Cozy Up to Autumn: 6 Decorating Tips

Anjie Cho October 12, 2022

The change in seasons is Mother Nature’s cue to shuffle up some of her decorating choices. As we move through autumn, the lush green and sunny colors associated with summer are replaced by the sunset hues of fall. Scarlet, gold and rich oranges transition into Mother Nature’s palette, and it’s beautiful. Follow her lead and bring some of autumn’s best decorating choices indoors with these tips.

Bring the outside in

Gourds, small pumpkins and autumnal plants are natural outdoor decorating elements. They are great additions indoors, too. Incorporate some smaller gourds into your dining room centerpiece. Another great way to pull the outdoors in is to fill flower pots with moss, grasses and twigs.

Rotate accessories

Swap out the set of throw pillows on your sofa for pillows that are rich, deep crimson or a spicy pumpkin. Replace the art on your walls with nature-themed pictures and pieces that incorporate autumn’s hues.

Remember the details

Take a good look at the less noticeable components of your décor. Small changes to these pieces can make a big impact. Start with a little thing like wrapping jute or rope around a favorite candle. Swap out the flowers in that vase on your bookcase for dried, faded hydrangea. Think subtle. Think autumn. And have fun!

Savor the scents

Nothing says fall more than the tantalizing scents of apple pie and crisp fallen leaves. Both of these scents, and a host of other seasonal ones, can be found in candles or wax burners. Whether subtle or more pronounced, the scents of autumn wafting from melting wax will set you in an autumn state of mind. If candles aren’t your thing, add cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg to a pot of boiling water for the same effect.

Think cozy

The air outside is getting crisp. The indoors should complement it with a more cozy, inviting warmth. Drape soft texture blankets and quilts in fall colors over the back of your favorite seat and at the foot of your bed. Rotate out your summer friendly area rugs for something plush, warm and autumnal. Have a fireplace? Create an intimate seating area near it. Make sure this nook has a small table for steaming cups of cocoa, belly-warming spiced cider or a mug of Stiggly Holistic's fire water!

Check the lights

The sun will be setting earlier each passing day as we march on toward winter. Now is a good time to make sure you’ve got the proper light fixture in each room. Is your favorite reading nook lit well enough to read while you’re cozied up with a warm throw? Is the light in your bedroom too bright to help you transition to sleep at the end of the day? Replace bulbs, switch around light fixtures and add dimmer switches where appropriate.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

6 Easy Feng Shui Fixes to Create Prosperity

Anjie Cho October 5, 2022

Aside from help in the romance department, feng shui for prosperity and abundance is one of the most popular requests I get. We all want love and stability! Fortunately, there are many easy adjustments that can encourage prosperity and open your life to abundance. Here are some of my favorites!

Put Your Furniture in Command

It's important that all your major furniture pieces are in the commanding position, as this symbolically places you in control of your life. This is especially important for your desk, where you earn your financial stability, and your stove, where you nourish yourself. If it's not possible to put these directly in the commanding position, add mirrors to make the doors in your space visible from these positions.

Add a Plant (Or Plants) to Your Prosperity Corner

On the feng shui bagua map, the back left corner of your space represents abundance, wealth and prosperity. Adding a plant to this space promotes growth and prosperity in addition to bringing a beautiful touch of nature inside. Check the blog for plant recommendations or opt for three or nine bamboo stalks to really amp up your abundance!

Set Up Some Mirrors

Mirrors are a common adjustment in feng shui and they work well for encouraging prosperity. To increase your earning ability and bring prosperity, add a small, round mirror above your workspace to enhance focus and clarity while you work. You can also add a mirror behind your stove, as burners represent prosperity as well, and mirroring them symbolically multiplies them in number!

Add Citrine

Back to the Abundance area of the bagua map, adding citrine here can also stimulate abundance and prosperity. As with any feng shui adjustments, you can lay the bagua on your bedroom, office, desk or entire space to effectively make this adjustment, or opt for three different placements (bedroom, home and desk) to triple your prosperity!

Add Water to Your Entry

Water represents the flow of cash and wealth into your space, so adding a water element to the entry of your home is a great way to increase prosperity. Just be sure that any water element with actual flowing water directs into your home, not out!

Carry a Chinese Astrological Charm

In Chinese New Year and astrology, each year honors a different animal. Each of those animals has a best friend in the zodiac animal kingdom. If you're looking for prosperity, check out the current year's animal, then carry a feng shui charm of that animal's best friend for protection and luck. This year's best friend is the Pig!

There are numerous feng shui adjustments to increase prosperity and abundance. The more in depth you get with a feng shui practitioner, the more personal these cures will get, but these basic remedies can certainly work wonders as well! We'd love to hear about your adjustments from the blog, so please send photos or stories about how feng shui is improving your life!

by Anjie Cho

Text reads: Mindful Design Feng Shui School: Energy. Meditation. Sacred Space.

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Why Your Holistic Space Needs Art

Anjie Cho August 31, 2022

Photo and design by Anjie Cho Architect PLLC

Art may not be the first thing you think of when designing your holistic space, but it actually plays a very important role on many levels. Art, by nature, is very subjective, but its effects in design are much more objective and global. Adding the perfect pieces to your home can bring your area together in various ways.

Balance The Five Elements

We've mentioned art many times as one of the easiest ways to balance out the five elements in any space. As each element relates to a certain area of the feng shui bagua, symbolized by certain shapes, colors and subjects, selecting a piece of art can bring in one or more of the five elements. For Earth you can add earthy colors like brown, orange and yellow and square shapes. For Metal, look for metallic colors, whites, grays and circular shapes. For Water, choose the colors dark blue and black and wavy shapes. For Wood, opt for green, blue and columnar shapes, and finally, for Fire, look for the color red and triangular shapes.

Meditation

Some types of sacred art can be viewed and contemplated in meditation. For instance, the yantra mandalas are created through meditation in action but also can be a visual focal point of a meditation practice. Sacred art is often created with mantra and symbolism. I once attended and event at the Rubin Museum of Art called a "Dream Over". The museum hosts this event in which attendees are assigned a piece of art that you contemplate overnight. Participants meditate, are read bedtime stories and are invited to sleep and dream under their selected piece of art. Art can be a wonderful way to guide meditation and open your mind to inspiration and creativity. What moves you? Look for that in your art pieces.

Add Nature

While the best way to add nature to a space for feng shui adjustments is with living plants, there are times when that option isn't feasible. Maybe your thumb is charcoal black or you have boisterous pets (or children). In this case, choosing artwork that depicts nature can be a great alternative. Be sure to pay attention to the colors in your art and match them to your feng shui needs for the specific room.

Add Color Without Paint

On a similar note, there are often occasions when painting a space is not an option, such as when renting an apartment. In this case, artwork can serve as a way to add color and brighten a room without breaking terms of a lease. Images can add a healthy dose of color on their own, or you can grab a blank canvas and paint it one solid color for a big pop.

Nurture Inspiration

Part of what makes a space holistic is that it provides nourishment and inspiration to its residents. We've even done a few posts and a podcast on how to make your space inspirational. One easy way to do this is with art. One of the best things about art is that it can be interpreted in so many ways and boosts creative thinking. Find a piece that inspires you to work toward your goals, make more art, spend more time on creative outlets, etc.

Strengthen a Room's Purpose

I mentioned earlier that it's important to keep each room's needs in mind when selecting art. This can also be used to your advantage! In design, we often aim for a certain feeling or aura in specific rooms. For instance, the bathroom is often meant to be a place for relaxation and the bedroom for passion. Adding curated artwork can help establish these purposes. Before you look at art, take stock of what you want each room in your space to inspire and find a piece that matches that feeling!

Whether you make your own art, find art that speaks to you or commission a personal piece, bringing artwork into your space can go a long way in making a house into a holistic home. If you're on the lookout for artwork now, consider a Holistic Spaces mandala or reach out to some of our favorite artists below:

Amy T. Won
Mavis Gewant
Carmen Mensink
Karl Lorenzen

by Anjie Cho