How To Feng Shui Your Black Friday

How to Feng Shui your Black Friday

Every year people fall into Black Friday fever trying to catch, snatch or steal the best deal as if it’s a prize-winning game. It never ceases to amaze how many people give up their free time camping out for hours on end, just to save a few dollars. And don’t get me wrong, I am all about being frugal to save for important things like retirement, but the average person is simply adding more financial burden to their surmounting debt in an effort to buy a “want” rather than a “need.” We are a culture built on instant gratification.  One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Stanley’s book, The Millionaire Next Door is, “The average American goes into debt buying things they don’t need, with money they don’t have, to impress people they don’t like.”  Let that sink in a bit.

In an effort to help my clients find ease in their home and lives, I always approach each consultation with a curious mind. No home or person can truly achieve balance and harmony if subconsciously they are worried, and fearful about lingering debt. I know this from experience. You can physically feng shui your home until the cows come home, but mentally your nagging worry is sabotaging your results. So rather than running around scooping up what you think are deals, because that is what you have been told your whole life, let’s ditch the fever, grab our sneakers, the family and get close to God. That fever will fade but when we feed our souls, true healing occurs – can’t get that waiting outside of Best Buy!

Today, Friday, November 28, all 55 Tennessee State Parks are offering FREE guided hikes for the entire day. So grab the family, friends, the dog and an attitude of gratitude, and get back to basics this Thanksgiving Holiday. Ditch the fever, ditch the debt and instead gain peace of mind.
Blessings,
Amanda Gates 

Interior Designer and Feng Shui Practitioner 

Gates Interior Design 

If you’d like help achieving balance and harmony within your home, contact me today.

Elements of design

I have mentioned several times how important scale and proportion are to a room. With all interiors, the Elements of Design are successful when there is a unifying theme that runs through out the room. This blends everything together and creates Harmony. Of all the principles of design, scale and proportion create harmony and this is most important. Without this, the room lacks cohesiveness and sabotages any chance for flow.

Sarah Richardson

Harmony is easy to achieve if the scale is correct. The furniture should be in close relation to the rooms size, fabrics should be appropriate for the furniture frame and rooms use, and accessories should be in context to the rooms appropriate size  and various elements, such as furniture in the room. One of the most critical elements for achieving harmony is the color palette. Color is a constant influence in our everyday lives. And it is imperative that there be at least one or two common threads of color throughout a room. Just like any good outfit there needs to be common ground and there needs to be an element of organization. It is crucial that there be flow, and connection, so that it creates a beautiful movement around an interior space. Color should reflect your personality and of all things, it accomplishes harmony and flow. When these two things are right, the room feels good, and looks good with ease.

Formaonline.com

 Another design element to achieve is comfort, so the room is easy to live in. Comfort is calming, and softens a room so that harmony and balance can be achieved. Comfort brings a restful feeling and provides a welcome accent to your guests.

Lori Dennis

There is little doubt that color is emotional. Every color conveys a mood, thus creating atmosphere. Have you ever walked into a room and felt calm, or uplifted? Colors translate into feelings, and those feelings mixed with beautiful lighting, fabrics, and furnishings evokes atmosphere.

Formaonline.com

Texture is not often grouped with words like glamour, but it is essential to any well designed room. For example, if you choose to deck your entire room out in neutrals, it will fall flat on it's butt without texture playing a major role. Think about this when designing your next room. Think about a room with textured linen, draperies with stripes, marble veining in a table, and hardwood floors with nubby sisal rugs. This my friends is a room rich in design and texture. 

David Duncan Livingston

The key to success in reaching your desired design goals, is in the mix.(see photo below) The Elements of Design can be subtle or they can be bold. You can take a slightly varied approach with assorted textures, or introduce many different elements. Always combine things to keep them interesting. Remember the key Elements of Design are:

1) Scale

2) Harmony

3) Color

4) Comfort

5) Atmosphere

6) Texture

Kenneth Brown

This room above achieves all of the elements of design. The scale and proportion are perfect. The colors, brown and white create cohesiveness throughout the room allowing the eye to easily read the room. The slipcovered sofas and side chairs look inviting and comfortable and the linen drapes and lamp shades, the scratched leather ottoman, and the window box fabric on the side chairs gives us the depth and texture we need to create a beautiful flow and atmosphere. Just stunning!

Don't forget to follow us on twitter! 
And become a FAN on our AB HOME facebook fanpage!

Dining Spaces-A gourmet affair or leisurely fare?

Does your dining space reflect your personality and lifestyle? Are your meals a gourmet affair, or a simple family meal before everyone scatters? No matter who's at the table, or whats on the menu you deserve a space that is inviting, comfortable and attractive!

Troy Beasley

When designing a dining room you must put together a plan. Determine what your dining personality is. Don't design a room for proper dining with fine china, crystal and silver if your idea of a gourmet meal is chinese take out, and flip flops. If you are a jeans and t-shirt kinda person then it is safe to say so is your dining lifestyle. Define the space accordingly. Determine if this space should be formal or casual. 

Lori Dennis

Once you have developed a plan the design principles can begin. Most dining rooms today are leaning towards the casual side. But that does not mean we forgo all formality. It means that todays formality has a modern twist. We have tweaked it to accommodate our busy lifestyles. What does this mean for you when designing your dining space? It means you have flexibility in building your designing space and it can reflect exactly who you are and how your live~Voila, Lifestyle!

Maybe you like to sit and dine with friends for hours, but you want to do it in your jeans. Great, lets use a sofa as seating, (like the photo below.) There are few rules, so think outside of the box.

Lori Dennis

While there are few rules in designing any room, there are a few tips on designing a dining space that creates atmosphere for great dining pleasure. Use symmetry. Symmetry is easy on the eyes and makes digestion better. When you are comfortable and relaxed the meal is more enjoyable. Add mirrors. They reflect all light in the room (including candle light) which adds sparkle and creates a wonderful and enjoyable mood. Nowadays dining rooms are easy, and pleasant so forgo the fussiness. People are more casual today and fussiness is awkward and uncomfortable. Make it easy on your guests and allow them to feel comfortable and at home. Use durable, but textured fabrics that are easy to clean. You want the meal to be tactile as much as it is comfortable and delightful. Dining is an experience. Let your guests see, smell, taste and touch the experience so that the occasion is engaging, comfortable and satisfying. 

Flickr

It does not matter how you dine. It does not matter that the occasion is informal or formal. What matters is the personality of the space in context to the host. A dining space can be a room or nook in your home. The most important factor is the food, family and friends, conversation, and most importantly the experience you endow on your guests. Make it memorable and enjoyable so that it feels right. 

Don't forget to follow us on twitter! 
And become a FAN on our AB HOME facebook fanpage!

#1 question of an interior designer~What exactly do you do?

The craft begins

When I went to school to be an interior designer, it never crossed my mind that for the next 12 or so years of my life, I would spend a good portion of that time explaining what it is I DO. I think as designers we take for granted or assume that people know what our job entails. I was recently inspired by an article that Tom Beasley wrote on his blog pertaining to this very subject. In addition to this articles points, I think it is also very important for consumers/potential clients to know how valuable our creativity is. If it wasn't valuable then no one would ever hire us for help. Our intellectual property is worth it's weight in gold. And the more years a designer has, the more valuable that gold is. (keep this in mind when you are evaluating a green pea fresh out of school at $25 an hour versus a seasoned designer of 10 years who charges $100) Fees are all relevant to level of experience, and competency. For example, a few years ago a green pea that I was mentoring came to me and said she wanted me to take over one of her projects. Unsure of the reasoning I contacted the client. They were exasperated. After 10 hours of work with her they felt they has accomplished nothing. I went in, determined the issues, developed a plan, set up my trades and solved the problem, all in 2 hours. So at first glance I may seem more expensive, but my competency saves you time and money.

flickr

Not only do we evaluate blueprints, specify fixtures, meet with builders, architects, and cabinet makers, build space plans, select furniture, design window treatments, select fabrics, choose paint, evaluate reflective ceiling plans, act as purchasing agents,... and many other services- at the end of the day, we creatively and cohesively put together an original vision, unique only to your home.

Hilsa Beck

When my mama comes to town she always comes to the office with me. (she has no choice) She is completely taken away at hard we work, and how many INFINITE details we take care of in my office, to make your house into a home. "I could NEVER do what you do!" she says to me. "Well, I could never do what YOU do!" I say to her. (she is an E.R. Nurse.yucky!)

Tracy Morris

I know that interior design mystifies a lot of people. I know that creativity eludes many people. But what we do is pure magic. (can you hear the angels singing?) When you approach us with your project, it is as if we are looking at a blank canvas full of potential. Often times we can see that project six to eight months down the road completed in all it's glory and beauty. 

Flickr

Interior design is an art form. It takes great talent, consideration, and organization to do what we do, and it is a business. Our time is valuable, and our ideas are our enterprise. We do what we do because we love it, and the creativity keeps us alive. But remember that the intellectual property that we hold is not just for good merit. What is it that we do, you ask? We are entrepreneurial tycoons, promoting and dealing our trades, multi tasking, design mavens that hustle on your behalf to twist, tweak and skillfully accomplish with absolute expertise ~ design magic! So that when you start your day, and end your day, there is a smile on your face because your home makes you genuinely happy!