal coasters with an American nickel could do the same thing. The association is there, the element is there -- why worry about traditions?

Let Feng Shui Guide Interior Design!

You don't have to go crazy with the feng shui to observe a powerful influence in your life. Make a few small changes and take feng shui into account when organizing your interior design and you'll be amazed at what happens!

Lisa Chang is a feng shui consultant, spiritual advisor, and author of the bestselling book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life." Visit her website at http://www.fengshuidecoratingonline.com to learn more about feng shui and start on the path to love, health, and happiness!

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Bringing the Art of Feng Shui Into Your Home

I have always believed that the way we live and feel in our homes is extremely important. Let's face it, we live in very stressful times, we are all multi tasking and packing way too much into our days. Every spare minute is stretched as we try to get everything accomplished. We may not be able to control our external environment, but we can make a difference in our internal environment. We can make those changes within ourselves and within our personal spaces. I believe we all need to bring more energy, peace and harmony into our lives and the lives that surround us. Our homes should provide a safe and supportive feeling in which to embrace life. By paying attention to what surrounds us and how it makes us feel is the first step to creating a home that reflects our true personal desires. Elements of Feng Shui may just be the answer.

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of arranging your belongings to increase energy or chi. Chi is the energy that flows through the earth, heavens and our bodies, chi constantly changes, moves and transfers in our environment. The personal chi that all of us have is called an aura, this is the energy that is unique to you. Personal auras change constantly to reflect our feelings and mood. The chi energy that flows through the earth, heavens and our bodies
moves in two forms called Yin and Yang. The yin and yang divide energy into opposites that attract opposites, the oceans tide would be a good example of this energy form. This attraction creates the movement that we need to balance the interaction and to keep the energy flowing at the correct pace. When this energy is balanced correctly it will produce a feeling of well being and wholeness and will generate emotional, mental and physical healing. When too much yin energy is present, chi stagnates, the body slows and ill health can occur. Too much yang and the chi move along too quickly, producing a feeling of anxiety, which again can cause ill health.

The five elements of Feng Shui, fire, earth, wood, metal and water are also important in creating a balance of energy. You may notice that you feel calmer and tend to relax more when incorporating these elements into you home dcor. How do you feel when curled up by a roaring fire or relaxing with the sound of running water? Do you feel at peace when surrounded by live plants in a garden atmosphere? Does the sound of wind chimes immediately soothe your nerves?

The key is finding the correct balance that works for you and helps you to create an environment that produces the right amount of yin and yang for yourself and for your personal space. Feng Shui is a very complex art that requires quite a bit of study, but many of the principles can be incorporated into our homes very simply.

The number one priority in Feng Shui is safety. It is important for us to feel safe and comfortable before we can risk expansion and growth. Form School Feng Shui (the mother of all feng Shui ) teaches us that the turtle should be at our back and the phoenix in front of us. In simple terms, we are to support our back (as a turtle in its shell) and provide an open expanse of energy in front (the phoenix represents expansion and transformation). When the back is supported, the front is able to expand. Building a home on the edge of a cliff is a good example. The back would be exposed, making us feel unsafe and week, hence draining chi. Let's look at how we can create spaces in our homes that support our back and increase chi.

Furniture seating should be placed against a wall to provide a feeling of safety. If the furniture is placed away from the wall, create a boundary by using a sofa table or plant behind the furniture piece.

Create retreat areas in your home, areas that provide comfort to your physical body and help you to filter the stresses of the day.

Increase earth energy by incorporating live plants into your dcor. Plants link us to the earth's cycle and help to bring balance and harmony into our lives. By bringing in elements of nature, we create a grounding that makes us feel calm and expels all the excess energy that creates tension.

A good way to lift chi is to get items up off the floor a few inches. Furniture should have legs, plants should be on a stand and books and magazines should be place on a shelf.

The wall that you face when entering your home should never be bare, this will immediately cripple your ability to expand chi. Place a collection or a pleasing print to entice the energy to move forward.

Create vertical height that draws the eye upward and sends chi energy soaring. Add crown moldings, pillars and cornices to your space.

Light is very important in your home. Open up your drapes and windows and allow for natural light to flood your space. Natural light energizes the people that live in the home and represents natures force.

Place wall art lower on the wall to help the furniture appear larger and balance the scale of the room.

Place enough furniture in the room to avoid empty corners which will stall chi energy.

Hang a faceted crystal in the center of the room. The crystal will send out chi 360 degrees.

Barren walls mean a low level of chi. Choose wall dcor that will bring you pleasure when viewing that space.

Stir your senses by incorporating texture into your surroundings, plush fabrics, rattan, metal, wood etc.

Cluster three or more items together to form energy groups. The eye will register a grouping and take it all in instead of contracting when focusing on a single object.

When decorating your bedroom, the bed should be placed in the room first to avoid overcrowding. The bed should be placed as far away from the door as possible and against a solid wall. If you choose to angle the bed in a corner, be sure to place a plant or a folding screen behind the headboard to create a feeling of safety.

Creating an environment that includes some principles of Feng Shui does not have to be difficult and can be done on a small scale. Creating a comforting home should be foremost in your decorating plan. Decorating with items that bring you joy will surely create a space that is unique to you and will quickly turn your house into a home.

Kathleen M. Moser, IRIS, SDP, ODSP

Certified Interior Redesigner
One Day Decorating Professional
Real Estate Staging Professional

Bradenton, Florida 34209
Office: (941)794-0153
E-mail: focusint@ptd.net
http://www.focusoninteriors.com

Kathleen is a Certified Interior Redesign Industry Specialist, Society of Decorating Professional and Real Estate Staging Professional. Kathleen has studied with industry leaders in the field of Interior Redesign, Decorating and Staging and has taught Interior Design courses at local colleges. She has decorated homes for several organizational fundraisers including Habitat for Humanity, local public libraries and women's club charity home tours. She has also been on TV, in magazine and newspaper publications and is a sought after speaker in her field. Her passion for Interior Design started at a young age and she has redesigned many homes to reflect the owner's personal style and taste. Her experience and skills have provided a keen eye and creative intuition for what will work with diverse decorating styles and issues.

Kathleen believes that all decorating challenges can be solved and that with a little help, everyone can enjoy a refreshed look that will transform your home into a stylish space. She is comfortable working with any home, large or small, simple to opulent, using any style.

Focus On Interiors is a full service interior decorating and design firm tailored to your individual needs and budget. We offer a full selection of services specializing in interior redesign, real estate staging, custom window treatments, color consultation, furniture, lighting, and flooring. Whether you are remodeling your existing home or building a new home, we will help you along the way in making the correct choices.

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Feng Shui in the Workplace

Ergonomics,
PDAs and company
wellness
programs are all
geared for healthier, more
productive employees. Each of
these has its role in whether an
employee wants to go to work,
goes willingly and produces
mightily or not.

The feel or impression
of the energy in the office is
the unseen factor that often
is the cause of excessive sick
days, increased stress and reduced
productivity. You may
be wondering how you can fix
a problem that is not tangible.
Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese
system used to determine the
beneficial or harmful effects of
land or buildings on human beings
that literally means wind
and water, provides simple
solutions that team members
can embrace.

Factors Seen and
Unseen

First we have to play
detective and find the culprit
of negative energy. We can
physically see some of the conditions
causing negative energy
like clutter, disorganization,
lack of cleanliness, chipped
and dirty paint, dated furniture
and a collection of accessories
old enough to span decades of
annual tax returns.
Finding the other unseen
conditions is more of
a challenge as they reside in
the realm of stagnant or stuck
energy, poor air quality and
environmental hazards not
easily found or remembered as
foe.

In Feng Shui, often negative
conditions found in office
environments are those of
stuck or stagnant energy and
the lack of fresh air. These conditions
may cause depression
and complacency, leading to a
rise in the cost of maintaining
the retention and productivity
of employees.

Fallout of Negative
Energy

In the busy workday, we
go along meeting deadlines,
gaining new clients and making
payroll. There may be brief
moments of imparting gratitude
and thanks to employees;
however, overall, unless there
is a crisis, its business as
usual.

Then one day we are the
recipient of a wake up call
from this daily routine. It is
noticeable that the number
of employee sick days has
increased or that productivity
is down, we are hiring
again, and there is much more
stress among the employees.
These are the unexpected consequences
of not paying attention
to the unseen factors or
conditions in the workplace
environment.

Negative Energy
Is the Sentry

Yes, there it is, prominent
and problematic: The dead
shrub, the pile of free advertisements
tossed by the office
door or the cracked and crumbly
sidewalk with its stuck,
stagnant energy welcoming all
who enter.
Negative energy at your
front door is not conducive to
keeping your bottom line in
the black. Implement the following
five Feng Shui tips to
create positive energy for the
all-important first impression.

1. Neat and tidy. Make
that the company mantra.

2. Keep doors opening
wide. Obstructed doorways
limit creativity, productivity
and business.

3. Seeing is believing. Be
sure your signage is visible,
recognizable and emanates
your companys image.

4. Light the way. Make it
joyful for employees to come
to work and easy for clients to
find your door.

5. Raise the chi. Add
something red around the
front entrance. A flowering
shrub with red berries such as
Nandina Domestica, some red
lettering on the door, a banner
or flag all add a flair of cheerfulness
for all who enter.

Positive Energy in the
Workplace

You may not be able to
sense negative energy, but here
are six fast tips to create positive
energy in your office.

1. No clutter. Insist on clutter-
free desks and work spaces.
Pull the team together, develop
a plan and set a timeline to
get clutter under control. The
buddy system works well
here. Allow adequate time
and a guilt-free environment
to complete the task. Plan periodic
clutter busting work
days throughout the year to
keep clutter under control and
positive energy high.

2. Reduce toxins. Install
toxin-eating indoor plants.
Peace Lilies are forgiving, easy
to grow and produce beautiful
blooms, and they can be positioned
nicely over a cubicle, on
a desk or on the floor.

3. Create clean air. Exchange
poor air quality by
opening doors and windows
daily. If this is not possible,
diffuse pure essential oils (no
flame) to cleanse the air or
install an ionizer or both.

4. Increase motivation. Adequate
and beneficial lighting,
such as full-spectrum, is essential
to health and happiness.
Replace overhead florescent
bulbs, add up-lighting in dark
corners and provide a variety of
lighting options to employees
as some are sensitive to different
types of wavelengths.

5. Reduce stress. A proper
type of sound is soothing. Kinetic
sculptures, soft but stimulating
music and area fans add
movement to sound to provide
a double-duo for a comfortable
Feng Shui
is your friend.

Use these basic
principles in your office, review
and renew them frequently to
keep the office energy positive
and the cash flow in the black.
Yarrow is a certified Feng Shui
consultant and can be reached
at 410-271-1377 and yarrow@
fengshuiatthebay.com.

YARROW
102 Roosevelt Court, Annapolis MD 2403 410.626.1316 yarrow@FengShuiAtTheBay.com

http://www.FengShuiAtTheBay.com Yarrow maintains that it is all about energy. She began exploring energy in the 70's utilizing at-hand knowledge of Native American traditions, awareness of life experiences, holding the question of what is really going on & applying this knowledge to her own life. Her curiosity of energy evolved into the study & practice of Feng Shui in 2001. Yarrow is a contributing author to the womens anthology: The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs Real-life Stories of Determination, Growth & Prosperity. She is available for public speaking engagements.

Yarrow is a freelance writer & a graduate of a three-year PsychoSynthesis course out of Berkeley, California. She writes for Taste of the Bay Magazine, Lilipoh Magazine (global distribution) & other periodicals. She has studied with Australian Author Eric Dowsett, Rev. Lin Yun, Karen Kingston, Steven P

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