The Household Items You Need To Throw Out ASAP (According To A Feng Shui Expert)

featured this week on MindBodyGreen

Did you know that the spaces around us directly affect the amount of stress and ease we feel in our day-to-day? The objects in our home speak to us on visible and invisible levels. The good news is that feng shui philosophy offers ancient wisdom on what we can let go of in our homes for more peace. Here are a few things that I recommend parting with as a feng shui practitioner:

1. Dried flowers

Dried and decaying flowers, branches, and leaves are a big feng shui no-no. At one point these living things held vibrant energy, but as they dried and decayed, they began to represent death and decline. There are, however, a few exceptions. If you have a bouquet of dried flowers that hold a lot of meaning for you, the memory and good chi associated with them can transform them into a positive object.

2. Pointy, sharp plants

Pointy plants such as cactuses symbolize a similar energy: sharp and prickly. If you seek to create a smooth and gentle flow in your space (and therefore your daily life), you need to get rid of plants that symbolize unease. Again, there are some exceptions, like when a certain cactus or prickly plant has a unique, positive association for you.

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by Anjie Cho

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Embrace Your Feminine Energy With Feng Shui For Tonight's Pink Full Moon

featured today on MindBodyGreen

April's full moon rises this year on the 11th and has fondly been named the Pink Moon, but don't expect it to look particularly pink! It's actually named after pink flowers called wild ground phlox, which bloom in early spring and become widespread throughout the United States and Canada this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.

In feng shui philosophy, the moon is a very powerful symbol and consideration, related to yin (feminine, subconscious, internal) energies and connecting us to the invisible. The full moon is also a time when we can embrace our feminine, intuitive energy and honor the pink moon.

Here's how:

The power of pink

Colors are one of the major ways in which to shift the feng shui of your internal and external environments. We see so much with our eyes, and color can arouse and transform our energy. Pink is a soft, feminine color that gently inspires passion and is the combination of fiery red softened with the simple purity and clarity of white. Pink is also associated with the heart chakra, the center of healing and encouraging self-love.

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by Anjie Cho

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How To Make The Most Of Your Teeny-Tiny Home

featured this month on Nylon by Jenna Igneri

All of us could probably stand to have a bit more space when it comes to our home—we, New Yorkers, know that to be a fact. (Really, though, what’s a girl gotta do for a walk-in closet around here?)

However, just because our living space is tiny doesn’t make it any less awesome. Home is where the heart is, after all, even if our living room is nonexistent and our bathtub is in our kitchen. Moving into a shoebox-sized studio may seem discouraging at first, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t have the potential to look and feel as spacious as your dream loft. We chatted with experts in the world of interior design to get their insider tips and hacks for making the most of a small space.

Read on for ways to make your space look larger (even if it is just an optical illusion), utilize your walls space, and help keep your spirits high, even if your square footage is low. 

Your choice in paint can make a huge difference

Whether you choose a darker color or not, painting your walls and your ceiling the same color can also trick your eye into thinking a room is bigger. Anjie Cho, architect, certified feng shui consultant, and author of 108 Ways To Create Holistic Spaces: Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing and Organic Homes, suggests going for an all-over color, as the monotone look creates a continuous surface, thus making the room look more expansive.

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