Question: Is there something special that you should see when you open up your front door? A mirror or a flower vase or something else?

G.L. –Portland, Oregon

C.J.: Ahhh, I love this question. Thank-you for asking it. Entryways serve as greeters each time we walk into our front door. It’s such an important area as it sets the tone for our experience inside, sending us secret messages. If the area is cluttered and ugly, well you can imagine how that will affect how we feel and contribute to lower energy levels. However, if the area is beautiful, for example set up with a beautiful vase of flowers on a special table or our favorite bold print is hanging on the wall, that will bring joy to our hearts even on the most challenging of days. For many of us, the entryway is an area where we leave our ’stuff’ like our purses, keys, umbrellas, etc. and can get cluttered. If this is the case, first get organized. Keep what you don’t need and get rid of the rest. Think of this area as your personal welcoming station where you have that special bowl for your keys and a sweet mood light that draws you into the area. Whatever you decide to place in your entryway, make it something you love, or a collection of things that bring peace and love into your heart. Keep me posted!

Question: Today I wanted to rearrange my living room. It’s a big room, however, gets almost no sun light and I wondered, “What do I do first?” I’ve also always wanted to know what a red front door means.

–Beth from somewhere

CJ: Here is my answer. That, my dear is a very big question in a few short sentences. Thank-you for asking. My advise to you is to first get in touch with what activities you are going to do in that room. For example, will a TV be in there? Or maybe it will be a place for you and your friends to gather around a coffee table surrounded by comfy pillows and good conversation. Take a few minutes and some deep relaxing breaths to gather your thoughts and feelings about how you would like the space to look. Remember, it can be anything you want it to be. It’s your space. That’s the first step. Because (as you mentioned), it gets little natural light, consider a brighter happy color on the wall. Also, when considering wall art, you might include images of the sun and places of nature, thereby bringing nature indoors.

Regarding your question about the meaning of a red front door, in Feng Shui, a red door symbolizes the mouth of the home. It is the entry point in which abundance and opportunities find us. When we paint our doors red or a bright color that stands out, the idea is that positive energy will be drawn to us. The front door is also considered the threshold of the home in which we cross over from the external world into the sacred space of our private lives. It is an important area to consider.

Have fun decorating and let me know how it goes.

Got a Feng Shui or design question? Ask here.

I worked with a wonderful client yesterday who hired me for a color consultation for the interior of her home. In my design work, I look to the external environment to provide me with deeper messages about who is living and/or working in the space to support healthy changes. My client had also expressed an interest in feng shui and interior design, and although today’s session was mainly dedicated to a new color palette, there were certain patterns reflected around her home that I noticed and shared with her. One of them had to do with her mirrors. The majority of them were simply hung too low and reflected back a cut-off head which is not-so-good for our self-esteem. It is important to see ourselves as whole beings at least with a full head reflection. Of course my client was open to this subtle but powerful symbol and will shift it accordingly to support a more positive self-image. That combined with her new colors will be a powerful transformation indeed.

If you have a design or feng shui question that you would like answered, just ‘Ask Cheryl.’

The new Shibuya Station (subway station) in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Tadao Ando, looks like an underground spaceship, situated 30 meters down. In a recent interview with Wallpaper Ando explains some concepts behind the design.

“It is composed of a central void contained inside an egg-shaped shell and aims to reduce the station’s dependency on air conditioning equipments by letting the outside air blow into the underground space, creating a natural ventilation system that is energy saving.”

We love that. The hub station is a connector to 2.5 million commuters who use the underground system and that section sees about 400,00 of them daily. The idea behind the design was to keep a continuous flow of energy moving smoothly. That translates to a positive experience for the traveler and very good Feng Shui. I’m seriously impressed.

I came across a post recently written by Clark Williams-Derry of World Changing reflecting on a recent NY Times article on suicide rates that really moved me. According to the NY Times article, impulse suicide attempts in England were reduced when the government replaced deadly coal gas with non-toxic natural gas in homes. The point, according to Williams Derry, was,”removing an instrument of self-harm from people’s homes made fleeting self-destructive impulses far less deadly. He goes on to say, “I think there’s a more general point to be made here: our physical environment — the objects we surround ourselves with, and the places we make for ourselves — can have a potent influence both on what we do, and on how we think.”

As a Feng Shui consultant and interior designer conscious of the environment and humanity, I agree. I’ve experienced over and over again in my work and in my life that the physical environment when shifted positively (always) affects the human(s) living or working in the space. Feng Shui - the study of energy in a space, can really be a powerful tool to help not only with manifesting goals but also to shift the mood in a room. Color, for example is known to have psychological properties that can affect humans. McDonalds fast food chain, for example, color-combined red and yellow to induce hunger in its patrons and move them through quickly. Their decor with its unmovable hard tables and chairs and bright lights contribute to the fast energy. Starbucks Coffee on the other hand chose warmer colors in its decor, softer and more comfortable seating and music to sooth the soul. The idea is to keep people drinking coffee for longer and hang out and it works. If the commercial industry uses space to induce mood, then the same can be applied to our private spaces. The point: Let’s make sure that part of our self-care and well being practices include aligning who we are and where we want to be with a healthy external environment.