Posted by Ken Lauher on Mon, Apr 26, 2010 @ 07:15 AM
One of the least expensive ways to give your home new life is a fresh coat of paint. Even those who live in apartments can often convince their landlord to let them paint, as long as they return the walls to plain white before they leave. The investment is minimal -- less than $80 buys three gallons of paint, rollers and brushes to do a few rooms.
But what are the best colors to paint using the principles of Feng Shui? It depends on the room. When you select colors for the floor, walls, and ceiling, make sure to employ the
Five-Elemental Cycle using three colors. Also, don't think a ceiling has to be white; light beige or even brighter colors that complement the walls add depth and creativity to a room.
Entryway/Foyer - Small entryways are enhanced by lighting and light, bright colors. Off-white and shades of blue, pink or green represent hope and welcome. Green, black or red are auspicious colors for the front door. As with a
fence, avoid a white front door. You can learn more about Feng Shui in your
front entrance in this article.
Kitchen - The best color for a kitchen is white, the color of purity and cleanliness. White permits the food's true character and colors to show through -- bright reds, greens and yellows on a white pallet. The kitchen's basic element is fire, and metal (represented by white) overcomes fire to better balance the chi.
Avoid black and gray (water element), because it destroys fire, and avoid red, because it will make a kitchen too “hot,” literally and figuratively. A red kitchen may be prone to fires while the cook will be prone to temper flare-ups. Read more about
Feng Shui in the kitchen.
Bedroom - The color of your bedroom will depend upon your age, personal goals, and whether your room is the master bedroom or not. Pink is best for a master bedroom, because the marriage position on the bagua is placed between fire (red) and metal (white), and pink is the blending of these two colors. Pink or red sheets and blankets ensure a “fiery” marriage bed.
For single people seeking a mate, pink or peach is an auspicious color for the bedroom.
For anyone else, subdued hues of greens and blues promote rest. You can learn more about how to use
Feng Shui in the bedroom in this article.
Children, on the other hand, thrive in rooms of green, which create peaceful calm and serenity while encouraging learning and knowledge. This article talks about
Feng Shui in a baby's nursery.
Dining Room - If you have a dining room where you eat and entertain as a family, pinks, greens and blues work best to encourage conversation and stimulate the palate. There's a reason many restaurants have green decor -- it stimulates the appetite. Avoid blacks and whites unless the goal is to lose weight.
Bathroom - The bathroom should be a sanctuary where you go to prepare yourself to face the day or retreat at night to prepare for sleep. The best colors for a bathroom include lighter shades of green, blues, pink, or white. Black or gray, which correspond to the water element, make good accent colors. Or, you can use pastels or white with bright accents to enliven the space. Remember, as one of the first rooms you visit in the morning, the bathroom is one of the
three most important areas of the home in Feng Shui.
Painting your home in pleasant, Feng Shui colors helps balance the chi within yourself, members of your family, and your home.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Fri, Mar 26, 2010 @ 07:15 AM
Do you often feel flighty, changing jobs or even careers frequently? When you go to bed at night, do you have an overwhelming fear your significant other may leave you?
Do you fear:- being alone?
- job loss?
- unexpected moves or foreclosure?
- instability?
- negative change in your life?
Adding heavy objects -- or symbolically heavy objects such as a small Chinese inkpot with stones in the bottom, called a yu -- to a space can add stability to your life, marriage or finances.
We use heavy objects in black sect Feng Shui to:- slow the flow of chi
- stabilize a specific situation (such as your career)
- help chi roll back up from a downward slope
Example: Placing boulders at the bottom of a hill on your property can direct the flow of chi back up the hill.
Using Heavy Objects Indoors in Feng ShuiPlacing a paperweight or yu in the corner of your desk that represents the wealth corner will encourage steady income. A heavy object in your bedroom in the relationship corner can add a sense of stability to your marriage, providing your bed is already in the command position and has a solid, one-piece headboard.
Using Statues in Feng ShuiYou can use statues indoors or out as heavy objects. In addition to have tangible weight, statues personify images, often of admirable beings or deities. A statue of Buddha or the Virgin Mary, depending on your religion, can be both emotionally uplifting and help raise the chi in an area with its spirituality. Placed in a particular trigram, it also stabilizes the chi in that space -- positively affecting that area of your life.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Fri, Mar 19, 2010 @ 07:30 AM
As Spring approaches, it's a good time to consider planting trees on your property to enhance your home's Feng Shui.
Trees protect us literally, from sunlight and inauspicious views, and in a spiritual sense, offer a feeling of protection. Trees beautify an area, attract other life to our property (such as birds who may build their nests there), and -- planted in the backyard -- provide a sense of support for you and your family.
Trees begin with their roots deep underground and stretch upward toward the sky, linking Heaven and Earth in Black Sect Feng Shui.
Like most aspects of Feng Shui, trees can be good or bad depending on their location, size and overall health. Large, old trees that are still healthy offer a particular sense of security and comfort.
When Trees Offer Good Feng ShuiPlant trees to block against negative influences and sharp arrows of chi (such as from roof lines, tall buildings or T-intersections) pointed at your property.
Lush trees around your home signal health and prosperity. If trees suddenly die, it could indicate coming misfortune.
A large tree on the rear of your property provides a feeling of protection.
Trees located near your entrance -- but not so close that they block flow of chi and create a feeling of oppression -- create a sense of protection, as if the trees are guarding your home. Plant trees on your front lawn in symmetrical groups of three, six or nine trees, since these number combinations have strong positive properties.
When Trees “Block” YouA tree that is too close to your entryway may create a feeling of oppression or being blocked. The tree should not be closer than twice the tallest residents' height. Use your instincts; does your doorway feel blocked or does the tree offer a sense of protection?
Trees planted on the path to your doorway may create a sense of narrowing opportunities. Trim these trees to produce the sense that your path widens, increasing opportunities and broadening your influence as you leave your home.
Overgrown trees in your backyard that touch your house or block windows could be draining good chi from your living space. Cut them back.
Stumps resulting from trees that have been cut down represent dead and blocked energy. Adorn them with ivy to reduce this negative influence and promote a feeling of new growth. You may also place a beautiful green potted plant on the stump.
How Do Your Trees Make You Feel?With planting season approaching, assess how the trees on your property have been affecting your life.
Do you feel blocked in certain areas? Does your family feel safe and secure in your home? Are your family members healthy and full of life, or have you been plagued by medical problems recently?
The answers to these questions will provide insight into how to modify the trees on your property to attract health, wealth and prosperity.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Wed, Mar 17, 2010 @ 07:15 AM
We use mirrors in Feng Shui in a number of ways to improve the chi of a space, counteracting bad influences, filling in missing pieces of the trigram and improving our fortune. Here are ten ways we can hang a mirror on an interior or exterior wall of our home to improve the Feng Shui.
1. Counteract a bad influence. Some homes evoke a feeling of pressure, close quarters or darkness as we enter. Hang a mirror on the wall opposite the entrance to create a sense of openness in the space.
2. Eliminate bad chi. Hang a mirror to make a sharp point -- which directs bad chi our way -- disappear. Mirrors also enhance our own chi and increase the domain of our vision.
3. Attract auspicious chi into our space. Mirrors can attract positive chi from outside our home. Place a mirror on a wall opposite a view of natural beauty, such as a flowing stream or landscape of rolling green hills.
4. Dissect. If a large tree or building blocks the flow of chi into your home, you can “
break up” its influence (and its image) by placing multiple mirrors in a position that breaks the object into smaller parts, dissipating its effect.
5. Enable chi to flow through a closed space. “
Dead doors” (doors you don't open or that are blocked from opening) are bad Feng Shui. Permit the chi to flow through them by hanging a mirror on that door.
6. Expand a space. Hang a mirror on a wall to compensate for a missing part of the trigram to complete that space.
7. Turn an object upside down. You can minimize the influence of an object by turning its image upside down using a mirror. For instance, to dissipate the blocking chi of two large buildings on either side of your home (a frequent problem in city apartments), hang convex mirrors in a position to turn the images of the buildings upside down, reducing their influence.
8. Reflect the chi. If you live at the end of a T-intersection, you may have too much chi rushing too forcefully toward your home. A similar situation occurs if the side of a building is aimed at your home. Hang a
ba gua mirror outside your home to reflect the element.
9. Strengthen your chi by increasing your viewing area. For example, positioning a mirror so you can see who is standing at your entrance, even from an upper level, strengthens you.
10. Show movement. Take advantage of moving shadows throughout the course of the day by hanging a mirror in your home to reflect the sun's movement into your home.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 @ 07:00 AM
Is the outside of your home dirty, or dilapidated? Is the paint peeling? How do you feel when you approach your driveway? Optimistic and energized? Or a bit defeated, and perhaps even ashamed at the shape of your house?
If the latter describes your feelings about your home, it's a great time to plan outdoor home improvement projects, with spring right around the corner. You can improve your fortune by changing the color of your home.
Some people who have implemented the five-element color cycle on their homes exterior began experiencing improved health, greater energy, and even more visitors. The owners of homes who employ these five important colors on their house's exterior often report that their houses became local landmarks and focal points within their communities.
What is the Five-Element Color Cycle? 
The five-element color cycle corresponds to the colors which represent the five elements. They are:
Red --> Fire
Yellow --> Earth
White --> Metal
Black --> Water
Green --> Wood
The Destructive and Creative CyclesYou can employ the colors in a “creative” or “destructive” sequence. In spite of its name, the destructive sequence is quite effective in balancing the chi of a space; it merely refers to the elements' destructive effects on each other, just another aspect of how the Universe recycles everything in an endless loop.
In the creative cycle, one element feeds another -- fire produces earth, earth creates metal, metal produces water (through condensation), water feeds wood (plants), and, of course, wood feeds fire.
The destructive cycle is just as important. Wood disrupts earth (as in, trees growing from the land), earth obstructs water, (an island separating a body of water), water puts out fire, fire melts metal, metal destroys wood (such as an ax used to chop down a tree).
Using the Five-Elemental Cycle for Better Feng ShuiOnce you understand how these colors interact, you can use them on your home's exterior to create a perfect balance in the space. Use the five elements beginning from the ground (your driveway or lower level trim) and work your way up. You can use either order: the destructive or creative cycle.
You may start with a driveway the color of earth, for instance, beige gravel. Since earth creates metal, you can paint the main walls of your house white. Window shutters or trim might be gray or black, since metal creates water. Finally, a deep green roof will complement this decor perfectly and take its nourishment from the water (trim).
Don't Neglect Your IntuitionSince your house's main walls are the part people will notice first, you may wish to start with your color choice for the walls (selecting from one of the 5 elements) and then build the rest of your colors around that. Make sure the walls either feed (creative cycle) or destroy (destructive cycle) the shutters or trim, and, working the opposite way, the roof, and that the rest of your color choices correspond in order.
Once you understand the five-elemental cycle, you can use it in Feng Shui decorating in a number of ways to improve the chi of your home and the health and fortune of its residents.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 @ 08:15 AM
You can use Feng Shui to create a complete sensory experience for your Thanksgiving guests even before they walk in the door. Make sure the path to your home and the entrance is well-lighted, open and inviting. This welcomes guests, as well as prosperity and abundance, into your home.
Make sure the path to your home and
the entrance is illuminated. Bells on the door will greet guests with a cheerful chime. Consider all five senses as you use these additional Feng Shui tips to inspire a festive mood in your home this Thanksgiving.
Before DinnerWhen guests arrive, they will be greeted by the aroma of comfort foods. Offer them a beverage and snacks, such as an arrangement of nuts and other seasonal treats. Create color balance in your display of food to enhance guests' appetites. For instance, serve beige or off-white foods in brightly-colored, festive bowls, and arrange a vegetable tray with an assortment of peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and celery to present a range of colors.
Thanksgiving Dinner Pay careful attention to the seating arrangement. A round table, with no beginning and no end, is best, but don't worry if your table is rectangular. Position it so everyone has enough space to sit. You don't want guests pushed into a corner or feeling trapped.
Glance around the room and consider each seat. Is a buffet table or china cabinet with sharp corners pointing directly at a guest? Corners create "poison arrows" known as Sha Chi or "killing energy." In the short term, these could make the person sitting in their path feel uncomfortable. You can drape live greenery across a sharp corner to lessen the negative energy.
Arrange chairs so that no one has his back to the door. You can move the table out into the center of the room if necessary. The host should sit in the command position, which is at an angle from the entrance into the room. This position allows the host to see the door but not be directly in line with it.
Positive Energy at the TableUnscented votive candles placed around the table create a sense of warmth and joy. A lively centerpiece of fresh flowers, pumpkins, gourds and fruit activates the energy at the table. A creative arrangement will also spark conversation. Make sure centerpieces are low to the table so they don't block your guests' view of each other and inhibit conversation.
Hanging a mirror on the wall next to the table "multiplies" your feast, encouraging abundance in the year ahead. Serve a unique dish that has significance within your family. You can also ask your guests to bring one of their own "signature" dishes and share the recipe with everyone.
Enhance the atmosphere with fun holiday music or a playlist of your guests' favorite songs. Keep music low so it doesn't interfere with conversation.
After-Dinner ActivitiesIt's okay if everyone wants to retire to the living room and watch the football game, but consider other social activities you can enjoy while the game plays in the background. Play a board game or put together a puzzle. Remember to snap lots of photos and share them with your guests after the event.
Why not start a tradition of taking a walk outside to appreciate the scenery and the cool autumn air? After all, the practice of Feng Shui teaches us to celebrate our environment, both natural and manmade.
What Thanksgiving traditions make guests feel comfortable in your home? Will small changes to your holiday décor improve the atmosphere?
Posted by Ken Lauher on Fri, Oct 02, 2009 @ 07:11 AM
Imagine creating a space within your home for your baby to grow and develop while being healthy and at peace.
I've consulted on many nurseries for existing and expecting parents. Here are 9 tips to consider when creating a nursery for the new baby.
1. Crib Position: The crib should be placed in the command position of the room. To be in the command position, the location should have a view of the door but not be in direct line with the door or on the same wall as the door. There are a total of three command positions for a room, view this recent article about the
command position of a bed.
2. Flow of Chi: Make sure the door into the nursery can open a full 90 degrees. This may mean no coats or clothes hanging on the back of the door. Also, make sure that you can easily move around in the space and open dresser drawers and closet doors with no obstructions.
3. Color: Consider light colors to soothe and multiple colors to inspire the baby's development. Light blues, pinks and greens are recommended. Keep in mind that a bedroom and nursery are yin energy and should be created for relaxing and rejuvenating.
4. Décor: Pay close attention to what you hang above or around areas where the baby spends a lot of time. Don't place shelving above the crib or changing table as this can create a downward pressure, reducing the baby's development. There's also the potential for heavy objects or shelves to fall.
5. Lighting & Ventilation: Make sure you have enough light during each part of the day and night. Nurseries often don't have enough light, especially in the middle of the night when parents want to check on the baby. I personally recommend Himalayan Salt Rock lamps for the perfect night light. It produces soft shades of pink, peach and orange, warmly lighting a room while infusing the space with negative ions to remove pollutants and adding chi or life energy.
6. Development: To help a baby develop motor skills, consider purchasing a baby-safe mirror at the two-to-three-month stage.
7. Access: Be sure all items you use frequently - diapers, wipes, blankets, first aid essentials, etc. -- are accessible. You don't want to hunt for the thermometer in the middle of the night. Keep a stock of diapers and wipes close at hand, with extras in a convenient place. Don't place these baby essentials in awkward spots, where other items fall on you when you reach for them, or where you'll have to stretch to the back of a drawer or closet for them. This just increases frustration when the most important task is to be present for your baby.
8. Electrical Overload: Dozens of tech gadgets available today help you monitor your baby around the clock. Even so, keep electro-magnetic fields around your baby's crib to a minimum. This includes heart monitors, baby monitors, video cameras and multiple plugs within an outlet; decide which devices you really need and choose products that serve multiple purposes. Also, pay attention to what is on the other side of the wall as this can have an impact on the baby's development and sleep.
9. Parent's Room: Creating a nursery for the baby is an exciting time. When the baby arrives, the nursery can easily carry over into the parent's room, especially when a baby co-sleeps. Make an effort to keep your own bedroom for relaxation, sleep and rejuvenation without permitting the nursery to take over the room. You'll be glad!
What do you think? Do you have any other tips for parents trying to set up a nursery? Please share them in the comments below.
Posted by Ken Lauher on Wed, Apr 01, 2009 @ 09:44 AM
From the
Get Acquainted Rooms that feature hand-painted murals by artist Sonya
Paz, to the big room where pets and humans soon will take yoga classes
together, everywhere you went during Saturday's open house at the
Humane Society Silicon Valley's new 48,000-square-foot shelter in
Milpitas, dogs and people alike were making a joyful noise that sounded
a lot like barking. Even the woman who sat on the floor near the Cat
Condos, weeping, said, "This is so wonderful. I just can't believe it."
And it was: wonderful and a little hard to believe.
The
Humane Society's $25 million eco-friendly Animal Community Center is
filled with sunlit "gallerias" and cathedral-like "reflection centers,"
in place of the cramped metal cages and pervading sense of sadness at
the organization's current quarters. The old facility in Santa Clara
was built in 1951, and it placed frightened, snarling dogs in the close
confinement of what amounted to a cell block.
Planning for the
new building started 12 years ago, when the Humane Society took stock
of its "save rate" — the number of animals that came in alive, versus
the number that left alive. "That number was 30 percent, and as a
humane society, that just wasn't acceptable," said HSSV President
Christine Benninger. "Seven out of every 10 animals that came to us, we
killed."
Wonderful space
Benninger hopes to increase the rate of adoptions from 4,000 a year to 10,000
at the new building, where the bright, airy rooms and eggshell-colored
walls will allow visitors and animals a better chance to bond.
One
problem with the old facility, said Humane Society spokeswoman Laura
Fulda, was that it reminded people of a prison. "So the more you loved
animals, the sadder you were likely to find it," she said. But the only
cages in the new building are those meant to contain animals that have
just awakened from surgery in the center's medical center, which also
will serve as a veterinary teaching hospital.
In fact, with theme
park names like the Rabbitat for its bunny hutch, the new place seems
almost like a petting zoo, which administrators are quick to point out
is not the case.
"We have such a wonderful space, people start to
think these animals don't need to be rescued, that they already have a
great home," said Julia Lewis, who will run the vet facility after the
official opening May 16. "We're trying to provide the best environment
for the animals in a bad situation, but this is not a home for them. We
want them to have a family to love them."
Positive energy
The
center will be the first animal shelter in the U.S. to be certified
gold under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
rating system. As much as 40 percent of its energy needs will be met by
solar panels that will be installed over the summer, and a reflective
"cool roof" is expected to reduce the amount of air conditioning
needed. The green features added $2.5 million to the cost of
construction, but officials at the center expect to recoup that in
savings on water and power.
The two dog parks outside — one for
big dogs, one for the little guys — will not turn brown in the summer
or muddy in the winter, and they don't require watering at all, because
they're made of a synthetic turf that looks just like grass. The parks
will have a membership fee of $200 a year and be monitored at all times
to prevent altercations, and on Thursday evenings during the summer
there will be live music.
The center even has a feng shui
certification, which, according to Chinese beliefs means the place has
a positive energy or qi. The feng shui consultant was the one who
suggested making the atrium round instead of rectangular. That pleased
Benninger, who said she wanted visitors to "feel the hug" of the new
building. Judging by the contented panting and face-licking going on in
every corner of the place Saturday, everybody was feeling it.
Source: MercuryNews.com
Posted by Ken Lauher on Mon, Nov 03, 2008 @ 02:15 PM
Each week, I have numerous conversations with single men/ women and married couples on what the best color is to paint their bedroom. Of course each person or couple has their own unique style and many times I will tailor my suggestions based on the specific person, couple or space.
In general,
pink is considered to be one of the best colors for the bedroom because it is the color associated with relationships. Pink is also thought of as an auspicious color combining the fire/ passion of red and the metal element of white. Pink represents love and pure feelings of joy, happiness, and romance.
Light blues and light greens are positive colors for a bedroom as well as small accent colors of red. Green represents tranquility, hope and freshness as seen in spring growth or that of a new plant or leaf.
If an individual is seeking to get married, then they may want to consider painting the bedroom pink or peach. The color peach aligns with "Peach Blossom Luck," which represents attraction and love. A person that is single with peach blossom luck will be outgoing, social, make new friends and have numerous admirers. However, once married, consider painting the bedroom a different color as it can lead to adultery.
I typically don't recommend chocolate brown in the bedroom as it can give a heavy feeling. Some believe that it can be used to create a stable, established impression, I equate it to autumn, when leaves turn brown and fall to the ground.
Many Chinese stay away from having white blankets on their beds because it is similar to the shroud that covers the dead and fear sleep will seem like death. Although, plain white sheets or white sheets with flowers or colorful designs are fine.
The use of pink or red sheets and blankets are used by those seeking to get married or by newlyweds to ensure wedding bliss.
When thinking about the bedroom, one of the most important principles is determining the placement of the bed in the
command position, a power position that provides a view of the door, prevents surprise, and gives control of an environment.
Photography by Nick JohnsonAre you ready to experience life changing breakthroughs and create truly massive personal & professional gains? If you answer yes, visit here and schedule a
phone or
on-site Feng Shui consultation.
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