Recently I spent a lovely afternoon with a friend at her home. Although we talk on the telephone and email all the time we tallied up the years and realized that for close to a decade that I had been over visiting her in the home that she had built. In between sipping tea and enjoying homemade cookies, the conversation shifted over to the topic of Feng Shui and the flow of energy in a home.
In 2001, I was actually invited to participate in the layout and design decisions of my girlfriends home, using my Feng Shui training. Needless to say I was thrilled to share my knowledge and it was a very amazing experience to see the entire house unfold through to completion. The house was originally an older home and it was taken down to the studs and rebuilt from the ground up.
The footprint of the house was essentially the same, but that was about it. We were able to create missing corners and living areas not originally there and all in all it was a blast to be involved with the design using Feng Shui principles as sounding board and rudder.
In our conversation my friend mentioned that there were decorating issues that she did not feel completely comfortable with and asked me if I could give her space some thought. It was pretty obvious to me there were some design issues going on but we were so busy blabbing and catching up on our girl talk that it wasn't until the next day that I was able to email her with the answers to her design and energy inquiry.
She did the changes the same day and phoned me chirping with glee at how the energy shifted when she moved the larger pieces of furniture into their new position. There were a couple of longer term solutions she was going to work on as well. To finish off she was also going with new placement of her artwork to enhance the flow of the energy in her home.
I thought it would helpful to share in my blog some ideas on how you can work with and decorate your space on your own using some Feng Shui principles. As a certified Interior ReDesigner with the Canadian ReDesigners Association and the American affiliate, IRIS, Interior ReDesign Industry Specialists, I have first hand experience in reworking an existing space with what you have collected-in a new way.
There are many resources on the Internet for ReDesigning your space if you do a little digging. I would like to offer you the following information for when you are feeling that your space needs a shift working with just the elements.
Decorating with five elements: FIRE, EARTH, METAL, WATER, WOOD.
The first thing to do is to find pictures of rooms in magazines or on the Internet, however that may be, and you personally gather and store images. Compile as many as you like. Some rooms will hit all the things you love, other images will make you like some of the space but not so much other parts.
Do not spend time second guessing yourself. This process should be easy and fun.
Using this list of the five elements, check off what the elements are in the image of the room you are attracted to. Using this information you will be empowered to create your own beautiful sanctuary that you call home. Ideally a room well proportioned in all the five elements energetically will be more balanced. Remember that a room can be all one color but the shapes of all five elements can be used to balance the energy as well.
Tip:
Review the images again from the magazines you gathered that you like a lot but do not completely sit well with you. Using the provided list below make a note of the elements that were used. What elements are missing? Go through the list and find what element is not in the space. Ask yourself what would the room look like if that element were included?
The FIRE element is found in:
:All lighting, including candles, natural sunlight, fireplaces
:Things made from animals, fur, leather, bone, feathers
:Pets and wildlife
:Shapes, triangles and stars
:The red spectrum of colors
:Humans
:Art with people or animals, color red, triangles, sunlight, fire
The EARTH element is found in:
:Ceramic objects
:Cement, sand,
:All rocks and stones, marble, granite
:Natural crystals, rocks, gemstones
:The yellow and earthen spectrum of colors
:Shapes, squares and long flat surfaces
:Art with Earth landscapes, fields,
The METAL element is found in:
:All metals, stainless steel, copper, brass, iron, silver and gold
:The white and light icicle pastel spectrum of colors
:Shapes, circle, oval and arch
:Art made from metal or stone
The WATER element is found in:
:Rivers, pools, fountains, and water features
:Mirrors, crystal, glass
:The black and and dark colors as well as blue
:Shapes, flowing, asymmetrical shapes
The WOOD element is found in:
:Wood furniture, trees, plants, flooring, decks
:Art with flowers, gardens, plants
:The green spectrum of colors
:Shapes, columnar shape, poles, and rectangle
When you start to take note of the elements you will notice that there are elemental combinations in the things around you. For example, your coffee table shape may be earth and the table itself is made up of wood. The glass top would be a water element. You may find that the simplest object may be a combination of several elements. In working with these elements you will be training yourself to see your environment in a new light.
By using this list of elements you can see what you are attracted to and what makes you feel good in an environment. Create the environment from the pictures you have chosen from your own items. Use the same elements that are in the images that you enjoy in your own space. You will now have the empowerment to add the elements for a balanced combination.
Have a beautiful day,
Joy,
photo: PKM 'changes'
Rena
