You're confused about Feng Shui, you say? You're not alone. There is a lot of perplexing and conflicting information out there on this topic. But authentic Feng Shui in its essence is actually very simple, intuitive, even common-sense. So in the hopes of clarifying your understanding of this powerful philosophy I'm going to talk a bit about what Feng Shui is and why it's so important.

To begin with, let's make sure we can all pronounce it. To say "Feng Shui", say "fung shway".

The words "Feng Shui" literally mean "Wind and Water". Wind and water are two of the most dynamic forces in nature which are constantly changing and in search of balance. Therefore, the words Feng Shui refer to this universal quality of dynamic balance. And Feng Shui as a philosophy deals with how we as humans live in balance with our environment.

Feng Shui states that we are significantly affected not just by the visible "form" aspect of our environment, but also by an invisible "energetic" aspect. This invisible energetic aspect is known as "Chi", which is a concept used throughout Chinese culture to refer to the life force constantly flowing through us and around us. In Feng Shui practice we aim to create and arrange environments for an optimal flow of Chi, which nourishes our spaces and ultimately our lives.

For guidance as to the optimal flow of Chi we need only to look to nature. Authentic Feng Shui is based on observations of nature, and human's relationship to nature, over thousands of years. It is the body of knowledge which describes how, and how well, humans live amidst particular configurations of their land, cities, homes, and rooms, and it provides guidance for creating and arranging our living environments in ways that are in harmony with universal laws of balance. Being in harmony with nature in this way, we feel more peace and vitality in our lives.

Therefore, at its essence Feng Shui simply aims to help us live better by acknowledging our relationship to our environments. Stay tuned as I build on this basis with more concepts...

The icy road conditions here in the Seattle area prevented me from doing my previously scheduled Redesign today. So what did I do instead? Aside from drink tea and look out at the cold winter sky? I started this blog; welcome! I plan to use this as a forum for discussing my thoughts and observations on the world of interior design, redesign, feng shui, and probably also on balanced, inspired living in general. I appreciate you reading and will always welcome any comments.

Today I have also been having fun playing with my newly-arrived Designer's Kit from Yolo Colorhouse. Yolo Colorhouse (www.yolocolorhouse.com) is a company based in Portland that offers a line of premium interior paints in warm, livable colors inspired by nature. The paints are also environmentally friendly in that they have zero VOCs (VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are the stinky solvents in most paints that evaporate and contribute poor air quality and also to the depletion of the ozone). I am excited to use this paint palette in my color consultations with clients who are interested in Green materials.