Be Bright. Choose White.

Anjie Cho December 16, 2020

White is usually the default color for a space. But there is a big difference between leaving a room unpainted, and thus having the walls remain white, and deliberately CHOOSING white as your color.

A white room can be beautiful, luxurious, and rich. But more than just looking great, the color white affects us physically and mentally.

White represents innocence, goodness, cleanliness and simplicity. It encourages us to clear clutter and obstacles – in our home and our minds. In feng shui, white is related to the metal element. Metal is about precision and elegance. This pure color evokes purification of our thoughts and our actions and aids in mental clarity.

Classic white is bright and can create a sense of open space and cheerfulness, but it can also feel cold or bland. To assure that you don’t create a sterile, unfriendly atmosphere, here are a few tips:

Blend several tints of white (ivory, beige, linen) in the room.
Use various textures in your walls, floor coverings, and textiles to create an elegant, sophisticated room.
Layer your whites: add a rug, chenille throw, pillows, frames, etc.
Use other colors on the walls, but paint all your moldings white for a clean, fresh look.
To create a beachy atmosphere, use white accents in accessories, wainscoting, and gauzy fabrics.
Instead of pure white, choose creamy shades of white add to a cozy, warm atmosphere.
Use neutral white as an accent to make your other colors pop.

To enjoy the psychological effects of the color white, you don't need a lot of it. Accents like cream-colored window frames and doors can lift the look and feel of a whole room.

If you love the feeling of crisp freshness, remember to choose white deliberately. You can consciously add a sense of purity, cleanliness and spirituality to your home.

Here’s to hope, light, and fresh beginnings.

by Anjie Cho

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

Q&A Sunday: The Best Feng Shui Colors

Guest User December 13, 2020

What are the best feng shui colors to use?

This may not be the answer you’re hoping for, but my best answer is: it depends! There are a lot of factors to consider, and feng shui is not a one-size-fits-all approach. What colors are you drawn to? What types of energy are you wanting to call into your life? These things can affect which colors are best for you.

Color is certainly a helpful tool when it comes to adjusting the energy of a space. It can be one of the simplest changes to implement, and since most humans rely heavily on visuals, it can have a big impact. Color affects our moods and emotions, and how we heal.

A lot of feng shui concepts, including color, are about connecting to nature. Color defines the seasons in nature. Think about how you see colors appearing outside in each season. In winter, we see a lot of white when it snows, and more dark colors because there is less daylight. It’s also more stark, since many trees no longer have leaves.

In spring, things begin to sprout. We see more green, along with more vitality. Summer is bright, sunny, and full of vibrant colors as plants, fruits, and flowers become lush and abundant.

Right now in the northern hemisphere, we’re moving out of the season of fall. During this season, we saw many earthy colors as leaves turned yellow and brown.

In addition to the larger cycle of the seasons, the colors in our environment change along with the time of day. At dawn, colors are more muted. At noon, when sunlight is more intense, they’re more vibrant, and as night approaches colors darken.

Another factor when it comes to color is that we have our own personal and cultural conditioning. A color can remind you of something from your past, and can stimulate nostalgia and memories. Different colors also have different meanings and associations in different cultures. Pay attention to your reactions to colors, and be sure to explore and honor your personal associations.

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

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

Q&A Sunday: What Do Doors Represent in Feng Shui?

Guest User December 6, 2020

What do doors represent in feng shui?

In feng shui, doors represent the mouth of people in the home. Squeaky, stuck, or problematic doors may represent challenges in communication. This is especially true for the entry door, as this sets the mood for your experience of the home. The main door of the home sets the tone for your whole life experience, in a way. Your front door is how you connect to the world.

If you have a squeaky or crying door, it sets the tone for negativity every time you walk into your home. We’re conditioned to zone out and not notice a lot of what’s happening in our home, including what our door sounds like, but take a moment to pay attention to your front door. If it squeaks or gets stuck, this can represent blocks or difficulties in communication, so it’s a good idea to make sure everything is working properly and make any necessary repairs.

Finally, make sure you can open all the doors a full 90 degrees or more - this means no clutter behind the doors. I used to see that a lot: people often have so much stuff that they start hanging lots of things on the backs of doors until they can’t open all the way. Doors govern how qi comes into your space . If they can’t open fully, you’re cutting off some of the energy that could otherwise enter your space. That means that you’re only allowing in a small percentage of possible opportunities into your life. Think about it: if you have to modify the way you walk into the room, you’re not creating free and easy movement for you or for the energy in your home.

If you do have clutter behind your doors, though, don’t beat yourself up over it. There might be a reason you weren’t yet ready to receive all the opportunities. Maybe you were in preparation. Now that you know, you can decide for yourself if you would like to open up room for more opportunities to come in simply by removing anything that may be preventing you from opening your door all the way.

by Anjie Cho