Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Feng Shui Angles and Corners

One of the three focuses of Feng Shui is Safety and Comfort. Therefore, poor designs such as protruding angles and corners are considered dangerous. They are known to produce “cutting Ch’i, or poison arrow energy"   which can make people irritable, uncomfortable and feel unsafe. The Feng Shui Ch’i (vital life force energy) needs to circulate freely throughout your house and not get stuck in angular corners.

If you do have an angular home there are a number of easy fixes to help you achieve comfort, peace and harmony:

1) Choose architectural designs and furniture with rounded corners and more organic lines


2) If existing furniture has sharp corners, merely drape fabric or a vining plant over the
        corners to soften them, or turn the furniture at a diagonal to minimize the corner’s effect



3) Balance the protruding angles with the softening influence of plants, screens, textiles
        and  lighting                

                             

4) Fill in room corners with items to soften and round them such as plants, lamps, screens
        baskets  etc…

Filling and softening sharp corners in your home will work to soften the sharp edges and dark corners in your life and within you as well. No more feeling edgy…go with the flow instead.



Thursday, August 4, 2016

Get into the Feng Shui Zone

In my classes, and consultations I ask students and clients to think of the area they most love in their homes,  and then discus why. The answers usually consist of  descriptors such as  ample light, beautiful view, comfort, coziness etc... These people are using intuitive Feng Shui by describing the elements that create their Human Comfort Zones. The purpose of Feng Shui is to create an environment which constantly surrounds you with the Ch'i (vital energy) which supports and nourishes your life.  This Ch'i is constantly striking a balance between two opposites - Yin and Yang.

Yin relates to qualities such as dark, cool, soft, cozy etc.. Yang associated with qualities such as light, hot, expansive, hard etc..

Use this chart to help identify your preferences:

Yin Yang Home Balance Analysis
                                                                        
                                                            Yin                                                      Yang

Room size
Small
Large
Location in House
Quiet/Private
Noisy/Busy
Room’s View
Intimate/Private
Grand
Room’s View
Natural
Houses/Buildings/Street
Ceiling
Low
High
Natural Light
Low
Bright
Electrical Light
Dim
Bright
Open  Floor Space
Small Amounts
Large Expanses
Floors
Carpeting/Rugs
Tile/Cement/Stone
Wall Colors
Medium/Dark/Muted
Light/Bright
Furniture
Many Pieces
Few Pieces
Furniture Colors
Medium/Dark/Muted
Light/Bright
Furniture and Décor
Small
Large
Furniture and Décor
Low
High
Seating
Soft/Padded
Hard/Unpadded
Furniture Shapes
Curved/Rounded
Straight//Angular
Patterns
Floral
Geometric
Fabrics
Textured
Smooth/Shiny
Design
Elaborate/Ornate
Plain/Uncomplicated
Display Collections
Many
Few/None
Art
Many Pieces
Few
Art
Small
Large
Pillows
Many
Few
Books
Many
Few
Mirrors
Small
Large
Plants
Many
Few
Storage Areas/Closets
Organized
Chaotic/Disorganized





Most people choose to love the middle of the road - The Human Comfort Zone.



My clients and students described a room which has the right amount of Yin and Yang for them. Once they identified what worked for this room, they began applying the ideas to all the rest.

Remember in Feng Shui its important to LIVE WITH WHAT YOU LOVE!