Tag Archives: Interior Design

Beam Away

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This A-frame beam may be pleasant to look at but my feng shui hunch is it’s not a great placement for a bed. Traditionally, feng shui practice tells us that the beam is pushing a heavy weight and that energy can be felt if you are sensitive to it. You may experience it as headaches, restlessness, bad dreams, and uncomfortable sleeping positions.Solutions to counteracting beam energy:

*Relocate the bed so it’s not under the beam.

*Try a canopy bed with a white fabric between you and the beam.

*Paint the beam white. White symbolizes metal, metal cuts wood and negative energy will be diffused.

*Place a traditional Chinese feng shui firecracker under the beam. Perhaps you can make it look like an art sculpture to disguise its appearance. Much easier to paint the beam!Screen Shot 2014-12-18 at 10.10.08 AM

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Filed under Architecture, Command Position, Feng Shui Home, Interior Design

gather round the fire

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This 1950’s fireplace had the look of a frumpy overweight couch potato. With low ceilings the two toned effect of the white upper portion and grayish stone lower half made the room look even more compressed than it is. Solution: Paint it all one color (I chose a bright white).

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Not For Navigation art work by © Katy Allgeyer 2014

Not only does the room seem to have taller ceilings, the white bounces more light into an otherwise dark corner of this home. Prior to painting, the actual fireplace interior would disappear. Now you know it’s there and the slate hearth provides a welcome bench to sit by the fire. The only caveat is make sure you want to paint your brick or stone because once it’s done, there’s no turning back without a lot of trouble.

In feng shui terms, these elements are represented here: fire (d’uh!), earth (the slate and brick), metal (the white color paint), wood (the logs), and the painted scene of water and air complete the spectrum for good feng shui balance.

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stinky pink to power pink: bathroom makeover

I have one of those 1950’s houses with the original sugar almond pastel bathrooms. Mine are a blue one and a pink one. When we bought the house, my boyfriend and I never did anything to it. Saving the pink bathroom was always the plan. But the sink stand and the multicolored paint job with wallpaper border around the ceiling? Ugh. Here are a few pictures (I was so excited to get started I forgot to take “Before” pics until I had already begun!).

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In order to get a clean fresh look without spending much money I decided to go to Home Depot with my Cheap & Ch’i- ful checklist:

*Embrace the Pink: The wall color is Behr Pink Ginger. By keeping the walls and the ceiling monotone with the tile, it feels like a more spacious bathroom.

*The sink stand was refreshed by attaching stainless steel peel off tiles to the sides and partial detail on the front. Martha Stewart Living Specialty Metallic Paint in “Thundercloud” was used to match the Aspect Peel & Stick Matted Tiles in Square/Stainless pattern.

*The window had plenty of ug-factor, too. Not seen here are the home made “old lady curtains” and the chrome towel bar that kept falling down. I removed those and found a paper folded “Redi-Shade” for under $5 at Home Depot. (Yes,it will probably unfold with the bathroom humidity—that remains to be seen!—but for now it gives me the look I want until I can replace it with a really nice shade or blind. Plus, I can always take baths in my pink bathtub to avoid steaming up the room!). I painted the trim in the same metallic paint.

*I searched my own art collection for pieces that would fit into the Art Deco-ish space. These may evolve into other art work but for now I think it looks okay.

All for less than $200. Here are the pics:image_4

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STILL TO DO:
I have painted the inside of the door Pink Ginger, too. The current trim is white but I plan to paint it metallic silver to match the window. The toilet seat is white. I searched around the internet and found Bemis has over 95 retro shades at their website. There are 4 possible matches to my commode so I ordered samples ($1 each) and will order the $85 seat that goes best. I need to replace the caulk around my pink bathtub and scrub up the chrome sliding doors, too. I may rethink my towels but for now these’ll do.

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I realize this ‘renovation’ is the equivalent of buying a new lipstick instead of getting a facelift. But have I improved the feng shui? Yes! By transforming something ugly into something vibrant and fresh I have created lots of happy energy. And for now, I can live with that.

PS: Sorry the photographs are not the greatest. My beloved partner/photographer passed away in September. Find out what happened at the Going to Goa Blog.

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Filed under Architecture, Creativity & Future Projects, Design, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Fun, Getting Organized, Interior Design

SUITE BED DESIGN

Hmmm….the jury is out on whether or not this compact OnOff bed Suite designed by Giulio Manzoni for Campeggi Italy is positive feng shui or not. However, it is pretty darn creative and I like that a lot! In general, for optimum feng shui you want air circulating freely under your bed with no obstructions stored under it. But these pieces are soft upholstered sectionals. I think for a temporary situation such as a guest room it would be acceptable feng shui.

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STAIN REMOVAL MADE EASY

I’m designing a new collection of rugs that will be handwoven in Egypt. It’s too early for me to show you the designs but stay tuned to Feng Shui By Fishgirl as we get closer to High Point Market week I’ll have photos of the rugs to show you. Meanwhile, I discovered a great interactive program online that lets you search for the proper stain removal method for particular stains you may have on your rugs. Check it out here at the Dilmaghani rug website . They have some gorgeous rugs  on display there, too, like this wavy gravy contemporary that has a good feng shui feel to it.

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A CHAIR THAT MAKES YOU GO EEEEEEEK!

Recently discovered a FUN! design blog called moggit (am I the last to know about this site?).  This design—just in time for your Halloween party if you order it now!— gives new meaning to the term “eyeballing a chair for my living room”. Check out more about this scary chair and other cool design fun at moggit.

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STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN?

Feng shui doesn’t like spiral staircases because they represent a giant corkscrew piercing the center of your home. Not great. But in a public space like a library or on the exterior of a home they don’t have the same harmful effect. Pictured here is a novel idea: a rainbow painted spiral. If I believed in heaven I might imagine the stairway to it to look like this. Photo lifted from design-dautore.com.

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A-VOID BAD FENG SHUI WITH A GREAT TABLE DESIGN

“Void” table base by Louis A. Lara Design for Star International

Finding the right table for your home can take a lot of time and effort. And if you’re also looking for one with great feng shui, it can be all the more of a challenge since so many tables are yang oriented. Not this one! Industrial designer Louis A. Lara created his “VOID” table for Star International with many built in curves. That’s yin energy and is a wonderful feng shui compliment to any room. Void has not only a round top but a base that has softened cut out shapes that keep the yin going.

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TERRIFIC TURQUOISE

Turqs and Purps are on my radar right now. I meandered over to ComfyHeavenHomeDecor this morning and found scads of pics of those color schemes. I got excited. Here’s a slide show of inspiration. Let me know if you like.

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DYNAMIC DUO

This bathroom duo has colortastic punch! Designed by architect Carlo Colombo, the red and purple coloration make it the perfect activator / protector if your bathroom happens to be located in the Wealth sector of your bagua. It would also be suitable in the Love & Relationship sector. It can be harmful to your feng shui to have bathrooms situated in awkward locations. That’s when you call in feng shui practice to help strengthen the positive and counteract the negative.

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Filed under Architecture, Design, Feng Shui, Interior Design, Wealth & Finances