What is Feng Shui? Feng means wind and shui means water in the Chinese culture and that has come to represent good health and good fortune. Many people don’t quite understand or connect the significance of feng shui with how it affects your way of living. Feng shui examines how the placement of items within a space affect the energy flow in your living environment, and how these objects interact with and influence your personal energy flow. Your personal energy flow affects how you think and act, which in turn affects how well you perform and succeed in your personal and professional life. I believe it’s important to layout your interior space so that you can allow good “qi or chi” to enter providing you with the maximum level of positive energy to flow and circulate in your surroundings. This harmonizes you with your space and can help improve your way of living. Below are some feng shui do’s and dont’s.

1. Place the bed diagonally to the door or between the door and the window so that you are facing the door but your bed is not directly in line with the door.

2. Do not place your bed directly in front of or underneath a window as energy enters and leaves a room through the windows.

3. Do not place your bed directly across from the door or in line with the door. This placement has your feet pointing towards the door in this arrangement and is the worst possible position since its considered the position of death.

4. Never place your bed on a wall shared by the bathroom.

5. Never place furniture in natural pathways in a room. This will block the energy and cause it to become stagnant and negative.

6. Place a couch against a wall in your living room//family room but not floating in the middle of the room as it allows the energy easily and freely in the surrounding.

7. Clear clutter as much as possible as it can block, interfere, and distort the flow of energy in your space.

Try rearranging your furniture to see how the flow of energy moves around in your space and if you feel an improvement in how you feel.

It’s important when choosing an area rug that you look at the material, type of weave, colors, patterns, and size that will complement your space.  There are so many rugs out there today in the market that the choices can be overwhelming.

First, determine if your space will have low, medium, or high traffic.  If you will be entertaining a lot in your living room for example, you will need to choose a rug made out of good materials that can stand the wear and tear over time.  For high traffic areas such as living rooms, hallways, or dining rooms, a wool rug is a great choice as it is regarded for its strength, durability, softness, and sturdy pile.  It has good heat insulation and is stain resistant.  However, it may be prone to shedding.  Hand-knotted wool rugs are the most ideal but also expensive as hand knotting is the most labor intensive rug making technique.   Hand-tufted wool rugs are easier to manufacture and work well for high traffic areas without being as expensive.  Sisal rugs are also another great option for high traffic areas.

For medium traffic areas such as your office space or bedroom,  you can also choose wool rugs or another affordable option is polyester or synthetic rugs such as nylon, acrylic, and polypropylene/olefin.  These materials are often used to mimic the characteristics of natural fibers and is strong and stain resistant.  For example, polypropylene is often used as an inexpensive, but comparably soft substitute for wool.  Jute rugs are also recommended for medium traffic areas as it has soft underfoot texture, but it is the least durable.

Finally, for low traffic areas such as formal areas and guest rooms, you can select leather, cotton, or silk rugs.  These rugs are soft to the touch but do require care and maintenance.

Lowe’s has a great guide for purchasing area rugs.

You can find lots of images for high, medium, and low traffic area rugs from Houzz so definitely search for images that inspire you from Houzz.

I wrote a previous blog about interior design being affordable in SF and I want to revisit this topic because I feel many people still don’t really understand the value of interior design. The problem I see is these people who don’t understand interior design find it difficult to measure. It is intangible. It’s not a physical object like an iphone or a blouse that you can quantify. Therefore, many people find it difficult to value interior design in terms of dollars unless they have been exposed to the industry.

I have met with people who were only concerned with how much hiring an interior designer would cost them. They didn’t care about the RESULTS they would receive from hiring an interior designer. These potential clients didn’t understand the value of hiring a designer and what the designer could achieve for them and how they can change their life. Hiring and paying for an interior designer at market rate fees far outweighs the costly mistakes of DIY projects, loss of money from rentals with lack of renters, or the decreased value of a home. The value is in the relationship, connection, and experience an interior designer offers.

The key is educating people about interior design. Therefore, I came up with a list of positive values for hiring an interior designer.

1. An interior designer will help you increase the value of your home (ex: kitchen/bath renovation)

2. An interior designer solves your design problems functionally and aesthetically (space layout, storage issues, etc…)

3. An interior designer has access to many resources (products, materials, finishes, and contractors) that you might not have access to.

4. An interior designer has the background and expertise to help you clarify your vision, put it together, and execute properly.

5. An interior designer saves you time if you are too busy as they know the process, people, and the products.

6. An interior designer can save you $$ by helping you avoid costly mistakes which includes DIY mistakes.

7. An interior designer can help you design your rental and rent it out quickly to generate income.

8. Most importantly, an interior designer offers an experience that can change your life.

After meeting with my last potential client who was not the right client, I was reminded of Stanley Abercrombie. Stanley is one of the most influential design writers of our time and he was the editor for Interior Design magazine for many years. Stanley puts it best. “Art is worth paying for because, in these days of social discontent and random violence, in these days of homelessness, drugs, guns and plaque, when our urban environments are becoming increasingly brutalized, we increasingly need both physical and mental refuge from that brutalization. We need the solace of interiors that are not only intelligently functional but also intelligently artful. In these days more than ever, the art of interior design is worth paying for, because a heightened quality of life is worth paying for.”

Interior design has value and it is absolutely worth paying for.

Orange and black are wonderful color combinations to incorporate into your space. It’s not only the colors that represent the SF Giants, but its also the colors of Halloween which is just around the corner. It is such a bright and happy color that radiates warmth against the cool and elegant black. The colors complement each other very well. Adding patterns and textures in orange and black will give your space that edge, spark, and pop! Also, orange comes in various shades and hues from light pastel to bright bold for those of you who are still warming up to the idea of introducing orange into your space. There is so much you can do with the color scheme that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. If you want to start out small, you can paint your walls or even paint existing furniture such as bookshelves or night stands in a shade of orange. You can add accent pillows, hang artwork and new drapes, replace light fixtures, reupholster your chair or sofa, in Halloween colors. Give your place a splash with orange and black just in time to celebrate Halloween!

Weaver Design Group

In this living room designed by Weaver Design Group, orange accents were used such as pillows, artwork, throws, and floor lamp against a black and white base color with various use of patterns in different scales.

Diego Alejandro Design

In this modern dining room design by Diego Alejandro Design, the seating, artwork and candles provide a pop of orange in contrast to the dark floors, patterned rug, and black and white picture frames.

De Mattei Construction

This modern kitchen designed by De Mattei Construction displays a mimimal, clean, and sleek design with different colors on the cabinetry from orange to white to black.  It’s very interesting because the kitchen cabinetry are not all one color but split between 3 different colors to provide visual interest to the space.

Orange and black office

I love this transitional home office design by Christi Holcomb.  The large scale patterned orange rug with the drapes brings vibrancy to the space in contrast to the dark walls and shelves.

 Orange and black bedroom

This is such a great space, especially the recessed wall where the bed resides and the pop of orange and black in the room. 

I hope you enjoyed these wonderful interior design images that use orange and black color schemes and perhaps it will inspire you to be creative with your own space this Halloween!

Recently I was on Houzz.com researching some products for a kitchen design and stumbled on a custom plywood and furniture cabinet shop called Kerf. Their shop is located in Seattle, Washington and the custom cabinetry they create is not only colorful and fun but appears very functional and simple. The design of each of their custom project comes from a seamless integration of three essential components: the function of the item, the method of its construction, and a simple unadorned presentation of the materials from which it is made – plywood and plastic laminate. It’s a neat idea which allows you to create custom designs by selecting the colors you want and also determining placement of the custom cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and interior frames.What was originally just a simple plain kitchen turns into a fun and exciting design with a pop of color!

Below are some of their amazing custom projects.

Kerf Custom Kitchen Cabinetry

Kerf Custom Bathroom cabinetry

Kerf Custom Console

Kerf Custom Kitchen cabinetry

Kerf Custom Bathroom cabinetry

I came across Jo Nagasaka’s Iro collection for Established & Son’s and fell in love with it. What makes his pieces so unique and interesting is that Nagasaka peels away parts of the surface of Douglas fir boards to expose the grain before encasing the wood in brightly colored resin. Adding the pigmented resin transforms the uneven texture of the wood into a smooth surface, while the intensity of the resin’s color is affected by variations in the depth of the peeled wood. What results is a beautiful, minimalistic, simplistic, yet elegant focal point that just pops with color. Anything that involves color and texture catches my eye and I was immediately drawn to Jo Nagasaka’s stunning collection of coffee tables, side tables, chairs, credenzas, and dining tables. Different colors of resin are available from red, blue, green, and yellow. At $3,000+ retail price for a coffee table, it doesn’t come cheap but it is a beautiful work of art and definitely makes a big statement in your space! Check out some pictures of Nagasaka’s lovely pieces from his Iro collection below.

Coffee Table

Shrine Flat Table

Udukuri table

Slope Table