Room Redo

Symphony of Color

Click above to see my first attempt at using my new Sony Bloggie Touch Camera.  I am documenting the charming décor in the Pool House at Lake Austin Spa Resort in between my speaking events at their Feng Shui Your Life weekend January 19-21, 2012.  Note the wonderful, comfortable and numerous chairs, perfect for reading, lounging and hosting small groups.  Also note the eclectic and interesting details like the amber beaded chandelier, the wonderful fireplace screen and the collection of majolica-style plates on the wall.

Here is a photo of me during the first Feng Shui seminar.

I had a great turnout for all three of my seminars and lots of fun at the spa.  They have already requested my return in 2013.  Come see me next year!

For whatever reason we are all sometimes struck by a case of the blues. It could be due to the season, the weather of the day, or just the trials of life in general. There is a seemingly endless number of books and websites and friends with advice on how to cure this dilemma that we all face at one time or another. From a feng shui perspective, you can help boost your happiness meter by having a little more whimsy in your home, making use of moving objects, and embracing natural light.

When I say whimsy, one might conjure up images of childish whimsical activity. And I mean just that. While it isn’t recommended that you transform your living room into a giant sand box with plastic buckets and shovels, that is entirely your decision. Simply put, imagine the things that make you happy and fill your house with those things. Make use of playful bright colors to keep you energized and in a happier state of mind.

Using moving objects or having the illusion of motion in your home serves a few purposes – or perhaps the same purpose depending on how you look at things. Having small fountains, other water features, mobiles, or some kind of decorative fans help to circulate the energy in the home. That energy fluctuation also serves to keep your spirits up and promote happiness and prosperity.

The last is tip is going to be about the use of sunlight. This is something that has been touched on many times before, but that should illustrate its importance. Just as plants and other living things need the sun and its light to prosper, so too do humans. Occasionally, open all of the drapes or blinds in your home and let it flood your house, or at least in the room you happen to occupy my frequently. While this natural light helps with our mental and spiritual state, it can also help you financially by cutting down on your electricity usage. Saving money is most likely on many personal lists of what makes one happy.

Water Features in a Tropical Home

There are many ways to make your home feel “cozy“. As simple as it may be to understand on an individual level, it is a very interesting and subjective concept. While that sense of coziness may affect different people to different degrees, the hominess of a home whose bedrooms are furnished with beds of nails is likely only to appeal to a small demographihc. Some ways to make yourself and your guests feel at home in your home include the use of scent, photo displays, and textures of furniture.

Before we can even get the door open wide enough to walk in we are often able to perceive the environment of the room by the scent that invites itself into our nostrils. That said, it is arguably the ultimate of first impression. In the same way it can help in an immediate transition from a long day or working in the outside world to a calm and relaxing evening at home. Fill your home with natural scents and try to avoid the use of chemicals to achieve the aroma.

Nothing makes home feel like yours more than photographs of your friends and family. It would likely feel a little less homey if all of your picture frames contained pictures of people you don’t know. However, having a dresser, table, or shelf covered with frames of every size and shape imaginable tends to clutter the space. Instead, be creative in how you display your precious memories by either placing an assortment of them in a much larger frame or coming up with something altogether different. Remember that these are your memories and your home, so they must be presented in a satisfying way to you!

Lastly, much of our time at home is spent seated or lying down. It is nice to have comfortable and familiar textures in your furniture, but a little more interesting to have textures that are not so familiar. Perhaps having a few seating elements with different patterns or physical texture can help add a small bit of contrast in your otherwise familiar and safe home. It may sound like something that goes against the concept of “cozy”, but sometimes experiencing something different, surrounded by sameness, is comforting in itself.

Cozy Home Library

While here in Houston Winter really only describes a few days of the year, elsewhere there is actually such thing as a consistent climate. However limited our winters happen to be, it always helps to be prepared for the season and the cold weather it has the potential to bring. The easiest way is to prepare yourself is by the use of color and lighting.

The first is color. If you have not done so already, bring some warm colors into the home in the way of pillows, drapery, bed sheets and the like. Having reds, oranges and yellows laying about the home will give a warm illusion and thus actually making you feel warmer. This is, of course, a less costly alternative to cranking the heater up. Another way to cut down on heating costs is to check that your windows shut tightly and are well insulated. If they are not as insulated as you would like, invest in thick or heavy drapery to absorb any drafts. These drapes also offer another opportunity to bring in the warm colors.

It is also recommended to invest in full spectrum lighting. The reason for this is that this type of lighting offers light that is much like natural light. A good place to incorporate these lights are in a reading or lounging area. In conjuntion with your warm colors, you can feel that you are floating in a ball of warmth while frost accumulates on your car windshield just on the other side of the walls.

Warm Living Room Design

Keeping your home organized can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but a simple principle to keep in mind is that everything needs a place. By designating an area for everything and every activity in your home, it is easier to organize and maintain.

To start off with some specifics, there are some items which always seem to just find their own place in the home whether we want them there or not. These items typically include junk mail and magazines (which are sometimes – but not always – the same thing). Dispose of all junk mail as soon as it enters your home in whatever way you see fit. Bills and other important pieces of mail should be placed in a highly visible place in order to be sure that you do not forget about it. Magazines should be stored or at least placed in an area in your home where leisure is the primary objective.

While rooms of your home are likely already categorized for certain things, it is helpful to further that categorization by organizing the space so that things are easier to find and return. One of the more useful places that this comes in handy will be in the home office. A helpful way to separate your home office is to create zones: work area, reference area, and supply area – having names which are self-explanatory of their purpose. You can also do this for a child’s room or play area by having designated places for toys, school supplies, and special areas for enjoying those things.

These same organization tips can be used on any room in your home and in any way which best works for your and your family. Remember to get the family involved in the organization so that the task of keeping things together is not falling souly on one member.

The new year is finally here, and with it almost always comes resolutions. These resolutions often range from finding a new job to losing weight, but share the idea of bettering one’s life. Feng shui also shares this goal, and can be used to assist in realizing your resolutions for the new year.

As is a staple with Feng shui in general, clutter is not your friend at all. For the turn of the year go a step further from simply cleaning off the tables and laundry, and clear your home of things you no longer use. For example, if you have CDs you no longer listen to or movies you no longer watch, give them away.

You may also want perform a January-style rendition of Spring Cleaning. In addition to reducing clutter around the homoe, be sure the thoroughly clean even the places which are clutter free. Clear out places like your pantry and refrigerator, and even venture outside to your yard and your car.

Now that everything is clear of the old, it is time to bring in the new. Restock your pantry and refrigerator, preferably with something more healthy than what you took out. Put up new calendars. I am sure you have enough on your mind without having to worry about the date. One last tip is to stock your home with oranges. Oranges symbolize a fruitful home and are used in Chinese tradition to bring in the new year.

Getting right down to it, the holidays tend to make us focus on our families and enjoying a short  break from responsibilities outside the home. That said, you should love what you do to your home during this time of year. Some prefer to place a motion-detecting singing Christmas tree near the door. Others may favor mistletoe over every doorway. Whatever it is you love to do, here are some tips or suggestions for how to possibly do them better!

Firstly, choose a color scheme for your home and stay consistent with it. Make sure that all of your holiday accents and decorations fall somewhere into that scheme so that you maintain a sense of cohesion and professionalism. Too many colors can become distracting, especially with respect to lighting. You could purchase decorative lights which fit your color scheme but, if your scheme changes from year to year, you will find yourself buying new lights rather frequently. To avoid this, invest in white lights as they go with everything and will not clash with an existing color palette you may have implemented. Take the decoration to every room. This does not necessarily mean that you should have a full-sized tree in your shower, but rather bring a hint of the holidays to every corner of your home. Place festive little elements which fit into your scheme to the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. Lastly, attempt to rearrange your living space to add a little bit of excitement and change for the holidays. Situate couches and other seating so that the focus of the room is the fireplace or tree.

Keep in mind that, above all else, you should do what makes you happy. Decorating your home is as much an act in satisfying yourself as it is in satisfying visitors. Make it so that there is never a dull moment in your home during this season – revamping your feelings of joy every time you step into another room.

We are sometimes called upon to house our beloved traveling family members. This is especially common during the holiday season. Whether they are staying in your fully furnished guest room, or your repurposed home office, you can easily make your home their home away from home.

The first Feng Shui tip regarding guest rooms is to treat them as your own bedroom. In other words, furnish it and maintain it as if you yourself were going to sleep in it every night. Remember to make use of soothing colors to create a calm and welcoming environment for your guests. Take the reduction of clutter a step further in this room so that there is ample room for unpacking and organization of personal effects.

Not everyone has the luxury of a guest bedroom, however, and must sometimes make use of other spaces such as home offices or living spaces. In these cases, the same basic rules apply. In a home office, be sure to keep in mind the principle of reducing clutter. Not only does this help in your own business, but keeps the room relatively prepared for guests. Again, apply these same principles to anywhere else that your holiday guests may find themselves sleeping.

The holiday season can be accurately described as that time of year that everyone becomes an interior decorator. It is hard to resist the urge to spruce up the home with a tree, some decorative lights, or even candles. Holiday decorators should first keep some safety tips in mind before setting up for December. With these tips, you can ensure that you do not cross that line from “being warm” to “being on fire”.

The largest decorative piece for the Holidays is most often the Christmas tree. The easiest, safest, and cleanest way to go is to have an artificial tree. Even then, you should be sure that your tree is either nonflammable or flame retardant. However, many people still love the atmosphere provided by a live tree. In that case, be sure that the tree you are selecting has not been cut for too long. There are a few ways to determine this: the trunk is sticky to the touch, needles are not easily pulled from branches, and the needles themselves are still green. Once you have it home, remember to keep the tree stand filled with water and keep the tree away from open flames or heat sources. The U.S. Fire Administration also recommends that you not keep your tree up for longer than two weeks as it will begin to dry out and become an increasing fire hazard.

Secondly, Christmas lights are a huge part of the season. Before putting up any of your lights check for exposed wires, broken bulbs, etc. Do not overload sockets by using more than the recommended plugs for a given outlet.

As far as candles go, the USFA recommends avoinding the use of lit candles if at all possible. However, by careful placement, lit candles can be just as safe as anything else. Be sure that the candles are held in a solid and sturdy base. Keep the candles away from anything flammable, especially your tree. And of course, when candles are lit, do not leave the house or leave them unattended for extended periods of time.

Please keep all of these tips in mind and make use of them in order to ensure that you and your family have a safe and fire-department-visit-free holiday season!

As the holidays approach, many of us attempt to emotionally prepare ourselves for the onset of family togetherness. If you happen to be the family member chosen to host this year’s festivities, it may be important to make a good impression. Here are some ways to bring some class and subtlety to the table.

Firstly, having a good centerpiece is always something to consider. In order not to clutter the table before or during your holiday feast, you may like to have a small piece that still makes a vivid statement. Fruits and vegetables or a potpourri of natural elements (such as pinecones) are great ways to accomplish this. Next, it is always nice to bring in subtle hints of fall colors – think napkins and table cloth trim. These warmer colors bring in the vibrance of the outdoors while leaving the cold outside where it belongs. Lastly, if you are one who enjoys assigned seating during family gatherings, you may utilize place setting. Making small cards in order to seat family members where you please serves to make you look organized as well as making sure you actually have a seat for everyone attending.

Use these tips wisely and have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

For more information about Pamela O’Brien and Room Redo design services, please visit us at www.roomredo.com.