Feng Shui

We have a lovely old French pear wood farm table which is old and worn. The wood glows along with all of the historic marks from many meals with friends and it has travelled with us to different places over the years. It has been a central table for meals, my office and a place to anchor our lives around. It is in the top three pieces of furniture including the sofa and the bed for happiness, rest and a sense of peace. The other night we had friends around in France for an Indian dinner, not exactly what

"We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know", (W. H. Auden). The Helpful People & Travel sector is diagonally opposite the Wealth sector on the Bagua Map, and the two go hand in hand. Helpful people are friends, associates, your bank manager, real estate agent, carer, doctor and anyone else who makes your life easier and happier. The Wealth sector is often supported by helpful people if we think about those who help us make things happen. This sector is often left inactive as most people focus

I have given in and the tree is decorated, fairy lights are out and a small fortune has been spent on baubles and decor ready to enter into the Christmas season. Maya Angelou said, "I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights". I am with her. It is a crazy time with so much expectation packed in a few weeks and full of nostalgia, Hollywood movies pressure and the dream of happy families and good cheer. Some stores

This is a very practical post based on recent questions from friends regarding renting a place and managing Feng Shui practices. Some have a house, some an apartment and others, just a room. Not easy to manage and also, most requests are from people on a budget or who are not keen on spending too much money on a temporary space. Start with the owner and ask for permission to make changes, they can always say yes. Many are willing to allow changes and painting within reason as long as the apartment is restored to its former glory for

While some people live in a world of black and white, most of us live in tones of grey, moving across both colours. Some interior designers see black and white as being 'non-colours' and others, as the perfect monochromatic palette. Rooms can look chic, simple and dramatic with the sheer simplicity of the two colours combined. Personally, I immediately itch to add a third colour, lemon, lime, aqua, pink, red or orange; anything to lift the space.   Black is Black Black represents the Water element in Feng Shui. Think gentle flows of emotion and growth and not full-on

"Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink" said Lily Pulitzer. Pink represents charm, femininity, innocence and romance. A colour that only came in vogue during the 18th century at the French royal courts and by the 1950s, has become associated with women. Feng Shui practice has pink as a shade of red, one of the lucky colours and associated with Fire and all about romance, passion and keeping something alight. It is a popular colour in Southern France and Italy and against the blue skies, offers a sense of sherbet, summer and the sea.   Feng Shui

Sometimes I have to post a practical, straightforward post and this is one of them. Curtains versus blinds. I am on record stating that I prefer blinds any time. They attract less dust, look chic and you can manage the level of light and privacy. We have managed with old curtains the last couple of years due to window styles and once again, we can't have blinds due to metal window frames. So, we are replacing some old curtains in the lounge with ones of better quality. Once you have decided on which way to go, consider what the