eHow.com Video: Eco-Friendly Home Decorating

Anjie Cho June 18, 2014

Low VOC paints provide an eco-friendly way to change the look and feel of your space. Donate extra supplies and buy locally to prevent waste and support local eco-systems.

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Video Transcript:

Hi, my name is Anjie Cho, and this is a video about eco-friendly home decorating.

There are many simple ways to decorate your home in an eco-friendly way. Something that many of my clients want to change when it comes to home decorating is the color of the paint on the wall. This is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to change up the way your home looks and feels. But, no matter what color you choose, the type of paint you go with can make a difference.

The green option is to go for a low or Zero VOC paint. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. Toxins are released into the air by traditional VOC paints, and sadly VOC paints release toxins into the air for years after the paint is applied. There are so many different paint companies now that offer low or Zero VOC options.

The other plus is that they have minimal odor when wet. There are even Zero VOC food-based paints available made with milk casein. Benjamin Moore, which is one of the most commonly found paint companies, has a Zero VOC product called Natura. Other companies that offer high performance Zero VOC paints are Yolo Interior Paints, Ivy Coatings, they're local to me and made in Brooklyn, New York. They are also a true Zero VOC premium quality non-toxic paint. Finally, SafeCoat is also a premium quality Zero VOC paint. The Zero VOCs are really easy to find.

Next, look for low VOCs in your polyurethane. We use polyurethane to finish wood floors and other wood furnishings. Another alternative to finishing wood is to use tung oil or linseed oil. Those are also naturally occurring.

Other considerations when it comes to eco-friendly home decorating are to incorporate as many reclaimed materials as possible. These can be purchasing vintage furniture items or reusing and re-purposing something that you already have instead of buying something new. And the other end of this is to be sure to donate anything you don't need or use anymore rather, rather than throwing it out.

Finally, buy local. This can be as simple as purchasing from a local mom and pop store even if the item is manufactured elsewhere. You can even get more local and research furniture materials that are manufactured near your home. Local manufacturing is more eco-friendly because there's less transportation and gas emissions involved. And also buying local strengthens your community.

This is Anjie Cho and I'm a Green Interior Architect with Anjie Cho Architect and Founder of Holistic Spaces. And this has been eco-friendly home decorating.

by Anjie Cho

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eHow.com Video: Inspirational Wall Decor

Anjie Cho May 7, 2014

Inspirational Wall Decor is Beneficial, Positive and Easy to D-I-Y

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Video Transcript:

I'm Anjie Cho, and this is how to create inspirational wall decor.

In feng shui, I often suggest that my clients place some inspirational wall decor above their desk or located as one of the first things that you would see when coming into your home. To create your own inspirational wall decor you'll need a few things: a picture frame, your computer, a printer and some unique paper that you like.

First things first, select an inspirational quote of words. I've selected this quote from the writer Joseph Campbell, "Follow Your Bliss". There are websites out there that can help you create a word cloud like this. You can search online for word cloud and find a website that will help you generate one just like this. Select a quote you love or meaningful words to have on your inspirational wall art. Words have great impact on this.

So use your computer, print out your quote of words, put it on a nice paper that you like, open up the back of the frame, pop in the art, use tape if you need to and then you've created your own inspirational wall art.

It's so beneficial and positive to spend the time to make your own inspirational wall decor. Not only will it be personal to you it will motivate you to improve your life.

by Anjie Cho

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Feng Shui 101: The Bagua Map

Anjie Cho May 4, 2014

Above is the feng shui bagua map. You may have seen this before in an octagon shape with lots of weird symbols. The bagua map I’ve created is a modernized representation, but they mean the same thing. I’ll spend some time sharing with you how to use this map and go into some detail about each area.

The feng shui bagua map is a concept that feng shui practitioners use to look at your environment. This concept can be applied to your entire property, to the floorplan of the house or building, to the floorplan of your bedroom, and even the layout of your desk. The square is a three by three grid and can stretch and shrink to fit over your floorplan.

The first rule is to align the bottom of the bagua to the entrance wall of your space. An easy way to start is to use your bedroom. Stand in the doorway of your bedroom and look into the room. Then you hold this bagua so that the far right corner is Relationships. That would make the back left corner the Abundance area. If we were looking at your desk, you could divide your desktop into a three by three grid and apply the bagua similarly. The far right corner is Relationships, and the back left corner is Abundance.

Now I’ll share a little bit about each area!

New Beginnings:

This area is related to new beginnings of any kind: creation, family matters, and the season and energy of spring and is symbolized by the color green, the number three, columnar and tall shapes, and the element of yang wood. It has that magnificent burst of energy associated with a sprout pushing out of the ground and the excitement of the first beautifully sunny and warm day of spring. This is a great area to activate if you have trouble starting new things.

Abundance:

This area is related to wealth, abundance, prosperity and self-worth, represented by the color purple, the number four, columnar and tall shapes, and the element of yin wood. This is one of the “favorite” areas of the bagua. It’s not just about money though. Your wealth in the world is dependent and related to your self worth, so this area is also about having an abundance of the positive aspects in your life.

Health:

This area is related to your overall health, signified by earthy colors yellow-orange-brown, the number five, square shapes, and the element of earth. If you look at the location of this area, it’s in the center and is sometimes referred to as the “tai chi”. Because it’s in the center, the health area is affected by and affects all eight bagua areas around it.

Benefactors:

This area is related to helpful people, benefactors, the energy of heaven, travel and the father, all symbolized by the color gray, the number six, circular shapes, and the element of yang metal. Oftentimes we need the help of others (whether that be people or from the heavens) to move forward. Adjustments can be done in this area to activate the energy to bring supportive energy and people into your life.

Completion:

This area is related to completion, children, any sort of output or offspring, joy, and the season and energy of autumn. The color white, the number seven, circular shapes, and the element of yin metal relate to Completion. This area is about closure and the end of things. But the end of things brings new beginnings as well. This area would be great to activate if you have trouble completing projects.

Knowledge:

This area is related to knowledge and self-cultivation, represented by the color dark blue, the number eight, square shapes, and the element of yang earth. This area is also about our spiritual inclinations to grow and develop our inner lives. It’s also about your level of skill and knowledge in mundane areas of your life.

Recognition:

This area is related to fame, passion, recognition, reputation and the season and energy of summer. It is symbolized by the color red, the number nine, triangular shapes, and the element of fire. This is also an area for people who want to be seen and recognized. It governs your level of passion and how the world sees you and is a great area to activate if you are starting any new endeavors that require public support.

Path in Life:

This area is related to your career as well as the season and energy of winter. The color black, the number one, wavy shapes, and the element of water symbolize this area. This is the path you walk in life, and how you express your work in the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a traditional career, but it pertains to how you move through the course of your life.

Relationships:

This area is related to relationships, partnerships, the mother and marriage, symbolized by the color pink, the number two, square shapes, and the element of yin earth. This area is probably the second most popular because it can activate attracting a primary relationship.

The bagua is one of the most important aspects of feng shui, as it assists in determining what parts of your space relate to each specific type of energy. Without properly defining this, you cannot properly execute feng shui. Look into which bagua area relates to an area that you need to work on, and get started!

by Anjie Cho