Archive for August, 2008
by Debra Smith
I’m thrilled when readers tell me about their cool projects. That’s what happened with today’s Home and Garden story on Stanwood’s Cathy Gemkow, who built her own bentwood garden furniture and gazebo.
Her neighbor prodded her to call me, and I’m glad she did. She built a series of potting tables, an arbor and a gazebo from fallen wood on her property. She spent very little money and worked out how to do this project by reading books on the subject.
She started with small tables and she said anybody can do those. Similar rustic furniture can sell for hundreds. So what do you have to lose? If you’re interested, here are a few books to check out:
“Making Bentwood” by Jim Long
“Making Twig Garden Furniture” by Abby Ruof
“Making Rustic Furniture” by Daniel Mack
Taken from www.heraldnet.com
August 29th, 2008
August 28th, 2008 | by Adam Lucking | So then, other than getting a chair and desk for employees, is there any point in thinking about the type of office furniture to buy?
Well, yes there is. There are huge ranges of furniture to fill your office with, from the cheap and cheerful to the incredibly stylish but expensive. Getting the right balance between style and function can be extremely tricky, but it is worth talking the time to consider. Remember, it is not just about “getting bums on seats”, it is about your brand, culture and corporate identity.
You can communicate this through the choice of office furniture. For example, choosing an oak desk over the usual glass desk will speak volumes to your customers and staff. You are usually judged on everything that is in your office, including the furniture. Effectively using colour can be used to increase the brand.
Colour schemes can affect customers and staff psychologically. Well designed offices can dramatically increase motivation and productivity as well as giving a strong setting for conferences and client meetings.
Of course if you don’t want to think about decking out your office with furniture, then perhaps a serviced office solution is the answer. Typically they are all styled to suit your company requirements.
Taken from www.choregus.co.uk
August 29th, 2008
BY VALERIE SUDOL
Star-Ledger Staff
With Labor Day weekend upon us, summer is down to its last few weeks and it’s time to come home from the beach, mentally and physically.
We can’t ignore the cooler nights, the onset of the school year and the uptick in social obligations that September brings. But we can remain steadfastly in denial out in our gardens, where the season has another two months to go. Call me stubborn, but I’m not coming inside any sooner than I have to.
By summer’s end, the garden often has gone a little wild, since who among us has been entirely faithful about the weeding and watering? Admit it: The vegetable patch is a jungle, the borders are a mess and the container plants are looking a little sad, all spent flowers and yellow foliage.
It’s the perfect time for a bit of sprucing up to refresh the view and fend off the end-of-season gardening blues. My strategy involves ruthlessly sweeping away the exhausted players of the summer garden. On the battlefront of gardening, a little triage is a wonderful thing.
For a couple of weeks, I’ve been trying not to notice that the pots of verbena at my back doorstep are on their last legs. I don’t think they ever recovered from a series of thunderstorms that drenched them to the tips of their root hairs and savaged them with hail.
Over-watered verbenas paradoxically turn brown and ugly, as if drought-stricken. It’s edema, technically, and in an advanced case, the stems and leaves look sickly and the flowering stops. There’s only one thing to do with such sad sacks, and that’s ditch them. Thank you, and goodbye!
Last weekend, I wheeled up the big garden cart and started dumping tired container plants. Nominated for compost fodder were the verbenas, certain pathetically skinny zinnias and a spider flower that planted itself in one of my pots and hung on through neglect and adversity.
A fine-bladed ornamental grass whose name I can’t recall still looks spiffy on my back steps and makes a nice foil for other specimens. To keep it company, I drafted a few container plants from the patio, thinning the mass of vegetation that was engulfing the furniture and advancing toward the grill. An achillea here, a pot of calibrachoa there, a pair of sun-tolerant impatiens to frame the door — all of a sudden, things looked much better.
Two pots of white petunias joined the backstairs crew, but they are on probation. I cut them sharply back, getting rid of straggly stems and spent blossoms, and gave them a healthy dose of fertilizer. If they don’t perk up within two weeks, they’re history. Mums are coming, after all.
Back on the patio, I contemplated the cannas, whose big, dark leaves were shredded and shattered by a vicious hailstorm a few weeks back. I cut a foot or so off a pair of ‘Tropicana Black’ and moved them to a container plant grouping along my path, plugging the holes left by the discarded zinnias.
Who knows? In the two months ahead, the cannas may sprout some new foliage and redeem themselves. If they don’t, there’s always mums.
Out in the garden, I went on a pruning-fest. By the time I had clopped the broken phlox stems, removed the dead astilbe stalks, trimmed back the several veronicas and deadheaded the potted rose, things were not looking half bad.
I’m a big fan of late bloomers (perhaps I am one myself?), so I have lots of plants that are now preparing to flower. The ‘Purple Dome’ asters, the short ‘Little Lemon’ goldenrods and the ‘Strawberry and Cream’ sedums are fully budded and ready to rock and roll. My hefty patch of Japanese anemones is already in flower, sweet as could be. As temperatures cool, a fresh flush of color will spread through the garden — and if the moon flowers on the arches bloom before frost, I’ll be a happy camper.
It really didn’t take more than a couple of hours to tame the garden and thin the container plants, clearing away the debris of summer and preparing for the final third of the season. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
To reach Valerie Sudol, write to The Star-Ledger, 1 Star Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J. 07102-1200 or e-mail vsudol@starledger.com.
August 28th, 2008
1) The first step is to evaluate the structural design of the window itself. Also, look at the window in the framework of the room and how the room is used. Do you have beautiful windows that you want to show off or do your windows need a little help with some type of window “cover-up”?
2) What is your decorating style? Do you love displaying your collectibles, or do you like a neat, clean surface that’s easy to care for? Do you like free-standing furniture or are built-in furnishings more your style? These two questions will help you determine whether you prefer upholstery cleaning system look or a more contemporary style and will help you coordinate your window treatment with your decorating style. This is a useful home decorating tip to use on a regular basis.
3) Next, spend plenty of time deciding on a fabric. Don’t be rushed into making a costly mistake. When making your decision, keep in mind how the material will be used and also the drape of the material. It is best to hold the material the way it will be hanging at the window.
4) Another home decorating tip is to start the selection process with your favorite color instead of being influenced by fashion or by the idea that you simply want something different. s upholstery cleaning into consideration how light and the change of seasons affect color. Be daring with accent colors! If you are in doubt of the color for your window treatments, select curtain fabrics that are a little lighter than the color of your walls.
5) Pattern acts in a different way at the window than it does in other places. You will need to consider how it looks when the window treatments are opened and closed, or when the shades ms memory loss pulled up and let down. Consider the scale of the pattern so it doesn’t overwhelm the window or be so subtle it can hardly be seen from a distance.
6) Texture is a good way to bring interest to your window treatments if having pattern at the window is not your style. The use of velvet, silk, lace, damask, or linen as window treatments adds elegance to a pattern-free room.
7) Take home a few swatches of fabric to see how the colors and patterns blend in your room. Go a step further and order a small amount of fabric, for instance, upholstery cleaning nashville and pin together a miniature window treatment that you place around your window. After a few days of observing the swatches in different light, you are ready to place your order.
Once your window treatments are hanging in place, you will be glad you spent the extra time and effort in selecting them. A home decorating tip to keep in mind is to be creative as well as patient when decorating.
Taken from www.corsavoo.com
August 27th, 2008
The whole idea of “cheap” is relative; for everything with a high price tag is not made with quality. Cheap garden furniture means good quality at the best price to be found for your budget. When you are sitting in your backyard in your cheap garden furniture, you will be able to relax, instead of wondering how the credit card charge will get paid next month.
Your pursuit of cheap garden furniture will progress faster if you have a clear idea of what you need to fit your décor theme, entertaining needs and material preference. That narrows down the task to understanding what features your furniture must have to be safe to use and care for it.
You will find some garden furniture that is made according to the quality standards in outdoor furniture under some unique selling conditions, for example clearance sales, where every color is not available cleaning quantities are limited. Buying garden furniture requires a bit of flexibility, in terms of the setting you want to create. Obviously you have to decide what’s most important: the color or the function?
Although the hunt for the ideal set of cheap garden furniture does take more time than simply pointing your mouse at the online catalog picture and selecting the “buy now” button. You are certain to meet one or two upholstery cleaning raleigh living and breathing storytellers with advice about buying cheap garden furniture and what is better than first hand experience?
There is definitely a sense of accomplishment when you manage to find an item at a cost that is far less than many advertised prices. Buying garden furniture on the cheap that has good quality is a smart way to shop, ranking close to cheap designer fashions.
The nightmare side of cheap garden furniture is wrought with all forms of poor craftsmanship, unsafe materials and furniture made from wood harvested in violation of forestry standards. Shopping for garden furniture will show you just how far some manufacturers will go to get your money.
By and large you will most likely have a pleasant experience shopping for garden furniture, it opens the door to improve your “haggling” skills; bartering is the art of the smart, experienced shopper.
There are some wonderful bargains to be found in cheap garden furniture, take your time and source out the best material for your weather professional upholstery cleaners to avoid heartbreak when your purchase fails to withstand Mother Nature. No matter how much you love wicker garden furniture, if you live in a windy city, you may find yourself chasing your furniture more than you would like.
Taken from www.corsavoo.com
August 26th, 2008
Type of cloth you have to use?
always use dusting cloth which is treated to attract and hold dust and leave furniture spotless. Also use only soft, lint-free, and absorbent cloth for cleaning and polishing.
How to polish your antique furniture?
Always use a quality furniture polish as it will lessen your chance of expensive refinishing jobs, the best advisable thing is to polish approximately once a month if possible. If there happens to be any spills, clean it immediately, use a blotting action rather than wiping.
Do you know that the temperature, humidity, and light affect your furniture?
Avoid placing furniture in direct sunlight as sunlight causes fading. Try to avoid extreme humidity conditions as too high or too low humidity amp; upholstery cleaners cause wood to warp or the glue lines to fail. Avoid extreme changes in temperature. Arrange furniture away from radiators, registers, and air-conditioning units.
Do you maintain the surfaces of the antique furniture properly?
Rotate accessories on furniture so they do not sit in the same spot all of the time. Avoid placing plastic or rubber objects on a wood finish as their ingredients react with those of the finish. Use pads, cloth residential carpet cleaning to protect the furniture surface from plastic, rubber, hot dishes, beverages, bookends, flower pots, and vases. Use protective pad when writing with a ballpoint pen. Lift and place objects, do not drag them across the furniture surface.
How do you make repairs in your antique furniture?
Make minor repairs while they are still small. Use the proper materials or professional help to repair badly damaged surfaces. Avoid wax polishes and regular use of wax polishes may result in the build-up cleaning business film on the surface of the furniture, this build-up may pick up dirt, smoke, and other pollutants in the air, which may result in smudges and streaks. Use long enough, this may cause the finish to soften requiring expensive refinishing work.
Wax build-up over time hardens, making it difficult to remove from the furniture’s finish. Avoid silicone polishes, the silicone oil is an ingredient used by many furniture polish makers to create a high degree of upholstery and cleaning Silicone seeps into even the most lacquered finishes, making it difficult to remove. Should it become necessary to refinish a piece of furniture, silicone makes it a very difficult process even for a professional refinisher. Most furniture manufactures recommend using polishes that do not contain silicone.
Taken from www.corsavoo.com
August 25th, 2008
Furniture makers are designing pieces that are stylish and functional in order to accommodate the latest advances in audio and video products.
For example, aspenhome offers the Bel Aire C2 home theater, a combination of seating components that resemble theater-style seating. Pieces recline, and additional units provide storage or a tray table for snacking. Three leather sofas with storage and wedge units retail for about $4,600.
The company also designed the Chateau de Vin Max home entertainment unit, which features an iPod docking/charging station that allows you to view downloaded movies, TV shows and podcasts on your big-screen TV. A 76-inch console has a pull-out component drawer, gamer drawer with the connections to plug in game units and a storage area for component pieces, subwoofer storage, glass front doors for remote control use and integrated cord management. It retails for about $1,700.
Consoles for flat-screen TVs were hot items at the most recent High Point (N.C.) Furniture Market, and several manufacturers rolled out handsome pieces.
Hooker Furniture, for example, has a variety of options for displaying flat-panel TVs, including wall units, consoles with hutches and hideaway consoles with lifts that allow you to conceal the TV when it’s not in use.
The company’s North Hampton home theater wall combines architectural columns and the contrast of hand-painted maple veneers against a textured black finish for a distinctive look.
The upper section features light control via three intensity touch switches on the right pier cabinet, an adjustable wood-framed glass shelf on the top and a lower adjustable wood shelf. The lower section includes a door with one adjustable shelf and levelers.
Magnussen Home’s Wellsley Collection includes a TV console featuring two wood-front doors, two top drawers, two center drawers with dividers and a bottom drawer that folds down.
Buying tips
Before setting out to buy furniture to house your TV and other entertainment accessories, consider these five tips, courtesy of Hooker Furniture:Depending on your home entertainment center, you might consider buying a console, a wall unit or an armoire-style piece.
Determine what style you hope to convey in the room. Are you shooting for a sophisticated, casual or funky feel? Choose a piece that suits your style for the room.
Decide how you will use the piece. If it will only serve to display the TV, go with a hideaway console. If you want to display personal items or collectibles, you may choose an entertainment center or wall unit that also houses the TV.
Depending on your entertaining style, whether you hold elegant parties or casual get-togethers, you might want to choose a piece that exudes casual warmth with an open front or stylish sophistication with crown molding details and glass-front doors.
Determine how much space you have for an entertainment piece. Measure the space and then add in the furniture to get a sense of how the space feels, whether it’s congested or allows flow between the pieces. If you have space limitations, look for pieces that require less floor space, such as corner units or consoles.
Contact ELAINE GASTON at 626-0299.
Taken from www.myrtlebeachonline.com
August 25th, 2008
By: Furniture World Magazine
By Randy Friedman
Furniture retailer A is doing great! They have record-breaking profits this quarter, despite the economic downturn. Their turnover rates are low and employees are motivated to succeed. Retailer B, on the other hand, is struggling. They have low employee morale, high turnover rates and profits are sagging. What could Company A be doing that Company B is not?
The people at Company A apply the skills they’ve learned on the golf course to their business. Not only is golf a great networking tool, but it also teaches many important business lessons. Fortune 500 companies like FedEx, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Kodak and many others know the power of golf. They’ve put their money into the PGA Tour for three main reasons:
They realize the power of brand association consumers make with the winning values of golf.
They know the relationship potential golf has in the business world.
They get the experience to play with golf professionals and corporate executives in Pro/Am events.
So, even if you’re not a golfer, how can you take the lessons and skills learned on the course and apply them? Here are a few insider tricks and techniques to apply to your company:
Anyone can get off the first tee … the question is, how effectively?
Think of the first tee in golf as the start of any project, job or plan in business. It’s where everything starts. It’s the place where you feel an offensive attitude like, “give me the ball, I want to play” or a defensive one like, “don’t throw me the ball, I’m not any good.”
It is your business attitude that will either help you hit down the middle of the fairway or slice it out-of-bounds. Your vision can give you a head’s up on the competition. Here are some tips for creating a clear vision to get your business team off the tee more efficiently.
Create a mission/vision statement. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Here is an example of a Fortune 500 company that has done this well. You can certainly work out something just as compelling for your furniture business.
a. Company: AutoNation
b. Slogan/Motto: Driven to be the best
Mission Statement: To be America’s best run, most profitable automotive retailer.
d. Description: AutoNation is at present one of the leading car dealers in the U.S., selling new and used automobiles, car parts, vehicle insurance and warranty, as well as doing repairs and other bodywork.
Work with your caddy. In business, this means sharing the vision with the rest of your company. You are only as strong as the team supporting and cheering you on. Check in with your staff members regularly, and preferably on a weekly basis. Everyone should be on track to complete his or her goals.
Make sure your equipment fits. In golf, it’s important that clubs fit you – not the other way around. In business your processes, technology and equipment should fit your needs and be up-to-date. Do your employees feel like their time is wasted with outdated procedures and equipment?
How do we hit more greens in golf – and make more “green” in business?
It’s all about course management! In golf, course management is how to think your way around the course. The better players take risks when it is calculated in their favor. They get back in play when a shot goes astray, and they score when they are in position to take the shot.
In business, the course management is usually defined by the team leader or supervisor. Goals define your direction, and sharing your goals with others will help you hit the small targets to reach your ultimate goal. The company’s bottom line changes when the smaller targets are hit and the goals become attainable to reach.
Here are some tips on hitting and making “the green.”
Love every club in your bag — and every member on your team! Each employee has specific gifts and talents to bring to the table.
Did you know if there is a club in your bag that you never use because you really don’t like it, it brings your game down? It’s giving off negative energy you are probably not aware of. It’s the same with your employees. So, you have two choices:
Take it out of your bag and replace it with something you do like
Remove the negative employee and replace him with someone who brings a more positive energy to the team
Start thinking, “I love this club”
Change your way of thinking to focus on the positive “I may not love this person, but they bring ___ to the team… or they bring an element to this company that we need.”
Hit the shot when you are ready. Your pre-shot routine will let you know when you are ready. If you don’t have a routine you have nothing to fall back on when the pressure is on. In business, your pre-shot routine may be a short, motivational meeting before your client comes into the office, or it might be the pep talk you have with your sales representatives when you go to a client lunch. It could be a weekly meeting with your staff to check in on company goals. Whatever it is, create a routine and stick to it. You will you feel ready to accomplish anything!
Take enough club! Your pre-shot routine will help you make the game more routine. But if your ego gets in the way thinking, you’ll start to believe you can muscle your way around the course. Most amateur golfers think they can hit the ball farther than they do. They will come up short, finding themselves in the water or in a bunker (what many golfers call “sand traps”… FYI, animals get trapped, golfers get in and out of bunkers). In business, don’t come up short by letting ego get in your way. Think things through; let your team help you. Ask your colleagues for input, do thorough research, talk it through and get outside opinions on the topic.
How to sink more putts… or in business terms, how to close the deal!
In golf, you have 18 chances to make a mark, sink the putt and get ahead of the rest of the field. In business, it’s essential to take the shot when you are in the right position. Here are some ways to sink more putts:
Get off the driving range hitting just your driver, and focus your time and energy on the practice green. Did you know 50 - 60 percent of the game takes place in the short game? Putting is the one part of the game that requires brains over brawn. Similarly, in business, much of your success is about making sure the little things get done. Your business goals are made up of smaller goals or targets. If you’re not hitting the smaller targets first, then you can’t make the bigger goals happen – then, you’re defeating the team.
Love your putter. If you say you hate your putter, there is no way it will work for you at optimum performance. The moment you love the tool you are using it becomes even better in your hands. Love elevates your emotions and feelings unlike any other thought. Similarly, you must love your product, service and company. Even if you’ve had a bad day at the office, think positive thoughts about your situation and elevate your actions with the power of your mind.
Visualize yourself making the putt, making the sale or seeing your client happy with your product or service. Acting as if you’ve already seen the outcome is a powerful tool top athletes use in every sport. Tiger Woods, the ultimate visualizing machine, is a perfect example. Why? He’s been doing it the longest. Tiger worked with a sports hypnotist as a teenager to see himself holing every putt he looked at. Can you tell by his unwavering confidence?
Believe you are the best putter or salesman in the world! It is this inner belief in yourself that brings you success in all you do. Your inner attitude will help you sink the putt, close the sale or make the deal that drives you toward success.
Getting off the first tee, hitting more greens and sinking more putts begins with an inner belief that says, “I can do this.” The most successful companies in the world know this… just ask Nike!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randy Friedman is a corporate golf professional, speaker and founder of Golf Mind Power. She helps others by applying the visualization techniques of golf to business and life. Her new book, “Your Inner Swing,” shows how self-limiting beliefs can affect performance at work, in sports and even in one’s personal life. Through mental exercises and sports hypnosis, Randy shows how to achieve the mental edge to elevate oneself to the next level. For more information or to hire Randy, visit: www.GolfMindPower.com or randy@golfmindpower.com or call: 203-240-7828.
Contents Copyright Furniture World Magazine
Taken from www.furninfo.com
August 22nd, 2008
By María Cortés González / El Paso Times
EL PASO –The children are going back to school. There’s a somewhat cool breeze in the mornings, and, let’s face it, colorful store displays scream that it’s time to think of fall.So why not look forward to sipping a steaming cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a chilly morning, or curling up on a comfy sofa with a soft blanket and a favorite read.
To help you achieve that love for all things fall, here’s a preview of trends that retailers, designers and furniture manufacturers say are sure to be a hit.
Fall into color
When you think of fall, you probably think of pumpkins, squash or falling leaves in earthy hues.
Truth be told, the colors of nature this time of year — mainly yellow, orange and brown — always translate well to linens and other elements of fall decor.
Kathy Passarette, a New York decorator, said consumers may look forward to their favorite fall colors in paints, wallpaper, fabric and accessories with some variation.
Reds will have a strong blue base and yellow base.
Orange will continue to show with brown-downed shades but also include a brighter tangerine or updated coral.
Yellow will go from bright to antique gold.
Blues will go a bit lighter than the robin egg blues. Newer versions of navy will be considered formal.
Brown will get lighter with more of a sand and tan color.Made in the USA
Americans’ concerns with the quality of some imported items such as toys are transferring to the home — mainly in
furniture. But other factors also influence an interest in American-made furniture.”The international showcase has been terrific for providing some terrific products with some new techniques in finishes and materials,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, spokeswoman for the American Home Furnishings Alliance.
“But the reality is that with (international products) it typically takes time and there’s the distance — and there’s not much flexibility,” she said. “If you want it in a different color or the size is not right, on the international scene there just isn’t that capability of making those kind of adjustments.”
Hirschhaut said the cost of manufacturing furniture overseas has risen so that it’s not the “bargain it was years ago.”
Among the companies making furniture in the United States are Abner Henry Fine Furniture, Copeland Furniture, Kincaid, Stickley and Vaughan-Bassett Furniture.
Kincaid gives a hint of its new direction with designs such American Journey, but if consumers aren’t sure which manufacturers are making furniture in America, just ask the store attendants.
Office space
The home office continues to become a place of importance as people continue to work out of their home.
Keeping that in mind, furniture manufacturers are looking for ways to help families with functional designs in pieces.
“More and more families need to be connected; their children are doing homework and moms are getting recipes for dinner,” Hirsch haut said. “Everyone has to be able to get work done at the computer, and it has to be comfortable. You can’t just plop them on the kitchen table.”
This fall, consumers will be able to find a variety of desks designed for computers or sleeker styles for laptops.
“So many people don’t have those bulky hard drives anymore, and they need to be able to set up multiple work spaces around the home,” she said.
Among the quality pieces of office furniture being offered is a laptop desk by Riverside, which offers plenty of work space and a PowerPad drawer, with a charging port for cell phones, iPods and other personal communication devices. Vanguard Furniture also makes a sleek Quentin desk with two storage drawers.
X Factor
Each season as furniture manufacturers start rolling out their new lines, some kind of design element usually stands out. This fall, during the preseason exhibition, members of the American Home Furniture Alliance noticed a prevalence of the “X” factor.
“We looked at so much product that we started noticing this classic design element,” Hirschhaut said. “It was simple, but very stylish.”
Look for the X design in the carved arms of benches, in legs of tables or in the backs of stylish chairs.
Pumpkins galore
So you didn’t plant any pumpkins, huh? Not a problem.
Retailers such as AnnieMo’s Decorator Warehouse are always looking for the latest in Halloween decorations.
This year, it’s all about natural and renewable products, owner Annie Leutze said.
Start thinking about pumpkins made out of real tree bark in various sizes for your table centerpiece. And for a complete look at what’s in store for fall, Halloween and Christmas, mark your calendar for early October when Annie Mo’s will host its open house preview.
Dare we say Christmas?
Your eyes and ears may not be ready for it, but whom are we kidding?
Some stores are decking the shelves with holiday items.
But we’ll be considerate and just give you one thing to think about as you ease into that holiday feeling — metal.
Maybe it’s the influence of the Olympics that will make metals — gold, silver and bronze — a big part of holiday decor.
There’s even a new metal surfacing, but we’ll tell you about it later in a Christmas decor feature.
Stay tuned.
María Cortés González may be reached at mcortes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6150.
Taken from www.elpasotimes.com
August 22nd, 2008
FENG SHUI MATTERS - Pinky Kapoor
 |
| A well-designed garden can help improve relationships, finances and career |
A garden, an extension to one’s home, symbolises peace, prosperity, affluence, stability and energy.
It is also a place where one likes to unwind after a hard day’s work.
The garden is a versatile space, which can be transformed easily to improve the feng shui and attract precious chi energy into one’s life.
It is believed that in ancient China, gardens were designed to mirror nature’s landscape and reap the benefits of feng shui.
For example, rocks representing mountains were positioned in well-cultivated gardens and ponds were dug to represent rivers and lakes.
The southeast of the garden represents wealth, luck and prosperity for the owners.
Hence, one should grow healthy fruit-bearing plants in this area as they symbolise prosperity.
One should grow a good combination of flowers, shrubs and trees that will keep the garden in bloom in all the four seasons.
Illuminate your garden with outdoor lights and lanterns to invite positive chi. Strive to achieve a balance of yin and yang colours in the garden.
The presence of soft colours in the form of foliage can be balanced with yang of stones and rocks.
By adding stones, pebbles, terracotta pots and statues, one can introduce the yang element and also strengthen the earth energy of the southwest corner.
One should also install a powerful light here, which will benefit one’s marriage and relationship.
Similarly the northeast can be energised for mental bliss by placing an image of Buddha.
The northeastern sector should preferably have shrubs and flower beds, whereas the southwest corner should have tall trees.
Water features can be added in the north of the garden where the sound of water gently trickling over the stones not only soothes the ear but also helps improve career prospects.
The other alternatives could be a swimming pool or even a birdbath.
A water feature is important for the garden as it subtly stimulates energy.
Ideally, ponds should be round or kidney-shaped and the water should be crystal clear.
A combination of eight fish in red or gold with one black fish is considered auspicious as it brings the energy of the mystical number nine.
Choose garden furniture that are rounded, with no sharp edges.
One can also try to build pathways that meander through the garden to encourage chi energy to flow gently through the space.
Many houses have straight garden paths, which end or point directly at the door sending a poison arrow towards a home and attracting harmful chi.
One can slow down the flow of chi by placing plenty of bushy plants on both sides of the path. If possible, build the path in a way so that it does not end directly at the door.
In this way one can guard the house from the powerful poison arrow.
Finally by placing a ceramic tortoise in the north of the lawn, one can provide great support to the house.
Taken from www.telegraphindia.com
August 21st, 2008
Previous Posts