Live the Green Dream and Let Plants Take Root In Your Home

Anjie Cho February 20, 2019

featured on Irish Examiner by Kya deLongchamps

Minimalist or austere? The uptight, sleek, relatively empty neutral space spiked with worthy mid-century inspired furnishings is being challenged in 2019 with the return to a cosier more full inhabited feel of maximalism. Celebrated American architect Robert Charles Venturi Jr, who sadly died this year, tangled with the Mies Van Der Rohe’s sacred but paralysing adage trotted out in the last 10 years of decorating – ‘Less is more’, Venturi stated flatly, ‘- and less - is a bore.’

One of the most popular and luxurious interpretations of the ‘more is more’ school of aesthetics is the Memphis look – a 1970s fantasy of brass bound tables, marble, velvet and abstract art layered joyfully over every wall, glass and lacquered surface. It’s still chic, but there’s a lot more ‘you’ in these playful rooms.

In lush imagery of the Memphis lifestyle in European and American trade shows, living and faux greenery softens glass counters, orphaned corners and empty vertical voids using the exquisite geometry of rosette succulents, string-of-pearl (trailing Senecio Rowleyanus) and statuesque palms-house super-stars.

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Q&A Sunday: Driveways in Feng Shui

Anjie Cho February 3, 2019

We are buying new modular house and putting it on land we bought. The grading and landscape guy wants to put a circular drive in front and a carport to the side of the house that the master bedroom is on, which is the dragon side of house, (the carport would not be connected to house but sits at an angle, so there are no poison arrows toward the house). I’m ok with that, but he thinks a drive from the carport to the basement entrance should go around the back yard to the basement entrance. I’m not sure that’s good, or should the basement drive come off the circular drive in front of the house. If it comes off the front driveway, will too much water (energy) be flowing by the front of house? The house is facing north, with the left side higher than the right, as the basement entrance is on the south end.

Barbara L., Charlotte, NC

Hi Barbara,

Thank you for your thoughtful question! I will only be able to answer only half, as the other half is a bit more complicated and requires an in-depth consultation with a feng shui practitioner who can take a closer look at your floor plans and the layout of the land. I will be happy to discuss a few points you mentioned.

Congratulations on your new home and the land! For anyone who may be wondering what Barbara means by the “dragon side” of her home, in BTB feng shui, there are some directions we do look at in terms of house location. Imagine that you are the house sitting in an easy, comfortable armchair position with your back against the wall. To your right is the green dragon (if you are standing outside and facing the house from the outside, this would be the left side). On your left (as the house) is a white tiger. Behind you is a black tortoise, and in front of you is a red bird. These are the directions Barbara is referring to.

The part of this question I can speak to regards the circular driveway. If you have a circular driveway, it is ideal for the driveway to curve towards the house and hug or embrace the house. This will bring more wealth, abundance, good health, qi and opportunities. When the driveway curves away from the house, all this energy and opportunity moves away from you. So it’s great that you’re putting in your own driveway, and I would recommend ensuring that it curves toward the house rather than away from it, like in the drawing below.

Unfortunately, as I note in most of my posts, I practice BTB feng shui, which doesn’t consider cardinal directions, so I cannot comment on the house facing north, especially with the information I’m given. If you are very concerned about this, it would be helpful to find a feng shui consultant in your area with whom you resonate and who you trust and have them take a look at the lay of your land and your plans, to assess the energy there.

Thank you so much for your question!

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish. Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com.

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New Year, New Home: Q&A with Anjie Cho

Anjie Cho February 1, 2019

featured on Ryland Peters & Small

We know January can feel like a bit of a slog, but it's also a great time to stand back and take stock of where you are and what you want to achieve this year. If you feel like your home is in need of a re-design, big or small, now's the time to make sure your environment is supporting and nurturing you as much as possible. We spoke to Anjie Cho, architect, feng shui consultant and author of Holistic Spaces, about how to maximize the potential of your space and get 2019 off to the best possible start!

Hi Anjie! So what are holistic spaces?

Space is physical, emotional, energetic, and so holistic spaces is a way to look at all the space around you in an integrated way. When you can begin to see that your inner and outer spaces are connected, it gives you insight and joy. It's a mindful way to work with the environment around us, so that we can see the magic in our everyday life. Every moment and every space has a gift to offer.

When did you first become interested in feng shui?

In my late twenties I was pretty miserable and looking for happiness outside of myself. On a trip to the Buddhist country of Thailand, I had an epiphany during a Reiki session where I realized that when I returned to New York City I would begin a journey to find contentment within myself. So, I started studying meditation, yoga, and naturally next came feng shui. I was an architect so I wanted to bring this mindfulness into my work as well.

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