Feng Shui Solutions For Your Condo?s Kitchen And Office

Feng Shui is the 6,000-year-old Asian practice that blends science, art, and spirituality in choosing the proper placement of buildings, furniture, entrances and exits, as well as in using colors, plants, and water in the home, condo or workplace.

Feng Shui is based on complex scientific calculations, not inspiration or intuition. Our planet is filled with different energies. It rotates on its axis creating cycles of day and night, while simultaneously revolving around the Sun in yearly cycles, and is constantly subjected to a wide array of other forces in the Universe. These physical forces and many different time cycles affect us profoundly. The Chinese have spent centuries observing the effects of these forces and learning how to help humanity live in harmony with its environment. This is the science of Feng Shui.

Using the five traditional Chinese elements (fire, water, earth, wood and metal) to balance the flow of ?chi? (life energy) in your environment, Feng Shui can improve your health and clear barriers keeping you from financial success.

The following are specific pieces of advice from Feng Shui experts on using this discipline to make your condo a happier and more productive place.

Feng Shui Solutions for the Kitchen

In order for the food you eat to give you high-quality and healing energy, it needs to be prepared in a harmonious, well-organized kitchen with a balanced flow of chi.

Follow these basic feng shui guidelines to make your kitchen a place that nourishes and sustains you:

1) In general, the kitchen should be airy and spacious, clean, bright and welcoming. You should have several levels of lighting available.

2) Feng Shui experts consider the color yellow to be very good for digestion, making it ideal for the kitchen. The shade or tone is less important?anything from "butter yellow" to "harvest gold? is fine.

3) Add healthy, organic foods to your diet, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Good nutrition is good feng shui!

4) Do not crowd your kitchen with complex gadgets, and don?t let your countertops accumulate junk mail or other clutter. Simpler is better.

5) Add a vase of flowers, a live plant, or a bowl of fresh fruit to your kitchen table. Colorful plants bring beauty and uplifting energy to the kitchen. If there?s no room on your kitchen table for plants, display them on your windowsill or whatever other surface is convenient.

6) If possible, avoid locating your kitchen close to the front or back door, which allows energy to easily escape.

Apply these principles to your kitchen, and you?ll feel a difference in your physical health and energy level.

Feng Shui Solutions for Your Home Office

For most people, working from a home office presents two major challenges:

- Keeping your business separate from your home life,

- Missing out on stimulating?though business-related?social interaction.

Of course, working from home offers a lot of benefits as well (no time lost in commuting, more flexibility in scheduling your time), which is why more and more people are choosing this option if it?s available.

Apply these feng shui principles to maximize your comfort and effectiveness while working out of your home.

1) Place your home office as far away from your bedroom as you can. If your floor-plan permits, having a separate office space with its own entrance is ideal.

2) Fill your workspace with colors, images, and objects that make you feel appreciated, successful and creative. Your office should reflect the energy you want to project into the world.

3) Pay attention to the quality of air and the quality of light (natural and artificial) in your home office. If your brain is starved for oxygen and you do not get enough light, you will not enjoy doing your work no matter how much you love it. Consider using full-spectrum lights that mimic the effects of sunlight, and keep at least a few air-purifying plants in your workspace.

4) Position your desk so that your back is not facing the door. Neither should you face a wall while working at your desk. If you must face the wall, decorate it with a vibrant piece of art, or something else that makes you smile and helps relieve tension.

5) Schedule ?clutter-clearing days? on your calendar and stick to them?you?ll be amazed at how much more enthusiasm and energy you?ll bring to work on the days that follow. Clutter drains your energy and can ruin your health and your business.

In addition, there are several important areas in your office that need to be handled in specific ways according to feng shui.

The south part of your workspace is connected to fame and reputation?a more exact translation from the Chinese would be your "Light in the World." Its energy comes from the element of Fire, so avoid having the color blue, mirrors, fountains or images of water in this area, as Water acts against Fire.

The north part of your office relates to your career (your ?Path in Life?). The operative element here is Water, so you want objects and images representing water in this space, as well as Metal (Metal creates Water in the feng shui cycle of 5 elements.) You can also place inspiring pictures related to your career here, using either black or white frames.

The southeast area is related to prosperity and abundance. The feng shui element at work here is Wood, so you need to avoid images and colors related to Fire, and not use very much Metal, either. Display objects, sculptures or pictures that spark thoughts of abundance and ?richness,? in whatever form is most meaningful to you.

Just follow these simple guidelines, and you?ll immediately notice a much higher level of energy in your home office environment.

John T. Ormond has been researching and writing about the Chicago real estate market since 2004. For more information about the Chicago real estate market and selling your condo, visit Best Chicago Condos.

Better Sleep And Health With A Feng Shui Mattress

The practice of Feng Shui has been going on for centuries. Started in ancient China, Feng Shui is used to create positive energy by the movement and placement of objects, decorating techniques as well as color choices. When these actions are taken, the occupants of that living space or other location can be affected in positive ways.

ButFeng Shui isn?t limited to the inside of a home either. Many Feng Shui practitioners utilize basic tips to help with the outside of the home as well, often extending the practice into the yard and surrounding property. In fact, doing so can actually intensify the results of the Feng Shui practice and help to garner more positive results in an abbreviated amount of time. What?s important to note is that in this want to create change, balance is the key to creating desired effects. Each room has its own part to play in the effectiveness of Feng Shui tenets. But as the bedroom is the room of the house where you will spend much of your life, it is crucial to consider what Feng Shui has to say about a Feng Shui mattress.

In choosing a Feng Shui mattress, you will want to consider a few things: size, materials, elements included, and support. Feng Shui is based on the balance of factors, so everything needs to be in moderation. For example, beds that contain too much water or metal might be problematic for energy in your bedroom and cause ill effects in your life. Here?s what you need to know.

As with any mattress purchase, it is necessary to find a size that works well for the space in which you are placing this bed. But in the Feng Shuimattress tips, you will want to think about how many people will be sleeping in that mattress, thus affecting the size choice in a different way. Those that are single and wish to remain single might choose a smaller sized mattress ? a twin or a full. However, singles that wish to find a partner and become a part of a relationship will want to choose something larger and more conducive to having an additional person in their bedroom. What you?re doing is creating the energy necessary to draw a person into your life, if that?s what you choose. Of course, choosing a mattress that is much too large for your needs has also been seen to create issues in a relationship, so a queen mattress is generally the best choice.

In these times of tight budgets, the idea of buying a mattress can be problematic. But for a proper Feng Shuimattress, you should avoid sleeping on something that has already been used. Energy-wise, this can create problems for person sleeping. Not only is negative energy associated with a used mattress, but it also can bring the unwanted energy of another person into your bedroom, adding to negative results in your life. Used mattresses can also cause problems for those that wish to find a new partner in their life as well as disrupt your overall sleep cycle. With these factors in mind, it?s easy to see why ?new? is better than used.

A Feng Shui mattress should also be chosen with the materials in mind. For most people, the idea of a spring mattress with metal coils is the only option, but it can be detrimental in terms of creating positive energy. Metallic coils are conductive and will increase the electromagnetic field in your bedroom, leading to a multitude of problems. But as many mattresses will have coils, you will want to look for coils that are wrapped individually to reduce this conductive effect. There are sleep number beds that can work better than coil options, but they too contain a magnetic effect that can cause more harm than good.

Other Feng Shui mattress choices include waterbeds, but these come with a set of problems as well. Because they are filled with water, they are not balanced in terms of their elemental qualities which can lead to energetic disruptions. In addition, water can conduct electricity which can affect electromagnetic energy that is already present in the environment.

The best Feng Shui mattress choice on the market is the foam mattress. It provides consistent airflow without including elements like water or metal from coils. This will not conduct electricity and create disturbances in the energetic field of your bedroom, plus it creates an ideal sleeping surface for you to get a good night?s rest. The supportive qualities of the foam mattress are also helpful for creating positive energy. Not only are you not going to affect your partner?s rest (as the foam cushions movement), but it also cradles the body and allows it to be supported naturally.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Sell Your Real Estate Fast Using Feng Shui

Selling your home in today's market has never seemed more difficult. In fact, more people are scrambling to try any sort of real estate advice in order to make the sale of their home smoother as well as to attract buyers. From burying statues of St. Joseph in the yard to rearranging furniture, it seems that everyone has the 'cure' for the slow housing market. But through all this, an ancient practice of creating harmony in one's environment might hold the answers to selling your house -Feng Shui. In fact, Feng Shui real estate tips have been proven so successful that more people than ever are trying their hand in this four thousand year old philosophy.

The idea of Feng Shui real estate works under the principle that everything is interwoven and connected to each other. In knowing that, it's easy to see that if you change one thing in your environment, it will affect the way something else works. On the other hand, Feng Shui also relates to motion and movement in our lives. Everything is constantly changing and adjusting because of the changes that continue to happen. This creates not only excitement in terms of the possibility of change, but also the very real probability that you can do things to promote this change. In learning to balance these kinds of energies, Feng Shui real estate practices will allow you to finally sell your home.

To begin, your Feng Shui real estate focus should be on the main doorway into the home. This entranceway is symbolic of how energy and positive things enter the home, so when you want to increase the flow of energy, it's a common sense place to begin. The main concern for the entrance is that it not be blocked in any way. From the street, it should be clearly visible, without any obtrusive trees or branches covering it up. When it is covered up in any way, this can hinder the flow of energy inside. Surrounding the door, you should remove anything that is dead or dying as this also creates the idea of death-like energy. The windows should be clean and easy to seen into, and the door should be in good repair, easy to open. You may also want to place a red ribbon or bow on the front door as red symbolizes goodwill and strength, increasing the positive energy associated with your home.

As you move into your home, the front interior space near the door is also a place to look into Feng Shui for real estate adjustments. This area should be well lit and easy to move through. Just as with the front door, any problems with entering this space can create energetic flow problems too. Any clutter that might be sitting around this space will also need to be removed, as energy can become trapped in this 'stuff' and cause disturbances as well as a sense of being trapped. Create a focal point of beauty in this area as well - perhaps some fresh flowers, a brightly colored picture, or a clear crystal to create beams of light.

In Feng Shui real estate, the biggest and most common concern for any home is the amount of clutter that is present. Energetically speaking, this creates a sense of staleness in terms of energy as well as disrupts the overall energy flow. Think of clutter as an obstacle course for the energy that is sweeping through your home. When there is a lot of clutter, the energy can become stifled and stuck. But when the area is clean of clutter, energy can move freely. Try to make a point of removing any obvious (and hidden) clutter in your home before you show your home to buyers, but it's also not a bad idea to remove it from your life entirely.

Hidden clutter in closets can also be detrimental to good Feng Shui. Real estate energy can become trapped in these areas, even if the buyers never see them. Plus, removing the old things that you no longer use creates a new energy in your home and the act of giving these old things to charity or your local thrift store also increases Feng Shui energy flow.

Before you show your home to anyone, look around to see if there are any areas that might seem to be congested in terms of furniture placement or arrangement. Rooms with many pieces of furniture can feel stuffy and claustrophobic - hindering both the Feng Shui real estate energy of the room as well as the overall visual cues of space. When a buyer walks in, they want to see that the space is open and spacious. Try moving your furniture around to create this feeling of larger, more open areas. And if the room still seems too crowded, perhaps it's time to remove a piece of furniture from the space - give the positive energy a place to move!

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Feng Shui: Energizing The Home

One often overlooked aspect of Feng Shui is how intangible, invisible, energy can effect a home?s environment and the occupant?s emotional state and health.

While the whole concept of this may appear to be ?hog wash? or ?superstitious mumbo-jumbo?, then you need to read this article and learn how to use an ancient art to improve the look and feel of your home, without breaking your budget.

Energy can take invisible forms. It works with the invisible energy in a home and can vary depending on the season. In the outdoors, energy flows freely, taking the road of least resistance. A building captures energy and traps it.

This energy resides in different parts of the home, effecting the feel and mood of the rooms. The principles of the spatial and temporal dimensions of a building have created a method called the Flying Stars System. This lets Feng Shui masters identify and evaluate the invisible energy in the home.

The flying star system breaks a home into a tic tac toe grid. This grid determines the rooms that have the strongest positive energy and those that have the negative energy.

Home decorators who take time to learn this type of decorating will find some startling facts. Despite the fact that the system uses ancient techniques, many of today?s homes are built on a similar scale.

Most new homes have the master bedroom at the front corner of the home ? as apposed to a room in the middle of the home, where negative energy is strongest. The center square is the living room. In many of today?s home designs, the house is built around a center entrance way that leads into a living room.

Our kitchens are also placed in a back corner of the home. This may imply that while Americans are unconscious of the fact, they are instinctively following the energy patterns of their home.

How can this benefit the average person? Many people are suffering from diseases that have no origin. Even if moving from one bedroom to another will not heal a person, it may reduce stress and a negative impact.

Whether the flying star system tracks loose ions in the home, or energy that escapes from our many electrical appliances, is not understood. What is understood is that many people are finding relief from stress and pain by moving from one room to another in the home.

If a homeowner can get over the ancient Chinese classifications like ?flow of prosperity?, ?promoting wealth?, and references to the year that a building was constructed, it is possible to glean some practical benefits from the study of the flow of energy in a home.

In many cases, feng shui will help home owners create a home that balances with the surrounding landscape.

One thing we do understand, art has a dramatic impact on people?s emotions and well-being. To view feng-shui as the science of turning a home and the surrounding environment into a ?work of art? than you?ll be able to reap the full benefits of managing the home?s energy and its affect on the homes occupants.

Patricia Taylor advises on home furnishings and decor from her web site at http://www.fireplacescreenshere.com She invites you to get her FREE home decorating guide here http://www.exteriorshuttershere.com

Understanding The Benefits Of Feng Shui

Many homeowners are toying with the idea of decorating their home in the Feng Shui style. They have basic misconceptions of the true Feng Shui style based on companies that were selling books, or a particular service.

The reality of Feng Shui is that is was used in all homes, poor and rich. Home decorators do not need to hire someone to create a true Feng Shui room. The first step to bringing the benefits of Feng Shui to your home is to understand exactly what it is.

Feng means "wind," and shui means "water" (pronounced fung-shway). In the Chinese culture, a gentle wind and smooth water is associated with having plenty and being healthy. As apposed to a harsh wind and stagnant water that are linked to famine and disease.

This is important to understand, because a few mistakes can actually cause you to create a negative atmosphere in a room. Good feng-shui means good livelihood and fortune. Bad feng-shui means hardship and misfortune.

However, from a pragmatic point of view, the colors and textures in the good style are relaxing and reduce stress. This is the most important benefit in our stressful culture. At least 80% of all our diseases are stress related, so the primary benefit of feng-shui is to reduce stress and promote health.

Feng-shui is not a superstitious set of decorating rules. It is the science of understanding the emotional impact the different forces of nature have on us, and using these to design houses and workplaces which create harmony instead of stress.

Feng-shui is loosely based in Chinese medicine.

There is a standardized body of knowledge that takes years of formal training to master. However, the home decorator can use this decorating style in their own home with success, because they are responding to their personal needs and emotions.

The master is trained to deal with different environments and people, the home decorator only needs to worry about their own environment.

Feng-shui is divided into two branches: the Landform (ti-li) branch and the Building Characteristics (chai-yun) branch.
The Landform Classification branch focuses on the flow of energy over, around, and through objects and the connection between that energy and nearby objects.

The Building Characteristics branch focuses on the flow of energy inside a building and how it affects people.

Before starting to decorate your home, it is wise to take the time to study both branches. But, it is also important to determine what you need from the room. Do you sleep too much? Do you need to be energized? Then you will use different elements than someone who needs to relax and detoxify their system of stress, anger, and aggression.

The best thing about Feng-shui is that it can be incorporated into the most sophisticated and elegant home decorating style as easily as it is utilized in an open concept, modern home. The only thing limiting the home is the decorator?s imagination and willingness to learn how to turn their home into a healthy environment.

Patricia Taylor advises on home furnishings and decor from her web site at http://www.diningroomsetshere.com. She invites you to get her FREE home decorating guide here http://www.wallfountainshere.com