Feng Shui for Your New Apartment, Round 2

Anjie Cho December 1, 2022

Photo and design by Anjie Cho Architect PLLC

Earlier on the blog we talked moving into a brand new place, clearing the space, laying the bagua and more. Of course, there are many small feng shui adjustments we can make when turning a new apartment into a holistic, nourishing home - so many it's a bit much to cover in one post! So this week we're back with a few more tips on saying "Hello!" to your new home in feng shui-style.

Add Nine Plants

Yes, nine! It may seem like a big number, but adding plants to your new space is a great way to welcome more life energy. Plants symbolize the Wood element in feng shui, which relates to new beginnings, life, joy and flexibility, all of which are wonderful for creating a new holistic space. Plants also bring nature into your home, which has been proven to increase quality of life, and work tirelessly to enhance indoor air quality. Why nine? It's the most auspicious number in feng shui!

Add a Welcome Mat

Plants welcome positive energy into your spaces, but they aren't the only way. Pick up a black "Welcome" mat, about the same width as your door, and place it at the main entrance to your new home. Keeping a welcoming entrance is great not only for you, when you come home, as well as your guests, but also for positive chi! Black is the most absorbent of all colors and can attract, absorb and transfer positive energy into your holistic space. In addition, black is representative of the Water element, which can increase career success when used in this area.

Fill in Cabinet Space

We're not talking the inside of cabinets, here. Depending on how the kitchen and bathroom are designed in your new apartment, you may or may not have empty space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling. If you do, it's important to pay attention to these areas, as they can serve as a space for dead energy. Dead or stagnant energy in your spaces can manifest itself as problems with health and prosperity, and no one wants that! To adjust for this, add a plant (maybe one of the nine mentioned above!) or a personal item to this space to transform it into a place of positive energy.

Hopefully your new apartment is starting to feel more and more like a holistic space every day! These feng shui tips are pretty easy to implement but can make such a huge impact! If you've just moved and are trying out these adjustments, please share your experience and / or send us photos. We love to see the difference feng shui makes in your lives. :) And don't forget to keep an eye out for the final set of feng shui tips for your new space!

by Anjie Cho

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

5 Ways to Embrace the Summer Solstice

Anjie Cho June 22, 2022

It's officially summer! As of yesterday, the 2022 summer solstice, we've moved from spring to summer and are welcoming the fire season after a cold winter! The earth will travel its closest to the sun today, bringing longer days, warmer weather and the official beginning of a new season in the northern hemisphere. We're always fans of the summer season, and in feng shui terms, it's a great time to refresh your space and prepare for the coming fire element. Here are our favorite ways to switch to summer in a holistic space!

Clear Your Space

I recommend space clearings on a regular basis to my feng shui clients. They are great ways to refresh the energy in your home, send stagnant energy on its way and welcome positive qi to your space. There are any number of ways to clear the space, but I prefer the BTB feng shui orange peels method or our Holistic Spaces white sage mist during the summer months! The Space white sage spray is finally back in stock, and it's also perfect to travel with during the summer. You don't always want to burn sage when you're staying away from home, so the mist is a brilliant way to clear the space of that guest room without setting off any alarms!

Clean Out Your Closet

We all know the value of closet space, and though it might be necessary to leave out a few warmer pieces for the spring season, summer is hot and vibrant, and it's the ideal time to pack away those winter clothes and make space for light, comfortable summer clothes. You may even find there are clothes you haven't worn that you can get rid of! Each piece of clothing that leaves your space leaves room for a new, quality piece you love. Check out some of our past posts about cleaning out the closet!

Stock Up on Fruits and Veggies

Just as we change our eating habits at the beginning of fall, winter and spring, the summer season brings with it a new list of optimal foods, most notably raw fruits and veggies. With the rise of the heat, fruits and veggies offer a healthy, nutritious way to cool the body, and many (think lettuce, watermelon) even contain a high amount of water to help combat the fire season! My favorite thing is to make watermelon juice. Be sure to juice the rind, too! Watermelon rind contains a wealth of nutrients not found in other fruits and can even help improve blood circulation!

Swap Out Design Accessories

If you changed up your holistic space to get cozy during the cooler months, it's time to switch back to breezy, cooling accessories for your space. Replace darker colors with light blues, greens and pastels; swap heavy drapes for thin curtains; opt for airy, organic linens and maybe even throw in a few summer-themed pillows! Check out this My Favorite Things post for some of our favorite summer design accessories.

Add the Water Element

June is the peak of the fire season, and the best way to balance out excess fire is to add water. You can do this by adding actual water, kidney shaped items, dark blues and blacks and representations of water. Check out some of my favorite ways to add water to a space!

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design Feng Shui School: Energy. Meditation. Sacred Space.

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

Q&A Sunday: The Water Element as a Precious Resource

Guest User July 25, 2021

Can you talk about how water is connected to wealth and abundance?

Water is one of the five elements, or five phases, that we use as a tool in feng shui. In addition to water, the five phases include earth, fire, wood, and metal. Water is the element related to wisdom and career, as well as wealth. Your wealth and prosperity is a resource like water, and it flows like water.

I talked recently on the podcast about how fixing a leak in your home is a way of recognizing that water is a precious resource. Even one drop of water is so precious and meaningful, and we can receive a lot of teachings from that. When we take the time to care for our home, and take care of things like leaks, we also begin to consider ourselves precious and valuable. Something as simple as acknowledging a leak in your home, rather than ignoring it, and taking the time and effort to fix it, is really a way of recognizing how precious water is. This also connects to valuing the wisdom of others and our own innate wisdom, since water is connected to wisdom.

Feng shui translates to wind and water. Feng is wind, and shui is water. These are the most important elements that we need as humans to thrive. We need our breath, which is wind, and we are made up of mostly water. We need these two things in order to thrive.

I encourage you to look at how you work with the water element in your life. It could be something as simple as fixing a leak. It could also be thanking the water that you consume. We need water so much, to cleanse and hydrate our bodies. The small gesture of thanking water and acknowledging its preciousness will trickle back to how you value your own preciousness.

by Anjie Cho