Wow, this ended up being a long blog series on Feng Shui. I didn't realize what a process I had been through. 
I did want to finalize this whole thing with my previous mention of color and one's color palette. It is true that color affects our moods which is why it plays such an important role in Feng Shui and can actually make your home feel like you're on vacation at a 5 star resort. Easterners just found it out sooner than Westerners did! Hahahahaha! There's a surprise! But in figuring out how to decorate your home, where does one start? Let's head back to the notes in my notebook. I first researched colors and moods. Understanding what colors inspired what feelings was a major help for me. I then took a trip to a model home center to look around and check out pre-selected color palettes to see which ones made me feel the best. Model home centers (if you have one near you) are a great tool for this because they usually have counter/carpet/wood color packages already put together and coordinated so that builders can expedite semi custom home selections. If you don't have one near you, you can also check out websites devoted to interior design like this one! The important thing is to pick colors you love and colors that make you feel great! For me, I started with the color red. Red is not exactly my favorite color, but I learned that red is the color of excitement and passion, energy, vitality and power. I knew that I wanted that feeling throughout my home, so I knew that is the color I would start with. I realized that I didn't want a bright red as brights did not make me feel good, so I picked an earthy red and decided that red would be used to accent each of the rooms. Yep, red would be the color to tie my whole house together. Ahhhh the flow! Then for the rest of the house... since deep, rich, earth tones made me feel the very best, earthy it would be. Green is the color of nature and calm, so my bedroom would be a deep green. Brown is also the color of nature, warmth and calm, so all living spaces would be a beautiful earthy brown. Purple is the color of royalty and power, so because I have a seriously outrageous sense of humor, my guest bathroom would be purple. And that led to the kitchen being brown and purple (see pic above) and I was off and running! Man, do I love the colors in my home! Every room makes me feel amazing... like I'm on vacation every day! But it's not just because of color. There is power in the phrase, "out of sight, out of mind". Becoming a master of illusion when decorating helps to create that feeling of being at a resort as well.
The one thing that was only briefly mentioned in one of the resources that I scowered, was the dual function of design elements. But I discovered how important it was. The items you decorate your home with can serve as both decor and storage/hiding.
For example, a chest that appears to simply hold pillows on a potshelf (see pic), actually holds holiday serving platters and holiday decorations hidden by decorative pillows. These are items that I only use once a year, so it's no big deal to pull out the ladder to get them at Christmas time. If you're looking for a piece of art to fill an empty space on the wall, look into getting the perfect size wall mounted curio cabinet. There are plenty that are very decorative to match the design of your home and can act as storage as well.
There is a lot to Feng Shui even beyond what people may or may not believe about it's power and energy flow. The simple truth that Feng Shui can clear the clutter of your home and ease your stress lends credit to the whole "chi" thing in my opinion. Well, here's to all our chi. May it be open and receptive. I hope this blog series did a good enough job explaining Feng Shui and I hope seeing how I applied it's principals helps someone else create a personal sanctuary in their home.
I did want to finalize this whole thing with my previous mention of color and one's color palette. It is true that color affects our moods which is why it plays such an important role in Feng Shui and can actually make your home feel like you're on vacation at a 5 star resort. Easterners just found it out sooner than Westerners did! Hahahahaha! There's a surprise! But in figuring out how to decorate your home, where does one start? Let's head back to the notes in my notebook. I first researched colors and moods. Understanding what colors inspired what feelings was a major help for me. I then took a trip to a model home center to look around and check out pre-selected color palettes to see which ones made me feel the best. Model home centers (if you have one near you) are a great tool for this because they usually have counter/carpet/wood color packages already put together and coordinated so that builders can expedite semi custom home selections. If you don't have one near you, you can also check out websites devoted to interior design like this one! The important thing is to pick colors you love and colors that make you feel great! For me, I started with the color red. Red is not exactly my favorite color, but I learned that red is the color of excitement and passion, energy, vitality and power. I knew that I wanted that feeling throughout my home, so I knew that is the color I would start with. I realized that I didn't want a bright red as brights did not make me feel good, so I picked an earthy red and decided that red would be used to accent each of the rooms. Yep, red would be the color to tie my whole house together. Ahhhh the flow! Then for the rest of the house... since deep, rich, earth tones made me feel the very best, earthy it would be. Green is the color of nature and calm, so my bedroom would be a deep green. Brown is also the color of nature, warmth and calm, so all living spaces would be a beautiful earthy brown. Purple is the color of royalty and power, so because I have a seriously outrageous sense of humor, my guest bathroom would be purple. And that led to the kitchen being brown and purple (see pic above) and I was off and running! Man, do I love the colors in my home! Every room makes me feel amazing... like I'm on vacation every day! But it's not just because of color. There is power in the phrase, "out of sight, out of mind". Becoming a master of illusion when decorating helps to create that feeling of being at a resort as well.
The one thing that was only briefly mentioned in one of the resources that I scowered, was the dual function of design elements. But I discovered how important it was. The items you decorate your home with can serve as both decor and storage/hiding.
For example, a chest that appears to simply hold pillows on a potshelf (see pic), actually holds holiday serving platters and holiday decorations hidden by decorative pillows. These are items that I only use once a year, so it's no big deal to pull out the ladder to get them at Christmas time. If you're looking for a piece of art to fill an empty space on the wall, look into getting the perfect size wall mounted curio cabinet. There are plenty that are very decorative to match the design of your home and can act as storage as well.There is a lot to Feng Shui even beyond what people may or may not believe about it's power and energy flow. The simple truth that Feng Shui can clear the clutter of your home and ease your stress lends credit to the whole "chi" thing in my opinion. Well, here's to all our chi. May it be open and receptive. I hope this blog series did a good enough job explaining Feng Shui and I hope seeing how I applied it's principals helps someone else create a personal sanctuary in their home.
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