Franca Giuliani - Many times a client will call me for a consultation because they feel stuck. They may be uncertain as to what to do next, or they just may not have any sense of motivation. And in most cases, it's very obvious to “see” this “feeling” in their home space. Whatever is happening within us usually shows up in our environment one way or another. We just may not see it.

As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, this is a good time to address our "stuckness." Yes, we may be very busy now with the holidays, so we may be distracted as to what's really going on with us. Mark my words, however; once the last gift has been opened, once the last bite has been taken at the last holiday meal, if you have stuckness now, you'll still have stuckness when the last jingle bell sound fades away.

So before you even think about your New Year’s resolutions, I encourage you toacknowledge your existing situation. You may not understand it. You maybe not know exactly what's wrong or what to do about it. That’s okay. Just acknowledge how you feel. Then, cast positive words into your future. Again, don’t even think about how you're going to make it better. Just try to realize something that isn’t working for you anymore, and think of positive affirmations. For instance, if you worry too much, you may want to affirm, “I worry no more. I graciously accept the challenge.” Another example: “I'm bored. I shall not be bored anymore.” This just helps you acknowledge something that maybe you've not been addressing. Before you can start making changes, you first need to see that a change is necessary. Then you can start working on what to do about it.

May I make another suggestion? A new moon will occur on Thursday, December 13, and it's the last one for 2012. Whenever there's a new moon, it's always a good time to

Sheffield School, feng shuiGuest UserDecember 5, 2012Franca Giuliani, home, interior design, resolutionsComment

Feng Shui Homework: Focus on Home Lighting

Franca Giuliani - As an unwilling participant of Hurricane Sandy, my family and I were very lucky. We didn't lose our home. We had no major damage. We were only inconvenienced for 9 days without electricity: no lights, no heat, and no hot water. And this experience has strongly reminded me how much I take for granted the power of light. By the third day without light and electricity, I started realizing how dark and cold things can get so quickly.

Light offers heat. It gives warmth. It changes yin (dark) to yang (light). In essence light increases energy. It is a symbol of the element Fire. Fire is a microcosm of the sun and brings that charge of the sun into our space.

If we're lucky enough to have access to light, we can use it to bring uplifting Chi, or life force, into a space. Keep in mind these decorating tips.

Dark corners can become energized with light.
A desk with a decent lamp that shines light directly where the work actually occurs is very important.
Outdoor walkways can become alive with light, and this is a great opportunity to use solar lights.

Sheffield School, feng shuiGuest UserNovember 13, 2012Hurricane Sandy, bagua, lighting Comments

Feng Shui Homework: Travel Decor Items Will Boost Chi

Franca Giuliani - In my path I have met only a few people who hate traveling. In general I find that most people like it. Personally, I think traveling is a very important factor of life. It gives us a chance to learn new things, meet new people, and think of great ideas - all which can enrich our lives very much.

In feng shui, the bagua sector that represents this energy is found at the front right corner of your space: Helpful People and Travel (in the bagua above, it's listed as "Mentors and Networking"). It refers to the Heaven trigram and Father energy of a family, and it's associated with the number 6. This is a very powerful sector that emulates authority, control, and soaring possibilities. Having the element of metal, items with round shapes, and grays and whites in this area of your home - even in the front corner of a room - can be very beneficial for enhancing its forces.

Since it also represents travel and mentor support, it's important to have in this space symbolism of travel and symbolism of people or guides that inspire you.

And, yes here's another opportunity to be creative when you're decorating with feng shui in mind. For instance,

If a bathroom falls in this area, consider using a world map motif as a shower curtain. Start collecting hotel soaps from your journeys and use them as decor pieces.

If a kitchen falls in this space, you may want to enhance it with cook books for different countries and ethnic foods.

If here is where your living room is, there's so much you can do! Add an ottoman made of Moroccan fabric, or an item found in a Tuscan country house. Just make sure you pick things from places that you love.

feng shuiGuest UserOctober 2, 2012Franca Giuliani, bagua, decorating, home, interior design, travelComment

Feng Shui Homework: Consider the Color Blue for Your Decor

Franca Giuliani - This September started with the reminiscence of a blue moon (which occurred on August 31). For those of you who may not know, a blue moon is the second full moon occurrence in a given month. Some also say it is the fourth moon to appear in a season. Now the moon is not actually blue, so why do they call it that? There are a few different stories. The oldest one I found was because of a way to describe something so absurd that it would not happen, as in “That will happen when the moon turns blue.” And of course we eventually got the phrase, “once in a blue moon.”

No matter its origins, a blue moon is considered having powerful and magical energies. In honoring this moon, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about what the color BLUE actually means, and how we can use it in our space and lives for better harmony.

Based on a feng shui perspective, BLUE is associated with the North East/Knowledge & Self-Cultivation and the East/Family & Health sectors of the bagua. Really DARK BLUES (almost black) relate to the North /Journey & Career. SKY BLUE is associated with the South /Illumination.

Yes, BLUE is associated with sadness and melancholy. “I feel so blue,” or “I have the blues.” But in feng shui, BLUE illustrates calmness, peace, tranquility, and introspection. Therefore, it's used quite often in bedrooms (a certain shade of BLUE-GREEN can also work) to help with sleep. It can be used where people convene, such as offices, to help avoid conflict. Keep in mind, though, that everyone

Sheffield School, feng shuiGuest UserSeptember 10, 2012Franca Giuliani, bagua, blue, colors, decoratingComment

Feng Shui Homework: Do You Have an Animal House?

Franca Giuliani - As I always say, our home, our rooms, our closets, and even our office desk all tell us a lot about what's really going on within our lives. And it can be an overwhelming task to tackle the space in order to start making changes. Sometimes what we just need is a push, especially if the space we're talking about seems to be very stale and stagnant.

Sometimes what a space may need is real active chi (the life force). That can easily be acquired by bringing in live animals, such as dogs and cats. And, I should know, because I recently dog sat for 9 days Tara - my “little” big yellow lab - and Zoey - the “BIG” little Havanese puppy. They wiped me out! And they definitely stirred up the chi in my home.

Now based on the Five Element Theory, pets and animals in general represent Fire and bring out a loving spirit in people. So having pets is a good thing. However, it's also a very big responsibility that's not for everyone.

Is there an alternative? The answer is "yes." You can still benefit from the animal spirit without actually bringing in a live animal.

Sheffield School, feng shuiGuest UserAugust 13, 2012Chi, Franca Giuliani, animals, printsComment