Change Your Color, Change Your Life

Your home environment has a huge impact on your mood and your life. In order for your space to truly nourish you, you need to consider all the details in your interior design. And among the most important elements of design is color.

Color has the power to transform not only spaces, but also the people in them, by changing the flow of energy, evoking specific emotions and producing physiological changes in the body. Color has a profound influence on our mood, perceptions and actions.

If you make conscious decisions on the colors you choose to surround yourself with in your home, you can deliberately create a healthy and balanced environment and life for you and your family.

How do you want to live? How do you want to FEEL? Choose your colors accordingly.

This article reveals the emotional power of five popular colors:

1. Red

Red is a powerful color that evokes strong emotions.  It stimulates the body and mind.  Red increases your metabolism and your blood pressure and makes you more alert. Because red stimulates appetite, food tastes better when surrounded by red (so it is a popular color for dining rooms). Red can make a person feel passionate and excited.  But beware – too much red can evoke anger and lead to anxiety.

2. Blue

Blue acts as red’s opposite. It is serene and mentally calming. It decreases the pulse rate, lowers body temperature, and reduces appetite. Strong blues stimulate clear thought, and lighter blues calm the mind, aiding concentration. Thus, people are often more productive in blue rooms. If you need a little kick in the pants, try blue for your home office.

3. Yellow

Yellow is emotionally energizing and uplifting. It has been proven to stimulate the brain. This stimulation can make you more alert and decisive. It helps memory and promotes clear thinking. With a yellow kitchen, you just might not need that extra cup of coffee in the morning!

4. Green

Green is often used in decorating for its calming effect. It helps balance and soothe emotions. Green relaxes our muscles and helps us breathe deeper and slower. Studies show that those who have a green work environment experience fewer stomachaches. But watch out! Although green creates feelings of comfort, it can also cause laziness.

5. Purple

Purple is a mysterious color. It is the combination of two complete opposites – red and blue. Purple can be invigorating or calming, depending on how much red or blue is in the shade. Pure purple takes awareness to a higher spiritual level of thought. It encourages deep contemplation or meditation. Consider bringing purple into rooms where you want to feel creative or spiritual.

Remember that color has a far-reaching effect on emotion and behavior. Decide how you want to feel and the actions you want to take in a specific space, and use color to achieve your goal.

To read more about colors and feng shui, read here!

by Anjie Cho

Q&A Sunday: Are Fake Plants Good Feng Shui?


 

Are fake plants good feng shui?

DeeJay A., Brooklyn, NY

Hi DeeJay, thanks for your question!

Green plants are used for many feng shui adjustments. They represent growth and new beginning and cultivate human kindness and compassion. They are related to the wood element and the area of New Beginnings on the feng shui bagua map.

While it is preferable to use living green plants for feng shui applications, my teachers have taught me that faux green plants are also acceptable. The faux plants should be of high quality and as realistic as possible. It is fairly easy now to find good looking fake plants. I believe it is much better to have a realistic fake plant over a dying real one. There are often locations where a plant could improve the feng shui of a space, however the natural light is lacking. In this case, I think it is good feng shui to use a fake plant.

On the other hand, a friend recently asked me about getting some colored orbs for her kitchen. She wanted to know what color was better feng shui-wise. We discussed her intentions, and then I suggested real fruit rather than orbs. She said it was too much of a hassle because fruit spoils and needs frequent replacement. That seems very practical, but you can also be mindful that if the intention for the colored orbs is to add more growth and wood element for example, then it would be all the more powerful to use something like real fruit that needs refreshing. The attention and care involved in replenishing fresh fruit, or caring for a living green plant, cultivates the desired qualities and only strengthens the intention and effects of the feng shui adjustment.

That said, a fake plant is okay for low light locations or for seriously black thumbs. But, there is something to gain from the care and nurturing you give to a living green plant that makes your feng shui adjustment more effective.

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!

Why Compost?

The benefits of composting, combining a variety of kitchen scraps and organic materials, are numerous, whether or not you garden or have a yard. From enriching the soil without harmful chemicals to reducing a trash collection bill, time looking into composting is not time wasted. See below for a few examples of how composting can benefit you, no matter where you are.

Enriches Soil

Composting creates humus. The process required to transform scraps and other materials into organic fertilizer involves the production of positive “micro-organisms.” These guys make a job out of creating humus from broken down organic matter. In this case, humus is, rather than a savory dip for celery and pita, a gardening material filled with nutrients that add to soil and assist in retaining moisture.

Adding compost to soil also balances PH and improves soil CEC, which makes it easier for the earth to hold tight to nutrients. These nutrients are vital for growth of many plants, from food plants to pretty plants. Essentially, when soil isn't an ideal consistency and texture, it will be difficult to grow any kind of plant. Compost helps to ensure that soil is crumbly and open enough for water and nutrients to move through.

Cleans Up Contaminated Soil

Not only does it absorb odors, composting counteracts VOCs and other semivolatile compounds. Examples? Heating fuels, PAHs, and explosives. Yup, explosives. Not impressed yet? Composting also prevents heavy metals in soil from being absorbed by plants or other water sources, thus helping to keep our water sources cleaner. Plus, composting actually degrades lots of chemicals that have no business in our earthy soil anyway, including pesticides and wood preservatives.

Helps Prevent Pollution and Save the Planet

When you compost organic materials, instead of dooming them to landfills or other trash collections, you prevent production of harmful gases like methane and leachate formulation.

Composting is among the top options for reducing your carbon footprint, thus doing your part to save our planet.

It's sustainable too! Instead of using precious natural resources that we will not have forever, composting uses scraps from already eaten food and other natural products to produce the same effect without depleting our supply of non-sustainable materials.

Saves Money!

There is tons of energy in organic waste like vegetable scraps. Composting easily collects that energy and directs it back into the ecosystem, whether you apply it directly to the soil or donate it for application.

If you apply directly, this in turn also saves on gardening expenses like fertilizer, pesticides and the like, as you can use the scraps of food your family has already eaten as repurposed compost.

Using chemical fertilizers often leaves behind a wealth of  heavy metals (lead, arsenic?! and cadmium) that can build up over time. Overuse of chemical fertilizers can actually bring death to the very soil itself, which only requires dependent use of these same fertilizers, thus costing even more money over time. Composting skirts this issue entirely, as it is composed only of organic materials.

If you pay for disposal of garbage, especially by weight, composting will immediately reduce that bill, as you'll be using a significant amount of previously dubbed "garbage" to garden and enrich your soil.

Supports Our Economy

Composting reduces our dependence on oil from overseas, as it reduces the need to purchase chemical fertilizer often made using petroleum.

by Anjie Cho