Room Redo

Feng Shui principles dictate that colors have different energies.  The Chinese break this down into yin and yang.  Yin energy is passive and portrays the ability to calm, soothe, and relax. The yin colors are cool — blue, black, purple, white, pink, and green.

Yang energy is active and can be used to enliven and balance our lives. The yang colors are warm — yellow, orange, tan, beige, brown, red, maroon, lavender, mauve, and gold.

Consider adding these colors to your space, whether by paint, rugs, fabrics, flowers or just a throw pillow or two.  Depending on the type of energy you want, you can help achieve it by adding the appropriate colors.

Now’s the time to start thinking about it — the holidays are just around the corner! You will use your home like never before so try some of these simple design updates for your dining room:

Decorate in the Shade – Mini-shades are a quick and fun way to add glamour to a chandelier

Paint Your Walls – Try adding a little interest by painting your walls with a striped paint treatment. Paint the stripes vertical or horizontal depending on the effect you would like. A more subtle option is to add a clear glaze coat over a painted wall for very soft striping by alternating glaze and no glaze.

Add Slipcovers – Generally I don’t like slipcovers because they tend to look messy but on dining chairs they can be cute. If they fit well, they are a great way to change the look of the room.

Create a Stunning Ceiling – Don’t forget to decorate the fifth wall – the ceiling. Add architectural details, paint a unique design or do both.

Go all out With Lighting – Eye-catching chandeliers are the hallmark of a well-designed dining room.

Update With Wallpaper – It’s not your grandmother’s wallpaper anymore. Today’s wallpaper options range from cool graphics to updated florals, like a large damask print and read very high end!

You can positively affect your workspace from a Feng Shui perspective. You will look and feel more organized as well as enjoy the positive energy and possibly improved results at work.

Try these easy tips:

Remove Clutter — remove any unnecessary materials that are laying around your office space. By clearing away the physical clutter, you free up your mental and emotional burdens and feel more light, cheerful and optimistic in your work-space.

Desks 101 – keep your desk in the commanding position; a direct view of the door, a pleasant view out the window and a wall behind you for stability. Ideal desks have round curves to encourage creativity. A kidney-shaped desk gives you a subconscious feeling of inner alignment.

Go Green – plants help you stay connected to the natural world. Green color spurs creativity and new ideas, so, it helps you to have a creative element in the office.

Let There be Light – natural daylight is the best light, so place close to a window if possible but never have your desk directly in front of a window as this can cause eyestrain and exhaustion.

With the popularity of hard surface flooring, rugs are becoming more important than ever. They were a huge hit at the Las Vegas market a few weeks ago. California designers are some of the biggest rug enthusiasts and that trend spreads quickly eastward.

Low cost rugs are more available than ever and can be a quick, easy upgrade. Another money-saving tip is to use outdoor rugs for casual areas indoors. Favorite designs today include updated classics like lattice patterns, geometrics and flat weaves. Here are two fun examples: