Feng Shui & Color: Green and Blue

Guest User March 3, 2021

Color is a simple and powerful way to shift the energy of a space. Just think about how you feel walking into a bedroom that’s painted bright pink versus a similar room painted in deep charcoal gray. Also, there are so many possibilities when it comes to introducing color into your home, so it can be a fun way to get creative with your space!

Today, I want to talk about green and blue. Greens, blues, and teals are associated with hope, new beginnings, and growth. They’re tied to the wood element in feng shui, which represents vitality and healing.

Green and blue are also calming and relaxing. They can be tranquil, healthy, and restorative, and soothing for the eyes. They’re balancing colors that are often found in nature, in trees, plants, and the sky. There have even been scientific studies where people have healed much more quickly when they have views of nature.

In feng shui, wood element colors like green and blue represent life energy and are connected to the Zhen or new beginnings area of the bagua. Green is also related to the heart chakra, and blue to the throat chakra.

Greens and blues are great colors to choose for wall paint. They work well in most rooms, and the softer versions of these hues are especially good for bedrooms and other areas where you want to rest. In more public rooms like your living room, you can use stronger tones, like vibrant teals, to invigorate, refresh, and promote conversation.

Another way to introduce green and blue is through crystals in these colors, like turquoise, aquamarine, and malachite. You can also add green in the form of plants, which promote growth and healing.

As you’re thinking about how you want to use colors in your home, make sure to follow your own preferences and intuition. We all have different associations with particular colors, and the most important thing to remember is that the colors in your home should feel good to you.

by Anjie Cho

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

Stress Less with These Colors

Anjie Cho December 2, 2020

Photo by Dayvison de Oliveira Silva on Pexels

Feeling stressed? Get this: Your decorating color scheme can help you keep the chaos of your to-do list in check and the weight of the world off your shoulders. In BTB feng shui, colors are one of the simplest ways to shift the energy of a space.

Set aside some time to grab a paint brush and coat your walls with a soothing, stress-busting hue of calm from the following list:

Cool Blues

Is there anything more relaxing than gazing up at a clear, blue sky, other than, perhaps, watching rippling blue water? It’s no wonder blue tops the list of stress-free color palettes. Take your pick from soft, watery shades to muted blue-gray hues for a tranquil, peaceful, and calm environment. In feng shui, blues also relate to the wood element.

Go Green

Evoking the tranquility of nature, green can relax the body and the mind. Stick with muted, natural shades in green-beige tones and muted yellow-green. You want to select colors found in nature, as supposed to the louder, bolder, brighter hues. Complement this wall color with décor made of natural materials. In feng shui, greens also relate to the wood element.

Think Pink

Although you’ll want to avoid its more saturated, bold cousin “red,” peaceful pink can promote balance. Look for pale dusty hues while avoiding the hot-pink and bubblegum shades. Not ready to commit to a room full of pink walls? Use it as an accent color in a room with neutral walls. Pinks also relate to the feng shui bagua map area of relationships and partnership, it's very yin and feminine.

Peaceful Purple

Looking for strength, peace and wisdom? Decorate with violet to introduce balance and relaxation. Finding the right shade of purple is key. Stay away from shades with too much black to avoid a cold feel. On the other hand, deep, rich purples can be stimulating. Select a purple like lavender for the best results. Purples also relate to the feng shui bagua map area of abundance and wealth.

Shades of Grey

Not only is grey the trending neutral, it’s also soothing. This versatile, calm color is the perfect canvas to build upon. Paint your room grey and use the other tonal families on this list for your accent pieces. In the feng shui bagua map, greys relate to the area of benefactors and helpful people, it's a related to the elements of metal and water.

Don’t get warm

Shades of red, yellow and orange are wonderful, energizing colors; and as such, they're not the first choice for stress-busting rest and relaxation. Red, as an example, is stimulating. It’s the color we associate with passion. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up and an energy boost, red is your go-to color. If peace is on your agenda, however, it’s best to leave it out.

by Anjie Cho

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

The Benefits of Natural Sunlight: Health, Happiness and Beauty

Anjie Cho March 4, 2020

The sun is a star fixed at the center of our solar system — everything revolves around it. In many ways, the sun sits at the center of our lives, too. We orient our homes to capture its warmth. We keep time by its passage. It produces the heat and light that keeps us alive.

These are obvious ways that we depend on the sun. But science tells us that we benefit from sunlight in surprising ways too. Did you know that sunlight can:

• Make you happy?

• Help you to sleep better?

• Boost your immune system?

• Reduce your risk of cancer?

• Lower your cholesterol and blood pressure?

Research shows that a few minutes of sunlight each day can produce so many significant benefits. Health care professionals may not agree about how much sun we need, but they do agree that we suffer without it.

The Science of Sunlight

The rising and setting of the sun has a lot to do with our body’s natural rhythm, known as our Circadian Rhythm. Our body’s hormones actually respond to sunlight. At night, our bodies produce melatonin to make us drowsy. Come morning, our bodies respond to sunlight by producing serotonin, a “feel good” hormone that stimulates our brains, influences our moods, controls our appetite, and fights stress. Without sunlight, our body can fall out of its natural rhythm.

In response to direct sunlight, our body produces vitamin D – crucial for healthy immune systems and skin, brain activity, and bone growth. Vitamin D has also been proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, fight disease, and to encourage better sleep.

Disruptions (or lack of sunlight) can trigger a domino effect that leads to poor sleep, depression, and compromised immune systems – an obviously unhealthy cycle. Kind of makes you a little eager to get out in that sunshine, huh? It should. We have a long history (and healthy relationship) with the sun and that’s not going to change any time soon.

So how can you add more natural light to a dark space?

• Add some shine

The more shiny surfaces you have in a room, the brighter it will appear. Add brass doorknobs and lighting fixtures, mirrors, silver frames, or acrylic furniture.

• Treat the windows

For maximum sunlight, keep your windows unobstructed. Choose sheer fabrics, or cover only the outer edges of the window to create a larger appearance without blocking any light.