Take a seat like John Wayne……..

Classic John Wayne 

You know, back to the wall facing the door. This is what's known in Feng Shui as the command position. 

In this seat, you can see who is coming and going and your back is protected. Some people instinctively take this seat in any situation. My husband is one of them. I can't tell you what most restaurants or bars that we've been to look like because my back was most of the time to the the room! 

When you place the furniture in your public rooms Feng Shui suggests you place the largest piece (most of the times the sofa) facing the  main doorway. The command position becomes the furthest seat away but still facing the doorway. This is the best seat in the house, the one we give to our most honored guests. The host takes the next closest seat to the door. Hopefully this can be done caddy cornered and not straight on to the doorway. If you only have one place for the sofa and it faces away from the doorway, place a mirror in the site line of the sofa so anyone entering will be seen. Comfortable, protected guests make the ch'i in the room active and happy!

Simple but stunning LR via Pinterest

Outrageous artwork via Houzz

Purple and blue with pops of green via Houzz

Lovely lavender room from Houzz

Chinoiserie via Pinterest

Pops of pink via Pinterest

Fabulous pinks via Lonnie Magazine

Beige with color pops via Pinterest

Notice in most of the examples the sofa is against or just in front of the wall. This is probably the most common placement for sofas, but floating in the room is absolutely perfect in a large setting like the room above. Just make sure the back of the sofa doesn't face the most used doorway, it blocks the ch'i! So which of the rooms do you like the best? Drop me a note and we'll see which is the most popular!

Prosperity is Just a Piece of Artwork Away........

or a color or a plant.

Monet's Waterlilies via Flickr

OK, so you've located the Wealth /Prosperity area of your space using the Bagua. What kinds of things are we talking about putting there? Are we talking lucky frogs or gongs? No not necessarily, unless that's what you're using in the room design!

Lucky Frog via Google

Wealth/Prosperity can be a number of things besides money including gratitude, talents, health and the people you hold dear. If you've taken an account of your Prosperity and you are blessed, perhaps you need to leave well enough alone. If you have too many bills, need some cash flow or just need the gratitude to flow more freely you may need to enhance the area.

Again, what to use? I've listed seven choices:

~Color. Red is the color everyone thinks of for Wealth but blues and purples are also used as enhancement colors in this area.

Beautiful purple and blue accents via Pinterest

~ Wind chimes of any type, fans, mobiles or kinetic sculptures attracts ch'i to the area because traditionally the element associated with Wealth/Prosperity is wind.

Source

~ Plants that grow upward are a good choice. Symbolically trees blow in the wind and your Wealth/Prosperity should be slow growing as a tree and just as strong.

Lots of plants via Pinterest

~ This is a perfect area for an aquarium or a water feature. Water gives nourishment to trees. (Remember the five elements?) Here are wonderful tabletop examples of both:

Spa Fountain Source

Awesome fishbowl via Pinterest

~ Valuable possessions such as antiques, crystal, coin or coin collections and art. Wealth, right?

Gorgeous tableau via Pinterest

~ Banners, prayer flags, sayings, quotes and wonderful affirmations of gratitude are all at home in this area.

Via Pinterest

~ Artwork or photos for the walls of the things you'd like to own, purchase or experience belong here too.

Dream Vacation House via Pinterest

A common question from clients is why does this work?

When something is placed with the intention of prosperity you look at it in a different light. Every time you pass by it, dust it or admire it, the intention is brought to mind. The law of attraction is very powerful. If you think about it, you put it out into the universe!

Artwork via Pinterest

Remember, clear the clutter first before any adjustments to the gua is started. Clutter just clutters up the process. And don't use every cure listed above! If you overload the gua, the opposite can happen so just pick one or two that blends with your decorating style. These are not rules, just guidelines to help you with your accessory choices. Have fun and be creative!

A Horse of a Different Color

Color Selection for Your Home Using Feng Shui

Cute 

So how can I pick a color in Feng Shui that I will like? Easy, only pick the colors you love! Colors are intensely personal so you should choose colors that resonate with you and the others sharing your space. One thing to remember: color is a manifestation of energy and light, as are we. It can change your life.  Choose colors you love or according to Feng Shui principles and you can not go wrong. All photos shown were re-posted from Pinterest.

Gorgeous Shower

~Green is the color of nature and growth, it is uplifting in energy.  It soothes, calms and reassures people. It is restful and could be used anywhere except where you need to stimulate energy. It is the color of money and could be used in your wealth area. The easiest way to add green is to add plants. It is the perfect socializing color.

Very Yin Family Room 

~Blue is the color of introspection, serenity and tranquility, it is low in mood. It can induce sleep, reduce tension and relieve stress. It can be used in rooms where there is a lot of stressful activity such as offices or counseling centers. It is a good color for a meditation space, bedroom or hectic family area.  Use a warm color as accents to avoid the "blues". It may be too calming for those prone to depression.

Died and Gone to Heaven Bathroom 

~Purple is a royal color and also an artistic color. It invites introspection, meditation, clarity, rituals and a sense of dignity. It can be used to create extremely grand and impressive atmospheres. It is associated with spirituality and a shade of it is perfect for a meditation area. Dark shades of purple would make a quiet bedroom and would add grandness to a living room. Be careful with bright purple however. It has a lot of red in it and is much more stimulating with its fire energy. Purple is good for anti-social behavior.

Beautiful Pops of Red Accents

~Red is found sparingly in nature, so follow that lead in your home. It is powerful and grabs attention. It speeds up your heart rate making dining un-relaxing and sleep hard to achieve but is good for playrooms and perfect for accents. It inspires passion and is used frequently in master bedrooms for the romantic touches. It stimulates conversation and stimulates ch'i flow. It is dramatic and increases fire energy. It should be used sparingly around people who lean towards aggression.

Citrus Inspired 

~Orange is a vibrant color linked with health and vitality. It is enthusiastic and optimistic and is a good gathering color. It is good to use where a north facing room needs to be warmed up or where conversation needs to be stimulated. Use as a more earthy tone and less towards red. It needs to suit you or it can be overwhelming as it is a flamboyant color. Use it in entry halls for a welcoming feel and in family rooms for it's gathering properties.

Sunny Country Kitchen 

~Yellow is a stimulating color associated with longevity, cheerfulness and intellect. Also a gathering earth energy color, it represents the sun's power to sustain life. It can stimulate and focus your mind and is a good choice for a study room, family room, dining area or living room. It is too intense for a bedroom or a very small room.

Drama in Pink 

~Pink is the calming side to red and is good for a bedroom because of its yin, feminine energy. It is a healing color and is good for children and convalescents. It has sedative qualities and is very serene. It dissipates anger and creates a supporting, loving environment. Good bedroom color for those having sleep difficulties.

Calm Natural Feeling Bedroom

~Brown is a stabilizing color as it reinforces our connection to the natural world and grounds us. It is a strong autumnal color and makes a space feel as if it has been used a longtime as things go brown with age. It may not be the best color to use around older people. With more yellow it can be vibrant and with too much red can become murky.

Use White for Accent Colors to Pop

~White with its non-color properties can be a wonderful backdrop for displaying artwork and objects on the walls. In monochromatic environments it focuses the attention on the people within and they become the color and energy. It is not the easiest to live with, off whites and creams are softer. In traditional Feng Shui, it is used for kitchens to focus the attention on the food. It is good for a hallway to bounce the energy around.

Zen Outdoor Shower

~Black is the absorption of all colors and is deep. If used cleverly, it can be a stunning background for other colors or can be stark and create an impressive atmosphere. If too much is used, it creates a low, dark, even depressing space. It is mysterious, sexy and dramatic but does make some people uncomfortable because of its use in mourning. It is not appropriate in children's rooms, dining rooms or places of healing.

Gorgeous Taupe and Gray Bedroom

~Gray and its cousin taupe are ambiguous and are transition colors. They can be viewed as the color of compromise and harmony. They have the properties of both white and black but are neither. Some people find them dismal and depressing. They needs to be fresh looking, use with white and they are a perfect neutral background.

Hope you can now pick colors for your rooms with confidence and as always:

5 Feng Shui Reasons to Have Pets in Your Home

Well, there are tons more, but we'll look at the basic five.

My Airedale "Carly"

1. Well behaved pets are an asset to your home. They bring out the love in everyone and so they charge the ch'i in your home. Also, they're cute!

Otter via Pinterest

Wise young owl via Google

2. They keep you healthy, mentally that is. Is is well known that bringing pets into nursing and retirement homes helps the well being and attitude of the patients.

Mama and baby via Pinterest

3. If you treat them with kindness and respect they will love you no matter what, unlike our human companions that sometimes have baggage of their own.

Guinea pig party via Pinterest

4.  They teach about life. Children must learn to feed and maintain their small animals and need to make sure everyone is kind and caring to them. Cruelty to pets depletes the ch'i of your household and it is just wrong!

Happiness via Pinterest

5. The last but not least reason is that they entertain us! Animals are the most perfect companion given to us just for our love and enjoyment. How can we be sad or depressed when something needs our care and compassion? They take care of our needs and we can certainly do the same for them!

Grumpy cat via Google

Oh lighten up Grumpy cat!