Sunday, August 4, 2013

Why I love interior design:  

 Furniture, a good occasional chair that has a 
tufted back can give your room a new lift.

Fabrics that come in a variety of colors always
gets me in the mood to decorate.  I love this pattern
from Duralee.


Lighting, I have always had a fascination with lighting.
Whether it is glass, paper or another material, lighting can
change the way you see a room.  It sets the drama for the stage.
These lights are from J. Batchelor Showroom at 
the DCOTA Center in Dania, Florida.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Feng Shui with a Twist of Lime - Please!


Call me crazy but I was on one of shopping runs to Target and what did I find, but several new color palettes in the home décor section!  One of my favorite colors popped up, and that color is lime.  It’s a little earthy palette I was zoning in on.  It was mixed with classic neutrals and then there it was my color, lime.  Honestly, this color uplifts me every time I see it.  It’s true, it will awaken your senses if you’re sitting and reading at your computer.  It will evoke a memory (hopefully a happy one) and inspire some creative thinking.  My new color palette included slate grey, dove grey, turquoise and lime.  Where was I going to use this new palette?  In my office!

After I got home from Target, I ran to my Color & Texture Bible to see if I could find this scheme.   There it was on page 146 in the Naturals section labeled “vibrant”.  The color lime is vibrant.  When you say it, several visuals come to mind.  I don’t need to paint you a picture, you can see it in your mind and you’re probably wondering what I mean, Feng Shui with a twist of lime.  And you’re wondering why Feng Shui?  Let me tell you, I have my reasons for Feng Shui, I needed uplifting and I found my answers to feeling so drab in the Office Feng Shui, Creating Harmony in your Work Space book written by Darrin Zeer.

First I want to help you quickly understand Feng Shui, because I am always being asked, “Do you do Feng Shui?”   To which I always reply, “Sometimes, do you?”  The truth is most people don’t understand the concept but would love to put Feng Shui into practice.  I can tell you that a little harmony and positive energy is all I was looking for.  So here goes, Feng Shui is a design principle.  To understand the art of Feng Shui, it’s important to be aware of this eastern belief that there is hidden moving power within/through our space.  The theory comes from China from about the 1700’s and it’s the practice of working with energy as it flows through our environments.  The Chinese call this energy “Chi.” The Chinese believe that the placement of objects should be in harmony with their “chi” or energy to bring harmony.  What wall should the mirror go on?  What position should my desk be in at my office?  These are the kinds of questions I get asked and today I want to incorporate the principles of Feng Shui.  I’m using my new office space to show you how to the incorporate these basic principles of Feng Shui as I understand it.


My plight begins with my cluttered, unharmonious desk.  It was a 9-month disgrace; a garbage dump of unfinished projects.  We moved into our new office in January and this was the first moment I had to de-clutter my space.  While working here, I was avoiding it.  To say I was ready for this was an understatement.

 In this office make-over, I will de-clutter, organize and Feng Shui my work space.  That was a mouthful and I haven’t even given you a visual.  So here’s my messy, disorganized space.  The first principle that Zeer wants you to adopt is to de-clutter.   Do not encourage messy desk syndrome because you can’t accomplish anything you want, let alone be creative and take phone calls on a desk with chaos all around you.  A clear desk, a clear mind is the thought here.  The next second principle is organization.  Organize the areas of your desk with the Desktop Map of Success.  
What the map of success says is create zones or areas on your desktop to maximize the flow of energy.  I’ve created the map for you to look at above.  

Do you see the zones, Courage, Care, Calm, Connectivity and Creativity.  Nice choice of harmonious words and super layout if you have such a perfect desk.  I do not have this desk, I have an “L” shaped desk layout.  I’ve interpreted the best way I can and it really works off of creativity being central and with the other areas, falling into place like the drawing below. 


You see my desk here in the visual.  See how each area is defined by Feng Shui and how the elements are to lay out by task.  This harmony or balance of energy on your desk is supposed to create positive Chi.  It should rev up your ability to communicate effectively, be creative and have courage to use good business principles.  Are you on board yet?  In case you’re not, here is a little more proof that there is something positively unique to Feng Shui.

What this new layout has done for me, my desk and my outlook, is positive.  Three to four days from completing this design, I was given a tip for someone that needed a renovation.  It took me three-four phone calls to accomplish a connection.  My courage was moving the phone to my left.  I don’t know why, but that has always been successful for me.  I attribute it to that I need a lot of courage in contacting people.  I don’t want to be annoying when it comes to that, so I shy away from more than one phone call.  This time, I did not.  I figured I had nothing to lose by continually trying to connect with the potential client.  It worked.  I have a client and I really attribute it to something that I believe Feng Shui teaches, positive attitude.  My attitude is changed.  I can look at my tree picture and feel so grounded.  I can place my computer monitor and tablet in the center and know that I am creating good.  I see positive, I feel positive, I believe positive.  That’s my story on Feng Shui with a twist of lime.  My finished redesigned desk project is below {you can click on it and see it larger.}


The last point I want to tell you is important also.  The elements I chose for this project have to do with Feng Shui and what elements must be represented in a successful design.  The elements are: fire, wind, air, earth and water.  The elements you choose must be represented from these five elements.  The elements are driven by Chi and flow through them.  My earth was the lime color, like the green carpet tile and soft back pillow.  The fire, red poppy fields of the photo represents my courage.  The water was the teal accents and the wind was dove grey, and represented by the dove on the desk in the caring section next to creativity.  The fire was also the shiny metal objects, the pails of shells and starfish.  This is how I relate to people and put in the connectivity section of my desk.  The photo shown below details the elements I purchased, and brought from home.  They were in line with the new color palette and the principles of Feng Shui.


Whether your desk needs a makeover or you want to incorporate the principles of Feng Shui at home, they are easy to incorporate and will yield good results.  If you have a desire to work with an Interior Designer and learn more about Feng Shui, give me a call! 


Monday, September 3, 2012

Website Launch!

I've finally managed to create my Interior Design Website and would love any feedback you can give me.
Here is the address:  FLA-designer.  {click on the link}

Until I merge the site to WIX, it will show wix logos.  After I move the site, it won't be noticeable.  Thank you, please feel free to leave comments/suggestions.

Friday, August 17, 2012

What's Up Dude?

When I started on this journey one year ago, I never thought I would be able to design myself.  Or should I say design enough stuff.  Why, do I want to design stuff?  Because I live and breath in design.  You know some people are spiritual and always have the nice things to say when we're down.  Well, I'm your friend that always can help you see a new color, texture, or just a cool "dude" saying.  My eldest son is such a "dude bro."  You know what I mean, they walk around all quiet saying little jokes that only their BFF dude bro understands.  They watch TV shows called, "Bully Beat Down" and "Ridiculousness".  Are you smiling yet?  Do you know a Dude?  I have two dudes at home and this is really just my desire to capture them in the colors and textures.  I'm putting them on sale over at my Etsy store.  {I still love that platform and love all the craftsmen there.}  The links will be below if you want to see them in more detail at the Etsy store.  Have a great day today, and make something creative!  It does the mind good. :)



The layout that inspired "Dude":)