Feng Shui Homework: Use Design to Help Get You Unstuck

Franca Giuliani - Many times a client will call me for a consultation because they feel stuck. They may be uncertain as to what to do next, or they just may not have any sense of motivation. And in most cases, it's very obvious to “see” this “feeling” in their home space. Whatever is happening within us usually shows up in our environment one way or another. We just may not see it.

As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, this is a good time to address our "stuckness." Yes, we may be very busy now with the holidays, so we may be distracted as to what's really going on with us. Mark my words, however; once the last gift has been opened, once the last bite has been taken at the last holiday meal, if you have stuckness now, you'll still have stuckness when the last jingle bell sound fades away.

So before you even think about your New Year’s resolutions, I encourage you to acknowledge your existing situation. You may not understand it. You maybe not know exactly what's wrong or what to do about it. That’s okay. Just acknowledge how you feel. Then, cast positive words into your future. Again, don’t even think about how you're going to make it better. Just try to realize something that isn’t working for you anymore, and think of positive affirmations. For instance, if you worry too much, you may want to affirm, “I worry no more. I graciously accept the challenge.” Another example: “I'm bored. I shall not be bored anymore.” This just helps you acknowledge something that maybe you've not been addressing. Before you can start making changes, you first need to see that a change is necessary. Then you can start working on what to do about it.

May I make another suggestion? A new moon will occur on Thursday, December 13, and it's the last one for 2012. Whenever there's a new moon, it's always a good time to start something new. This is the perfect time to acknowledge what you choose to acknowledge. Write it down. Place it somewhere where you won't forget where it is, so you'll remember to address it.

Your Feng Shui Homework

From a design perspective, keep these points in mind:

• Get rid of any furniture that you've been meaning to get rid of.
• Definitely fix or replace anything that's broken.
• If renovating or redesigning your home, really think about what you want. Don’t hold back. If you want to turn your kitchen into a Tuscany country house, do it.
• If you are buying that new bedspread and really want to get something with a splash, go for it.

These are just a few examples that can help you start getting unstuck, as well as prevent you from getting stuck in the first place. Remember to always fill your space with things that inspire you.

I wish all of you a very happy and healthy holiday season.

Be well, 

Franca

Franca is one of the Feng Shui instructors at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
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Interior Design Trend: Tricked-Out IKEA Interiors

Stunning tricked-out IKEA kitchen cabinets (Apartment Therapy / House Beautiful)

When Apartment Therapy and House Beautiful start to include design details that feature modified or "tricked-out" IKEA fixtures and furnishings, then you know you have a serious trend on your hands. Modifying the clean design of IKEA's furniture, cabinetry, and other home goods has become a global pasttime as do-it-yourselfers and home designers make modifications to create custom looks from basic pieces. The kitchen cabinets in the photo above, for instance, never looked like that in the showroom or catalog; they were custom detailed and finished to elevate the look. Saving money on the basics is what IKEA is all about, but elevating and tricking-out the basics to create a one-of-a-kind end result is what interior designers and DIY homeowners are all about.

The Gallant wall storage shelves were tricked out to create a new media console (IKEA Hackers) 

This trend has become so hot that there's even a popular website documenting a wide array of tricked-out projects: IKEA Hackers. Here are a few tricked-out projects that really caught our eye. Click on each photo for more information.

High gloss red tabletops become a backlit headboard (IKEA Hackers)

Regolit lamp covered with paper muffin liners (IKEA Hackers)

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Let's Go Home Decor Shopping at the MoMA Design Store!

Jessica Carnevale Stretch Chair (2010)

I wonder how many of our interior design students and home decor buffs like to go window shopping through catalogs. I receive so many each week, but I browse through them all, and do so voraciously.

Jason Feinberg and Alyssa Zeller-Feinberg Gummy Bear Light (2011)

It's fun to see what's newly available for the home, and in particular, I love the influence of international design trends on our formerly "Martha Stewart" American design scene (not to take anything away from Martha; we owe her a debt of gratitude for establishing a high standard for American decor and entertaining, and she still sets the bar in many ways for the U.S. vernacular).

Matisse "Polynesie Le Ciel" framed print

But I digress - catalog shopping! Here are a few of my favorites from the Fall 2012 MoMA Design Store catalog.

Makoto Komatsu Crinkle Bag Vase (1975)

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Gratitude and Feng Shui

Franca Giuliani - Here in the United States, the fourth of July is a day of great reverence as we celebrate our nation’s independence. We are grateful.

Sometimes it takes a special holiday to remind us to be grateful. Normally, how often do we go through an ordinary day realizing all the things we are grateful for? Feeling the emotion of gratitude is very important, because it can really help our perspective on life. Remember, I always say that everything is energy. Well, the emotion of gratitude has a very high energetic vibration. The higher your energy vibrates, the better health and happiness you can enjoy.  

Awhile back, I asked one of my clients to walk me around her home and show me what she is grateful of or what illustrates gratitude. I think it was one of the toughest things she ever had to do. Needless to say, I gave her an incomplete for this assignment. Then, I tried a different approach. I asked her to show me objects that she is ungrateful for or depicts ungratefulness. Apparently, that was an easier project for her. She quickly grabbed my hand with enthusiasm and dragged me to her bedroom. With an utter look of vengeance, she pointed to her nemesis: her alarm clock. She then processed to tell me how much she hated that alarm clock. She hated how it looked, and more importantly she hated and was very “ungrateful” of the buzzer sound it makes. “But, it’s an alarm clock. I need it. What can I do?” she said.

“There’s a lot you can do,” I replied. (That’s when I also realized for this particular client, it was not a matter of making a lot of changes - but we could make at least one. This would get her started.) Together we did some research and found the perfect alarm clock for her.

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Feng Shui Tips - The Power of Color in Decorating

Franca Giuliani - Within feng shui as within design, color is very important and powerful. Before trying to pick out the "right color” for home decorating, let's try to understand color.

Color is energy. (And, remember,everything is energy.) Colors are specific wavelengths of energy that can be used to balance ourchi, our life force. Here's what colors can do for you and yours:

• Colors have an impact on our emotions and our vibration. They possess the power to arouse or to tranquilize, to bring joy or create depression. 
• Colors engage our eyes and influence how we interpret our emotional experiences. By understanding the emotional context of colors, we can manipulate the experience of space to benefit our energetic body.

Color Has Three Dimensions

HUE: This is the first recognizable characteristic of a color. It's the quality by which we distinguish one color from another, as red, yellow, etc.

VALUE: The quality by which we distinguish a light color from a dark color (or how clean the color is). Value is raised by adding white and is lowered by adding black. Colors change in value with light - the brighter the sun, the more light you have coming into a room, the brighter the room colors will be.

INTENSITY: The quality by which we distinguish a strong color from a weak one. Color is lowered in intensity by adding gray or by adding its complementary color. 

Color Has Harmony

This is an agreeable combination of colors, and there are two kinds of harmony.

CONTRASTED HARMONIES use colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. Most common are complementary colors - exactly opposite.

RELATED HARMONY uses colors close to each other on the color wheel or only one color. Analogous colors are

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