Bigger is not always better.1 So many homes today echo – ceilings soar with floor to ceiling windows and rooms are expansive with hard, bare floors. A cozy home feels like a warm embrace. It feels welcoming and draws you in. It has good flow, a balance of both nature’s five elements and yin and yang, and personality.
To make big feel cozy, consider “tone-on-tone” neutral colors. 2 Pull furniture away from the wall to open walkways for good flow. Create and define intimate seating arrangements for four to six people. Hang art at eye level to bring ceilings down.
Bring in the elements. Scented candles and a touch of red add fire; the color brown and earthen pots bring in earth; the color white and metal lamps represent metal; the color black and glass add water; and wooden floors and plants bring in wood.
Balance yin (female) and yang (male). Soften hard angular yang surfaces with soft yin rugs, drapes, pillows, and throws. Arrange things in fives to encourage conversation, threes for a sense of community and pairs to influence romance.3
Finally, add some personality! Accessorize with a display of family photos, books you love, and beautiful heirlooms.
–by Tammy Long, reprinted from Feng Shui Lifestyles April-June 2010 Edition,
A Quarterly Newsletter for Harmonious Living from A SuiteSpace, llc.
1) Susanka, Sarah (1998). The Not So Big House, A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live. Newtown, CT: The Tauton Press, 7.
2) Hoppen, Stephanie (2006). Perfect Neutrals, Color You Can Live With. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 13.
3) Stasney, Sharon (2000). Feng Shui Chic, Stylish Designs for Harmonious Living. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 116-120.
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