Feng Shui Homework: Paint a Prettier, Less Toxic Picture in Your Home

 

This is a great time of the year to start and finish projects around the house. One of my own personal feng shui adjustments includes painting a room in my home. And, I must say that it has been awhile since I’ve been paint shopping. Selecting the right color and shade was grueling. It took a few weeks. (Wow, this process is much easier when I do it for clients.) What I didn’t realize was the process of picking out the quality of paint. When I was at Home Depot, I felt like I was at a Starbucks. “Do you want glossy finish, semi-glossy, flat, low VOC, no VOC, etc…?”

VOC stands for “Volatile Organic Compound,” which is a number of chemicals that turn into a vapor and then pollutes the air. It is not only found in paints. It’s also in varnishes, glues, and certain cleaning products. Formaldehyde is a VOC, and so is fish odor. To be environmentally conscious, no or low VOC is best.

Now, I would suggest that even if you’re not planning a painting project, go around your house and see what other toxic items you have. Do you have old varnish cans in the hall closet? Do you know if any of your cleaning products are toxic? Yes, it’s great if something can cut through grease, but what else is it doing to us? Where do you keep the bug spray?

Ideally, all of these products should be stored out of your home. Unfortunately, many homes have attached garages, and that’s probably where all that stuff is. And if you live in an apartment, space is always an issue. I can only hope that at least nothing toxic is underneath your kitchen sink.

If you can, get a shed, put it somewhere on your property, and store the products there. Hopefully, it won’t be too close to your neighbors. But if you safe storage isn't possible, make sure no harmful products are in the kitchen, in the bedroom, or near any place where you spend a lot of time. Just being aware where things are stored can be very helpful.

Feng Shui Homework

I am giving you a big assignment for homework this month.

• Pay attention to the products in your home. Read the ingredients. Look up words you don’t know. 
• Properly store or dispose of anything that is not healthy. 

Educating ourselves is very powerful and an essential step towards having a healthy, picture-perfect home. And a healthy home is a healthier you.

Now, all I have to figure out is if I want a satin finish paint or not. Argh!

Until next month,

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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Make Your Own Furniture Finishes

If you're into perfect details - and that covers our interior-design-loving readers - then there will be times you'll want to tightly control the finishes on some furniture pieces. Let's say you're padding your client's budget and using flea market or auction furniture ... or you pick up unfinished wood furniture and want to make it look old. Knowing how to refinish a client's furniture will come in handy.

Faux painting and distressing will help turn something new into an old master. The following video from St. Paul, MN shows you how custom woodworkers create something that looks old and beautiful from something brand new and raw. Distressing furniture may well be in your future as a handy, I-can-do-it-all designer; try the techniques in this Designed & Made Custom Workworking video.

Click to read more ...

The Great White Way

  …or the terrifyingly uncertain white way. If you haven’t been around the world of decorating for long, you may think, “hey, we’ll just paint it white!” assuming this will make your color choices easier. Nay, nay, dear reader: therein lies the path to confusion and tears. Sherwin Williams alone, for example, has 59 choices of whites. Just look at this photo to see several whites at once, working with the colors just outside the doorway.

(photo: Sarah Van Arsdale )

There are many factors to consider when choosing any paint color, including white: the other interior elements and their colors (including wood floors), the light in the room (including the way mirrors reflect light, and the way a lot of greenery outside can made a room look greener), and of course the mood that you want to create. You can choose a cooler white with a tint of blue to it, or a warmer one with a little gold or rose.

One of the most common mistakes in choosing wall color is not realizing the color will be darker and deeper once it’s on the wall. What looks on the paint swatch like a pale whisper of slightly rosy-white will scream “PINK” once you have a whole wall of it. You have to be especially careful of this when choosing a white that has a tint to it, and it’s best if you can paint a large sample of a wall before doing the whole room.

We found some helpful photos and comments at Sapid Spaces and at Northwest Renovation.

 Do you have this problem with whites? Have you found a solution?

Beadboard...in Colors?!?

You would think your faithful Stylehound would know the answer to this, but really, I’m stumped: what colors can you paint wooden beadboard? Is it a crime to use anything but bright white?  Here is one of the rooms in question, with new beadboard just installed on the walls.

We've done both the kitchen and bath with beadboard, and now we're faced with the challenge of having to stain or paint them; the raw wood looks so pretty, but bright white would be nice in the kitchen, and we don't want the bathroom to look like a sauna by staining the walls rather than painting them.

So, should the kitchen be done with a light stain, maintaining the wood look, and then the bath with a bright white? Or the kitchen in a bright white and the bath in a color? That's what we're leaning toward, but if that’s a good idea, then what color can possibly work with beadboard?

I am crying out to you, Dear Reader, for serious help. Time is of the essence, as the beadboard will warp unless it’s painted or stained. Please post any ideas, answers, suggestions, or directions to the Asylum for the Beadboard Insane below.