Q&A Sunday: Interior Doors - Should They Open Out or In?

I'm looking at an office space where the door opens out, rather than into the space. I have the option to change the door swing. But someone told me once that if the door opens it is "bad feng shui". It is confusing to me! Also, is it ok that the doors of office 1 and 2 (on my plan) are facing each other?

Teri G., New York, NY

Hi Teri, 

This is a great question. It all depends on the person and their floor plan, but in general it is better feng shui to have the door swing into your office. 

In feng shui, doors represent the "mouth of qi", where the life force energy comes into the space. If the door swings into your space, the flow of qi is smoother. For an office or business this is important, because you want clients and opportunities to be attracted and easily connect with you. When you open the door towards you as you walk into any room, there is a feeling of pulling back rather than a natural movement forward.

In your case, since you have the option, DEFINITELY change the door swings of the neighbor and #2. Besides attracting more clients and opportunities, you have a situation where your doors are hitting each other. When the doors hit in this situtaion, it may cause or exacerbate possible conflict between you and your neighbor. And we don't want that if we can help it. Based on your floor plan, if you can put the hinge opposite side even better (so when you open the door it covers the closet).

It's actually not as easy as it would seem to reverse the door swing of an existing door. It is always best if you can change the door swing, so I would recommend talking to a contractor. If this is not possible for whatever reason, unfortunately it's not really correctable. It's best just to accept the door as is with its faults and work with a feng shui consultant to compensate for this and improve the feng shui in other ways. Again though, if possible change the door swing!

Finally, the doors of office 1 and 2 are aligned but that's not a problem. Let us know how it goes!!!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Q&A Sunday: Chinese Astrology for a Horse in a Rooster Year

This year of the Fire Rooster has been really tough for me so far. Big snow making getting to work difficult, 3 squirrel infestations in my new Nissan Rogue (wires chewed...in shop three times). I'm a Wood Horse. Please advise me how to improve my luck. Maybe a dragon in the entryway?

Shauna R., Abbotsford , British Columbia, Canada

Hi Shauna

I’m so very sorry that you have been having such a challenging year. It’s actually been a quite challenging year for many others as well. As far as the relationship between Horse and Rooster, it’s actually neutral. It may be useful for you to consult directly with a Chinese Astrology expert as it sounds like this is where your interests lie, and there are great astrologers I can recommend. Beth Grace, Doris Ingber and Yasha Jampolsky are all Chinese Astrologers you can hire. They can look at your specific natal chart, based on the time of your birth, in relationship with the energies of this specific year. Without seeing your actual birth information, there’s not much more I can advise in terms of your astrology.

As far the feng shui aspects to improve your luck, the founder of BTB feng shui, H.H. Professor Lin Yun always advised to first take of the mundane issues. That simply means what are the practical things you can do to improve the situation. Luckily the winter has passed, but as far as the squirrels, is there something you can do to prevent this happening again in the future? Then, I have a sense that you should start with the most basic feng shui adjustment of making sure your bed, desk and stove are in the commanding position. You can find more information about that here, here and here.

As far as the car damage, you can look at the feng shui of your car. It represents how you connect to the world, right? And the electrical wires are akin to your blood and nervous system. It maybe helpful for you to check that out. It might be interesting to also look at symbology of the squirrel. The squirrel is associated with playfulness but also preparation. The presence of so many squirrels may be a sign to take life a little less seriously and have more fun. However, it can also be a note to take a look at your preparations in life and ensure they are all in place. On a less obvious level, the squirrel can also be a reminder to remain mindful. Squirrels only find 10% of the nuts they hide for winter, but all of these unfound nuts do develop into larger plants and trees. So be mindful of what you "plant", because it will inevitably come back up!

Since the damage was carried out by nature, you can also create a shrine to invite the nature spirits to appease them. You can create a special place, ideally outdoors, where you make a humble offering to the nature spirits so they are happy and feel invited into your home. This would include water, liquor, rice and a small rock or statue. Do this to dedicate a small space for magic from the universe in your life, and be sure to ask nature to visit your home! There's more on that here. 

Finally, you inquired about a dragon in the entryway. I’m assuming you’re suggesting this because the Dragon is the best friend of the Rooster. In BTB feng shui we advise you carry on your body a three-dimensional dragon in the Year of the Rooster. So this is the adjustment, to carry it on you. It’s not the same to have it in the entryway. If you had another reason, let us know so we can comment on it. You can purchase the charm in the Holistic Spaces shop, and it will definitely help you have a more auspicious year. Since the Dragon is the best friend of the Rooster, the Rooster will see the dragon charm and bestow good luck and protection. 

Thank you for submitting your question, and I hope the rest of your year improves! 

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

How to Grow Fresh Air

I've always been a fan of incorporating green houseplants into holistic spaces, as feng shui adjustments or just as a a way to brighten and liven up a room. As it turns out, there is actually science behind why we should all be aiming to bring a little nature into our spaces. 

In How to Grow Fresh Air, Dr. B. C. Wolverton goes in depth on how keeping certain plants indoors can help to alleviate some of the toxic materials we bring into our spaces on a regular basis. Wolverton gets pretty scientific, and his book is a fascinating read - I would definitely recommend it! In the meantime, we've cut out the basics for you. 

As we've discussed before, many of the items we bring into our households and workspaces can give off toxic gases, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In fact, combined with our own respiratory process and the trend of sealing spaces tightly to conserve energy, these gases have contributed to the fact that indoor air is now one of the top five major health concerns according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Fortunately, the respiration processes of plants actually absorb and use these toxic chemicals and give off the fresh oxygen we need to survive. Plants use the chemicals that are dangerous to us in their processes of making food, so they pull these gases into their soil ecosystems and out of our way. They also create air flow where there is none, which can help to clean our air as well. In fact, adding plants to our spaces actually mimics the way nature cleans our external air. 

Plants have actually been shown to relieve stress and clean the environment and have a measurable positive effect on indoor spaces and their inhabitants. NASA even created a "biohome", sealed for top energy-efficiency and stocked with houseplants. In comparing this space to a similar home without houseplants, scientists found that the presence of plants significantly reduced VOCs in the atmosphere and symptoms of sick building syndrome in occupants.  

In the winter, plants can even heighten room humidity to combat dry air, which can lead to colds, viruses and more, and they give off certain chemicals that help to reduce the instance of mold spores and bacteria. There is actually a six to eight cubic foot area of space known as a "personal breathing zone," and adding plants within this space can significantly improve the quality of air we breathe in. 

Fifty plants have been studied so far to determine their effects on air quality and indoor spaces, so there is quite a variety of options for welcoming green into your home. We've mentioned some of these before, like the snake plant, the Golden pothos, orchids and more. The list in How to Grow Fresh Air also includes classics like English Ivy, indoor tree options such as the Ficus Alii and the Dwarf Date Palm, flowering plants like Florist's Mum and Wax Begonias and more! You should check out the full list for your space, but here are our top eight choices!