Following up on my previous blog post, I want to show you the rest of our renovation through a Feng Shui lens.
As I mentioned in the previous newsletter, we found out we were moving to another city at the end of our renovation, right when we were about to dive into the fun customization/decor phase. Knowing we had to sell soon, we therefore stayed budget-conscious. We avoided the temptation of just-for-fun decor choices like wallpapers (hard to remove), which could have potentially deterred some buyers or built-ins (costly and subjective).
We used the Pareto principle (80/20 rule) to finish our house (the idea that only a small percentage of actions have an outsized impact, while other more time-consuming actions may have a minimal impact on the overall result). As an example, we focused on fixing the appearance of the staircase by painting it with a high-quality paint, and installing a rug runner. Our new strategy became: 1/ Make the energy as welcoming and positive as possible for everyone in our house and for potential buyers, while forgetting about the time-consuming details that I may have preferred but not needed either for Feng Shui or resale. 2/ But also make it fun enough for us, and Feng Shui enough for us to live happily in our house.
Many visitors have asked us why we did not have a TV in the living room. I don’t love for a TV to overpower conversations in a common area. We have books, games and a record player, and a wonderful view of the swimming pool. No need for a TV! In Feng Shui, TVs are not considered very auspicious for that reason. Best to keep it contained in a room and not turned on all the time. If you must keep it in the living room, try to keep it in a cabinet that you can close when it’s not in use. (You could also buy a screen that can disguise as art when not used).
Please find below photos and descriptions of our dining room, living room, TV room and staircase with the corresponding “before” photos.
In the living room, which, according to our Bagua Map, sits in the Wisdom gua (pictured below), the mirror mitigates the Fire element from the fireplace and adds the much needed Water element – as do the black accents throughout the room. The Wisdom gua needs both Water and Earth as dominant elements. We bought square-shaped furniture, added a rectangular rug and frames (the earth element is represented through square and rectangular shapes), as well as created a cream palette to further strengthen that element. We completed the room using the color white (Metal), Wood (floors and accents), as well as a bit of Fire (candles, lights and of course, the fireplace).
