Decorating With Seasonal Flowers

Anjie Cho November 25, 2020

A bouquet of fresh flowers can add a pop of color and energy to a room. To really make a statement, however, look to incorporate hues and floral varieties that are in season. When you embrace nature’s floral decorating style as your own, you are able to take a simple bouquet and turn it up a notch.

Spring

Think first about color: spring hues include bright blues, yellows and pinks. If you’re going to reach for standard floral arrangements, stick to that color palette. If you’re ready to really commit to the season, however, think bulbs. Tulips and daffodils are spring’s floral staples. If you select potted versions of either you can try to plant them outdoors after the blooms fade so you’ll have them in your garden the following year.

Summer

Reach for something bold, bright and vibrant when selecting summer colors for your arrangements. Brightly colored gerbera daisies, zinnias, snapdragons and dahlias are big personality flowers. Mix them together or display a single variety in a fun container. Summer’s old-fashioned garden roses are a classic choice. If your green thumb extends outdoors, look to your beds. Cuttings of lavender, wildflowers and other garden favorites can make a beautiful, casual summer bouquet in the right container.

Autumn

It’s time for deep hues of red, gold, and amber. We typically associate this season with falling leaves and gardens browning up before they die back for winter. However, autumn can be bold and bright, offering seasonal flowers like the warm, dark-eyed sunflower. Don’t overlook the last vestiges of your flower beds for clippings, either. Those deep hued blue and purple hydrangeas may be tinged with pale green tones and hint at fading. As cut flowers go, those hydrangeas can make a statement!

Winter

It’s not often that we associate winter with flowers other than the traditional poinsettia. If you’re looking for something different, go for roses in rich shades of red and white. A bouquet of those two hues, especially if mixed with some boughs of holly or feathery branches of evergreen, add an elegant twist to winter décor.

Not only does incorporating seasonal flowers give your home a fresh taste of nature and a breath of positive energy, arranging your selected bouquets can be a meditation practice all on its own. Check out my experience with KADO here!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Feng Shui for Creativity

Guest User October 28, 2020

You may have noticed versions of the feng shui bagua map that have an area called “creativity”. In the BTB tradition that I practice, we call it “completion” or “children” rather than “creativity”. The Chinese word for this area is dui. Dui is associated with output and offspring, but I believe creativity is more than just what you put out into the world. Creativity can be found in all areas of the bagua map. Zhen, for example, which is related to new beginnings, may be the most relevant area to focus on if you’re starting a new creative project.

One way to work with your creativity and the feng shui bagua is to work with the bagua colors, not just in your home, but also in your creative practice. Each of the areas, or guas, as well as the center of the bagua, is related to a different color. You can either start with an area of life you’d like to work on, or start with a color that you’re drawn to.

If there’s a specific area of the bagua you want to work on—maybe you’re ready to invite in a partner and want to work on your relationship area—notice the color of that area and start to play with it. I’ve been working with watercolors to explore different colors and areas of the bagua. For example, I played around with oranges and reds here, which are related to the recognition area of the bagua:

Here I went with blues and greens, which are connected to family and new beginnings:

Working with the color of a certain bagua area helps to activate that energy in your life, and it also activates creativity. You can use watercolors like I did, or you can use colored pencils, markers, or any other medium you’d like!

You can also go the other way, and start playing with whichever colors you’re drawn to. This might give you a clue as to what area of life you may want to pay attention to. If you’re drawn to dark blue, for example, you may need to work on your knowledge, skills, and self-cultivation, since dark blue is related to this area of the bagua.

As you’re playing, remember to have fun! You don’t need to have a purpose or an end goal—your art isn’t going in a museum. You can even let it go, like a sand mandala, and give it away when you’re done.

If you’re interested in learning more about how creativity relates to feng shui, be sure to check our podcast episode on feng shui & creativity!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Feng Shui for Beginners

Anjie Cho October 21, 2020

From real estate to renovation to simply redecorating, feng shui is gaining popularity in the west as a way to consciously shift your environment in a positive way. Many people believe that feng shui is just a concept of furniture placement, but in reality, it's a deep, philosophical practice around creating a sacred space that nurtures your very being. Sounds complicated, huh? It can be, but some parts of feng shui are very simple!

If you're new to the world of feng shui or just beginning to make some much-needed changes, try these easy adjustments first. They're powerful, effective and easy for anyone to understand!

Commanding Position

This concept may well be one of the most important in the practice of feng shui. When setting up your space, place the main pieces of furniture (namely your bed, stove, sofa, etc.) so that you can see the door. The ideal placement, called the commanding position, is diagonally from the door (not directly in front of it), in the furthest position, and facing the door. This comes from ancient Chinese safety measures as well as the psychological effects, even if only long term, of not being able to see what's coming towards you. Having major furniture (bed, desk and stove) such that you are located in the commanding position enables you to be prepared for what life brings you!

Plants

Adding plants to a space is a wonderful feng shui remedy. Plants represent new life-affirming energy and growth and cultivate compassion, kindness and human-heartedness. Not only are they excellent (and easy) feng shui adjustments, adding green plants to your space can help offset the toxic VOCs found in most indoor environments. Plants can beautify your space, add the Wood element and clean your air, and many of them, like bamboo and orchids, have even deeper symbolism in feng shui. Just remember to opt for softer, rounded leaves over spiky, pointed ones!

Clean Door

One of the easiest ways to welcome positive energy into your space is to make sure the entrance is attractive and clean. Plus, who wants to come home to a dirty door or entrance? For this adjustment, just spend a few minutes assessing your entrance area and cleaning your door. Check to be sure that the door is wiped down, buzzers and doorbells work and, if you'd like, add a clean welcome mat to invite positive energy (and you!) into your sacred space.

One Good Deed a Day

This feng shui remedy may be the easiest, but most powerful of all! It's one of the first adjustments I did when beginning to study feng shui. Each day, for 27 days, do a good deed for someone else. Why 27 days? It's a multiple of nine, which is the most auspicious number in feng shui! This adjustment helps you to put positive energy out into the universe, which in turn brings it back to you!

As you look further into the practice of feng shui, you may find you want to make more adjustments. Some of these are relatively easy and can be done with guidance, like from the Holistic Spaces blog or my book, 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces! For others, you'll want to find a feng shui expert who suits you. No matter what, I encourage you to take a deeper look into the amazing philosophy of feng shui!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com