Archive for April, 2007
Mirrors and there use in fung shui
Mirrors have an important use in fung shui, they help move chi and make a room bright. Mirrors represent the water element, just as water can calm you so can a well placed mirror.
Mirrors have other great benefits when used with fung shui. Look at the area of your life you want to enhance, then find a mirror with the element for that area.
Use a wood frame if you want to promote creativity
Use a metal frame to bring energy to a space and your life.
The following was taken from about.com
http://fengshui.about.com/od/fengshuicures/p/fengshuimirrors.htm
Best areas to have a mirror:
East (Health & Family)
Southeast (Wealth & Abundance)
North (Career & Path in Life)
Areas to avoid placing a mirror:
South (Fame & Reputation)
on the wall directly facing the Main Door
on the wall(s) facing the Bed.
What are you?
Many people think of interior design as something that only the rich can have, but it’s not true. The everyday person can have some design elements in there own home.
Often times people don’t feel like there home is a home because they don’t know what they like, or they know what they like but are not sure how to tie it all together.
One thing you can do is decided if you are a traditional, modern or eclectic person.
If you are a traditional person, you like antiques, older furniture such as anything from the french revolution era or furniture from the 1800′s. You like tapestry’s and rugs. You hate metal and new types of furniture.
A modern person love metal and glass and all the new types of furniture and decorations. You like anything made in the 1900′s and beyond. You don’t like older furniture and would never let it in your home.
An eclectic person likes all kinds of furniture and loves mixing it up. Many people consider this a country style, but it’s not.
Once you decide what kind of person you may be you need to learn what to look for in your furniture.
For a traditional person. Look for Louie the IV type furniture or Revolution era furniture. Click here for examples
Modern furniture is easy to find, there is so much of it around, look for anything with metal or plastic. Click here for examples
If your an eclectic person you like it all so its really anything that you like. This interior designer has a few pictures on her site of eclectic designing. http://www.marianglasgowinteriors.com/
Please keep in mind that these site do not have antiques unless they say they do. These are just examples of what the furniture may look like.
Great furniture sites
Make your kitchen shine!
Many people think they have to spend thousands of dollars to get there dream kitchen, and your right, you may have to, but there are a few thinks you can do to help make your kitchen look better and stand out.
One major thing is to make sure all your cabinets are in working order and look good. You can refinish them yourself or hire a professional. One big way to change the look of your kitchen to to change the cabinet color! It’s easy to do. Also if you have older hardware on your cabinets upgrade them! This is another simple easy project that can drastically change the look and feel of your kitchen. Home depot, Lowe’s and many other home improvement stores carry all types of undercabinet lighting, If your interested in buying it, ask the sales person what you need for your kitchen. They will know the best option for you. There are many types of under cabinet lighting, I personally like led lights as they last forever and don’t use much power at all. Think the little blinky lights on children’s toys, they never die do they? Well now they have made them for home use and they work great.
Another great way to change your kitchen, may cost you a little if your not handy or don’t have a handy person you can ask to help. If you have a closed kitchen that has a dinning room or family room next to it, open up the wall, take it down. The new think in homes is to have an open floor plan. If your looking to sell your home, see if you can take the wall out. Most of the time you can even if it’s a supporting wall, you just have to have columns put in.
One more way to change your kitchen look is to replace the flooring or counter tops, or both. This is probably the most expensive thing to do as you want a great looking counter top, but it may not be check your local dealer and see if they have any scrap counters, These may be counters that didn’t fit an existing home or that someone ordered and decided they didn’t want. You may find a counter that will work in your kitchen, don’t buy one that doesn’t just because the price is good either. You are trying to make your kitchen look better, not worse.
Well those are just a few tips for some great home improvement. Remember if you are selling your home kitchens and baths will sell it for you, make sure they look good spend some money updating if you have to and watch the offers and the amount of them skyrocket.
Look into the north
Today I am going to cover a little more in depth the north area of your space.
This area is governed by the element of water. Water is what gives us life and keeps our life moving. The area of your life that the north effects is your career. Do you need a new job or a promotion? Then you need to improve this area of your home.
How do you do this? Well it’s actually very easy as you just have to introduce the water element, but it needs to be moving water and you can not just put it anywhere. Examples of things you can use are, fish tanks, fountains, or paintings of moving water. When it comes to these items you need to watch where they are placed, you do not want a waterfall painting at your back as this can bring bad luck instead of good. Also moving water is not good for a bedroom, so keep all fountains and fish tanks out! Glasses of water by the bed are okay.
Other things that you can do is use a color that represents water, such as blue or black. this can be done by painting the area, using accents or light.
A great room to have in the north section is either an office or living area. As said before bedrooms are not as suited for the north.
Keep in mind, when doing a room, you also can fung shui just one room by using the bagua chart. If you do this with a north room, focus on adding something in the southeast, that area deals with money and complements the north well.
Need a tune up?
If your getting tired of the same old room, looking the same and feeling the same, but you have a very small budget to work with try these tricks.
Go through your room and get rid of anything you don’t like or use anymore. Sell or donate them.
Invest in Accessories, they change the look and feel of the room better then changing the furniture or floors. They are also cheaper to buy. 60% of your room budget should be for accessories. These include decorative pieces such as art work or pieces to put on tables or book shelves. Pillows can make a room more cozy and welcoming.
Add black, this can make a dramatic change to a room. Even if it’s just one piece. If you have a very neutral or white room add black to it. It will make everything pop.
Another color that works well for making a huge change in a room is red, Red is the color of passion and helps excite people, use this color if you want to really impress your guest.
Don’t forget to add plants to a room, if you don’t’ have a green thumb, buy silk plants most look just as good as the real thing and you don’t have to worry about killing them, if you want a shine to them check out your fabrics and crafts stores, they should have a spray you can use to make them shine.
These are just a few simple tips to help you update a room on a small budget. More coming soon!