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Feng Shui Patio. Feng Shui Porch

Feng Shui Insights for Outdoor Living

Feng Shui Patio: Set up the patio chairs and the sun umbrella. Find your sun block and sun hat. With the long summer days finally here enjoy the best of nature. Unwind and recharge yourself in the same moment. Whether you are entertaining or relaxing by yourself, make the most of your outdoor space and have a refreshing and relaxing outdoor experience.

Feng Shui porch/ Feng Shui Patio. Yellow front porch with two rocking chairs. — Feng Shui Porch. Feng Shui Patio

” [Front porches] became an integral part of the house, as essential as a dining room or a working kitchen….Front porches came to symbolize the lifted mood. Inside the house were never-ending chores waiting to be done. Porches were for escape, relaxation, neighbor talk, and a touch of the outdoors….Potted plants added color and warmth. Swings, comfortable chairs and rockers were popular fixtures, as were goldfish bowls and birdcages. Flowering trellises shaded out the hot afternoon sun and gave fragrance to gentle breezes.” – Hugh Stevens, Country Journal

This nostalgically perfect place ended with the advent of automobiles and air conditioning, but its charms are unchanged and can be reclaimed. Porches, patios, sunrooms and decks can give you a greater connection with nature with the added comforts of “civilization.”

There are significant differences between the classic porch and the more modern patio or deck.

Something was lost. Below are insights from Feng Shui and Environmental Psychology so you can create a cozy and welcoming space that is used and enjoyed.

A porch has a roof and feels like an extension of the house. While your patio or deck is a flat slab of concrete or platform of wood projecting from the back of the house. The result: They leave you feeling exposed to the full effects of the sun – a cause for concern in an SPF 50 world – and exposed to your neighbors. You experience a loss of privacy. This feeling of exposure results in patios and decks not being fully enjoyed.

No matter how well furnished, an exposed outdoor space will be used for grilling, period.

Feng Shui discovered two thousand years ago that people are more relaxed when they feel supported from behind. I call this the “embracing mountain.”Having a wall, fence or thick hedge behind where you are sitting will help you feel anchored and protected. Decks and patios are usually attached to a house, giving you protection from behind, but you need some sort of privacy screen or sense of enfoldment to feel at ease. This is important for creating a feng shui patio.

You can create a space that is partially enclosed and gives you the experience of sun, wind and the smells and sounds of nature.

5 Tips to Create a Feng Shui Patio: Make your patio or porch feel more private:

Nestle your social or private space into an outdoor corner of your home, the kind created by an addition or bump-out.
Add screens or trellis on one or two sides of your deck or patio, leaving one side open for fresh air and the best views.
Plant hedges that will grow 4 feet tall for privacy when you are seated for a full or partial length wall
Hang brightly colored sheets – like one client did while her hedges were growing tall enough.
Add a trellis roof, canvas shade or large adjustable umbrella for shade and a feeling of protection.

A porch can benefit from:

Hanging plants
Trellis with vines, or
Canvas shades on the exposed sides.

Give yourself the visual privacy and sense of protection you need.

Balance this privacy with openness and a real connection to the restorative qualities of nature.

Tips on Patio or Porch Size (Yes, size does count)

Architect and author, Christopher Alexander states for a balcony or patio to be useful it must be at least 6 feet deep. This allows for chairs, a table and room to move around. If it is shallower than this it will just be a display space for garden furniture. If you have limited outdoor space, consider smaller scale patio furniture or chairs that have a smaller footprint.

Group chairs on patios and porches closer together for personal-conversational distance. Arrange chairs in a circle or semi-circle
for ease of eye contact.

To learn more read:

“Gardens That Grow Wonderful Memories”
Arrange Furniture for Personal Conversation and Personal Connection

Make the most of your outdoor space with a personal Feng Shui consultation. Contact me by clicking on the link. You are one step closer to a welcoming and refreshing outdoor space.

Originally published July 9, 2014; updated June 13, 2017

porch photo by Kendyl Young

Feng Shui Declutter For Summer Outdoor Energy

Summer Feng Shui Declutter: Time for Outdoor Fun.

Feng Shui declutter for summer means letting go of sporting equipment that is broken, out-of-date, or unused. Donate garden and grilling things that you don’t really use. Clear the decks for summer time outdoor fun.

Feng Shui knows that Nature is the prime Chi energizer. And contact with Nature – which is Summer’s gift to us – is the best way to absorb Chi.

When warm weather comes you clean-up the effects of winter on our home and cars, you switch to our summer wardrobe, and pull out the grilling and sports equipment. But in the excitement of summer finally arriving do you really look at and assess the stuff you have unearthed from previous summers?

This is the time to not only let-go of un-used or out-grown winter things, but to take a look at the summer stuff you are resurrecting.

Do you have things from last summer that are beyond use or never used? Now is the time to let go of them to have a clutter-free and stress-free summer.

feng shui declutter summer, young boy canoeing — What is your favorite way to enjoy nature?

As part of my seasonal Feng Shui de-cluttering I am donating a set of cross-country skis and a pair of rollerblades I haven’t used in years. I know the skis will hang around the charity store until the weather gets cold again, but the rollerblades will hopefully be grabbed within the week. Donations are a blessing for someone else, instead of clutter for me.

Summer stuff has the same kind of nostalgic glow holiday stuff contains.

Which makes it harder to let-go of. Looking at a old grill brings back memories of the wonderful cook-outs you had and the people you entertained. Looking at beach stuff you remember the sun-filled days spent there. But if the grill has been replaced by a newer one and you are keeping the old one “just in case”, or the beach umbrella has never been used, then it is time to let them go.

Summer Things You Can Let-Go Of:

sporting equipment that is broken, out-of-date, or unused because your interests have moved-on
camping equipment that hasn’t been used in donkey’s years
summer supplies that are inherited and unused
unused suitcases and travel accessories taking up space in the closet, attic or basement
grilling gizmos that looked good at the time, but never worked out.

Are your summers so cluttered with old stuff you are stuck in the past? If so, that means less energy for the present and future.

If you are holding on to something that holds memories for you, take a picture of it, or if small enough mount it in a shadow box frame.

In that pile of sneakers and boots by the back door, how many are out–of-season and need to be stored until fall? How many pairs of sneakers have simply died and need to be thrown out?

Why Feng Shui Declutter?: Unused things become clutter. Clutter is an energy drain

. Now is the time to clear these things out. Repair what you will genuinely use, donate and make someone else’s summer more fun, and trash what is too broken to repair or donate. Give yourself the gift of space and energy for this summer’s fun.

Note: check with your designated charity regarding what items they can and can’t accept.

Now that I have donated the skis and rollerblades, I have the space and energy for my new bike!

Want to have a more enjoyable and energized summer? Want to bring fresh energy into your home and your life? Contact me, today, for a personal consultation.

This article was originally published June 11, 2014 and updated June 12, 2017.

Photo by HeatherHeatherHeather

Decorating Trends to Avoid: Fantasy vs Reality, Part 1

Ceiling Pendant Fixtures: The Good, the Bad, the Misplaced

How to be Smart Choosing Decorating Trends that Work for You

Sometimes I see decorating trends in the media that look dramatic, but are a disaster when transferred to the average home.

A trend I am seeing a frequently is a dramatic ceiling fixture in the middle of a living room such as this:

decorating trends to avoid: pendant light in living room. — Dramatic pendant lighting is a popular decorating trend. But does it work in the real world?

This sculptural lighting fixture adds softness to this angular and spare interior.

2 Problems with this Decorating Trend:

1. Most of the light in the photo is provided by the photographer’s flood lights. The pendant lamp, as beautiful as it is gives only a little light in the center of the room, near the ceiling; leaving anyone sitting on the sofa literally in the dark. (The recessed ceiling lights only illuminate the artwork on the wall, and the floor lamp illuminates the corner.)

2. You need a 12-16 foot ceiling to accommodate the fixture.

decorating trend ceiling lamp in living room - failure — This example of ceiling lamp decorating trends applied to the real world doesn’t work.

In this photo the ceiling fixture takes up the center of the room. It is so low you must walk around the low-hanging lamp. The pendant lamp in this living room hinders the sight-line between people sitting in the chairs in the foreground and anyone sitting on the sofa in the background.

This room already has a wonderful focal point in the mantelpiece. The ceiling lamp only distracts from this.

Not all decorating trends work in all spaces, no matter how appealing.

How to Make Smart Choices

A cell phone camera and a measuring tape are your friends.
– Take a photo of your space, print it out and sketch-in what you are thinking of adding or changing
– Measure the item you want to add and then measure the space it will take-up in the room. You want to be able to move around in and use a space not squeeze furniture and decor into it. Be ruthless.

You want to make your home beautiful. Get help creating a home that is beautiful, functional and fun with Linda Varone. Contact me today.

What decorating trends would you like to see reviewed? Make suggestions in the comments box below. I will be happy to write about them.

Wealth Bagua: New Approach to Energy and Blessings

Wealth Bagua

“The more he does for others
The more he possesses,
The more he gives to others
The more he has.”
-Tao Te Ching, 64, Wilhelm

(Please note: I read “he” as gender neutral.)

Reading this I think about the Helpful People/Travel aspect of the Bagua. Usually this is interpreted as the mentors and benefactors in your life. People who help you. How is Wealth connected to the Helpful People?

Energy Flow for Wealth Bagua

Opposite areas on the Bagua are energetically connected:

Helpful People is energetically connected to Wealth/Blessings
Career is energetically connected to Fame/Reputation/Recognition
Knowledge/Inner Wisdom is energetically connected to Marriage/Partnership
Health/Family/Heritage is energetically connected to Children/Creativity.

This energy flows back and forth.

You usually think of energizing a particular area of the Bagua in your home to bring Chi energy to that aspect of your home and your life. Doing so brings Good Fortune in the form of energy, luck or opportunity into that part of your life. Energizing the Helpful People area brings people into your life that guide you to wealth, or the opportunities to create or earn money.

Wealth Bagua Energy Goes Both Ways

You can activate the Helpful People gua to support you in being a helpful person to others. You can be a helpful person either through direct action or through giving of your wealth and blessings…

And in the giving, discover how much you really have.

Need help figuring out how the bagua works in your home?
Want Feng Shui solutions that work for your taste and lifestyle?
Contact Linda today

Learn how Feng Shui supports you during life transitions or to gain a new perspective on what your purpose is.

Overcome Feng Shui Anxiety: The Five Components of Fortune

Feng Shui anxiety is the worry that you are not doing Feng Shui perfectly. If you worry that if they make a Feng Shui mistake bad things will happen, I want to tell you Feng Shui doesn’t work that way. Life doesn’t work that way. Learn the Five Components of Fortune and overcome Feng Shui Anxiety.

Feng Shui is only one of five factors that influence your success and happiness in life, according to Su Shi (an eminent 11th century Chinese minister, poet and essayist who experienced honor, prosperity, loss and restoration). Feng Shui, good or bad or used improperly, is not the sole determinant of your luck and life. You have choices, many ways to influence your life and happiness.

Destiny Chinese calligraphy Feng shui anxiety — Destiny – One of Five Factors in Life

Professor Lin Yun, my first Feng Shui teacher, taught us the five components that influence your life are:
Destiny,
Luck,
Feng Shui,
Karma and
Education.
The first two – Destiny and Luck – are believed to be un-changeable, while the last three – Feng Shui, Karma and Education – are changeable.

Learn How to Overcome Feng Shui Anxiety and Work with the Five Components.

Learn how the two “un-changeable” factors aren’t as “unchangeable” as thought.

Destiny – Yuanfen – Connections with others in your life
Luck – Yùnqì – Opportunities and how you use them
Feng Shui – Harmony and balance with Chi, nature and self
Karma –Yīnguǒ – Law of cause and effect
Education – Su Zhi – Cultivating a well-rounded moral self

Destiny – “Fateful Connections”

Destiny or Fate is similar to Jung’s synchronicity: when you encounter someone and feel an immediate connection.

Yuanfen or “fateful coincidence” is when people are “placed in your life.” They may be family members, friends, lovers, business associates. Yuanfen is based on karmic connections you had with someone in a past life. Recognizing you have things in common is recognizing your yuanfen connection. You are destined to influence their life, and they are destined to influence your life.

You may not have a choice in who you are destined to be connected with, but you do have choices in what you do with and for that person. You may have no choice who your relatives are, but you can choose to treat them with decency and respect, and figure out what you need to learn from them in this lifetime.

Luck – Blessings and Challenges

The dictionary defines luck as “believing that whatever happens, either good or bad, to a person in the course of events is due to chance, fate or fortune.”

Luck in the Five Components are periods of good luck and periods of bad luck. This is related to astrology. Some people try to influence luck with charms, colors, numbers or compass direction positions.

Although a minor influence in Chinese thinking, Buddhism teaches whatever happens does so because of cause or causes and not because of luck, chance or fate. The Buddha teaches us that it is far more important to develop our hearts and minds and be wise in the actions that are the causes of your life.

Sometimes people focus on luck believing it will bring them happiness in the form of wealth and fame. Happiness is true prosperity. It does not come from luck, but from living a life of honesty, kindness, understanding, patience, forgiveness, generosity and loyalty.

Feng Shui – Harmony for Personal Empowerment

Feng Shui is the the first “changeable” component of the five.

I approach Feng Shui as the key to creating homes and other spaces that are in harmony with the principles of Nature and the Universe: Chi, Yin/Yang, and the Five Elements. Use Nature as your gateway to understanding these principles.

Harmony with Nature is harmony with Chi,
Harmony with Chi is harmony with Life and the Universe.
Harmony with Life and the Universe is the source of Empowerment.

With Feng Shui support and Chi energy you are more able to act on your wishes, dreams and goals.

Karma – “What Goes Around Comes Around”

You may think of karma as the rewards or punishments for what you did, or didn’t do, in a past life.

The Chinese word for karma is yinguo. The word “yin” means “reason” or “cause,” while “guo” means “result” or “effect.” Karma as the law of cause and effect. If you believe in reincarnation, then it can be deeds from past lives effecting you in this life. Or you can simply think of karma as the law of cause and effect in the here and now. “What goes around, comes around.” No need to believe in past lives, no need to wait for a future lifetime.

More simply, karma is the acknowledgement that what you do (good or bad, wise or foolish) has consequences for you, now. You have choices.

“According to the seed that’s sown,
So is the fruit you reap there from,
Doer of good will gather good,
Doer of evil, evil reaps,
Down is the seed and thou shalt taste
The fruit thereof.”
– The Samyutta Nikaya

Education – A “Quality” Education

Education has been esteemed in China for thousands of years. It was how you worked your way up the Imperial hierarchy. Today advanced college degrees are respected in the Chinese business world.

The education that is most esteemed is Su Zhi Jaaya – a “quality education,” meaning a well-rounded and moral education that gives you the knowledge and wisdom to make the right decisions baed on critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills.

With a well-rounded education you make wise decisions that will bring benefit to your self and others, now and for the long-term.

Summary of the Five Components to Your Success in Life

If you struggle with Feng Shui Anxiety, “did I do it right?’, rest assured Feng Shui works in harmony with the other Components of Life.

Destiny places people in your life with strong connections to you. The kind of relationship you have with these people is your choice. Flourish together. Learn from them – even difficult lessons from difficult people – which will benefit you in the long run.

Luck may give you periods of blessing and periods of challenges. Developing deeper qualities of honesty, kindness and understanding will support you during both.

Feng Shui gives you ways to enhance the Chi of your space and your personal Chi. You choose to do this or not. You choose how you want to use the energy and opportunities that Chi brings to you.

Karma is the law of cause and effect. Simple acts of kindness will come back to you.

Education is the knowledge that guides you to smart decisions. Moral education is the wisdom that guides you to a life of true happiness.

My wish for you is the happiness that comes from a life of wisdom and kindness.

If you would like a Feng Shui consultation to help you harmonize and empower the Chi in your home and your life, contact me.. If you are struggling with feng shui anxiety, contact me I will show you how to work with feng shui and the five components to success in life.

After-Plus: Before and After Room Arrangement

After-Plus: Sometimes the Best Improvement to Your Home is the Easiest: Room Arrangement.

Living Room arrangement - too spread out — Does your room arrangement need fine-tuning?

Furniture arrangement - lonely sofa against wall — Does your sofa look lonely too?

These proud After photos shows an older home with freshly painted walls, floors refinished and gleaming, woodwork stripped of old paint and varnish, a large mirror above the mantelpiece and personal treasures and artwork on display. This After photo shows a room that is amazingly light and airy for an older house. The owners are rightfully proud of their work. But….some simple tweaks to the room arrangement makes a huge improvement.

After-Plus Challenges

These After photos shows a room with several doorways and openings. There is no solid wall to anchor a sofa. The sofa is placed under the window, but the several plants in the window suggests there is a unattractive view or privacy issue here.

Looking though the doorway in the back, there is a leather sofa suggesting this room is the family/TV room. The glass doors reveal the table and chairs of a dining room. With all the doorways and other gathering spaces this room may end-up being a pass-through space that is rarely used.

This room may be intended for quieter activities such as reading or intimate conversation, but the current layout works against that. Let’s use room arrangement to create some intimate spaces within this larger room.

This room is lucky to have a fireplace. Even though it’s not a working fireplace it is the the focus of the room and gives it soul. Fireplaces are natural gathering places. Take advantage of them.

After-Plus Solutions

Furniture place in cozy arrengement neart the fireplace — Crete a cozy seating area near the fireplace.

Cozy seating with sofa anchored by console table — Anchor the sofa with a console table.

There is a gap of about ten feet between the sofa and the fireplace. Too big for an intimate arrangement. The solution, as you have already guessed, is room arrangement: move the sofa closer to the fireplace. This will create a cozy sitting area for reading and quiet conversation. To complete the arrangement and anchor the sofa, add a console table behind the sofa. This will also provide additional display space for plants and personal treasures. Lighting is very important – a trick is to run the electrical cord from the outlet below photo to the right of the fireplace, along the baseboard and under the area rug. Now this would not work in a high traffic area, but I think it will work here.

Furniture does Not Need to be Placed Against a Wall.

“Floating” a sofa in the middle of the room can successfully create a cozier room if anchored with the right-sized area rug and a console table or short bookcase.

An optional touch for this room would be to place a small round table in front of the window with a chair or two for crafts or a romantic dinner a deux.

Your Own After-Plus

If you are challenged by a room that is not working for you contact me today for a collaborative consultation. Sometimes a fresh set of experienced eyes will see the solution that has been eluding you. You deserve to love and enjoy your home.

See More Furniture Arrangement Ideas:

“Furniture Arrangement for Conversation is the Secret to Happiness”
“How to Avoid Furniture Sprawl”

Valentine’s True Meaning: Everyone Can Celebrate

Valentine’s True Meaning: Everyone Can Celebrate, Plus Master Bedroom Feng Shui

A radio station fund-raiser reminds me of Valentine’s true meaning: They ask listeners to buy roses not only for your spouse or partner, but also for mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, friends or someone who is going through a tough time. The original Saint Valentine is not celebrated as a great lover, but for his generosity. He anonymously gave dowry money to poor young women. Let’s reclaim Valentine’s true meaning as a time for generosity and gratitude.

Dump the Media Hype about What Valentine’s Day is Supposed to Be

The media and the marketers are working overtime to get us to spend money on “stuff” to enhance the romance we are supposed to constantly experience in our lives. Instead of using your money and time to shop for “stuff”, use your money and time to create and share an experience of joy. This is how you strengthen your relationships and create memories.

Valentine's true meaning: Valentine's heart in snow — Valentine’s true meaning: Share your love

“You have two choices in life:
Be single and lonely,
or married and bored.”
– Chris Rock, comedian.

Being married doesn’t mean being bored,
being single doesn’t mean being lonely.
The real meaning of Valentine’s Day
moves beyond these stereotypes.

Attention: Relationship Nourishment

For those of you who have a spouse, partner or lover your most important gift is your undivided attention. Take time to show your appreciation of your beloved in simple and everyday ways:

bring a cup of coffee or tea when you partner is busy with paperwork or relaxing with reading;
surprise them with their favorite (fill in the blank) “just because”;
ditch the kids and go out to dinner, a movie or for a walk together – just the two of you.

This is what keeps relationships going – simple and heart-felt thoughtfulness. Valentine’s true meaning enriches your entire year.

Don’t get stuck to one date – Feb 14th

You know your favorite restaurants are an un-romantic mob scene on Valentine’s day, and even the weekend before or after.
Give your sweetie a reminder on the 14th, with a note describing or hinting-at your real celebration on the date of your choice.

No frantic search for a restaurant that will give you a reservation,
No up-bidding to get a sitter,
No spending more than you budgeted for flowers on Valentine’s Day because the wholesalers have your favorite florist in a strangle-hold.

Not in a Relationship

For those of us who are not in a relationship – by choice or by circumstances – now is the time to look around and recognize those people in your life who give you love in its many forms: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends. You can send them a Valentine’s card or e-mail; or a “thinking of you” message or phone call. Remember the non-human beings who love you: your pets. When you move beyond the stereotypes of love you find you are richer than you thought. Reach out and connect with them in the spirit of Valentine’s true meaning.
Celebrate with a:

Girls’ night out,
Raucous girls’ night in, or
a Potluck with friends and family.

Celebrate yourself

Media tells you that if you are not in a passionate relationship you have no worth. You are worthy of love; the love of others and the love of yourself. You are getting better and better with the passage of years and the accumulation of life experiences (even though it may not have felt like it at the time.) Treat yourself to a lovely meal or a day doing your favorite thing, with yourself as company.

Master Bedroom Feng Shui for Romance

The Ba-Gua Marriage/Romance/Partnership corner is the back right-hand third of your master bedroom.

Declutter that area. Clutter will only clog this area and prevent Romance Chi flourishing.
Add flowers or a plant, or
Add a photo of the two of you
If you are looking for romance then place “two-of” something with energy and joy in that area.

Master Bedroom Feng Shui for Yourself

If you are contentedly single the bedroom is the place where you can express yourself: you can be outrageously eccentric or make a very personal nest. Have uninhibited fun!

Support Valentine’s true meaning. Create a Master Bedroom that supports romance and supports you. Contact me or call 781-643-8697.

2017 Chinese Horoscope – Year of the Fire Rooster

2016 was the year of the Monkey, and the monkey is the master of mischief as we saw this past election year. What does the 2017 Chinese horoscope have in store for you?

2017 Chinese horoscope year of the rooster. — 2017 Chinese Horoscope: What’s in store for you in the Year of the Rooster?

Rooster Personality

The rooster is the strutting king of his domain, who tells us to wake-up and get-to-work, not only at sunrise but throughout the day (as anyone living near a farm can tell you.) With his glorious plumage he loves being the center of attention.
People born in a Rooster Year (1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017) are active, popular, outspoken, honest (sometimes too much so), loyal, healthy, talkative, witty, and charming.

2017 Chinese Horoscope Fire Rooster Year

2017 will be a year of activity and passion – not just passion in love, but in many aspects of your life. You will feel more ambition, fueled by enthusiasm, for your life and your work, meaning you will work hard and be more focused on your goals. You will have more perseverance and courage so difficulties and adversities will not hinder you. You will be more self-directed.
Image and appearance will be more important for you and more in everyone’s awareness.
Political passions will flare with ordinary people speaking up.
There will be a trend toward greater efficiency in financial institutions. Whether this means greater adoption of digital interfaces or other means will be clearer as the year progresses.

Wise Actions for the Year of the Rooster

Using the insights of the 2017 Chinese horoscope, take advantage of an increased passion for life and work. This is a good time to work harder, with greater focus to achieve your goals.
Relationships between people will be open to greater honesty.
The Chinese view the Rooster as conservative and inflexible – so one of your challenges this year is to consciously be more flexible. In this way your ideas and strategies better prepare you for the future.
Love will burn bright in a Fire Rooster year. Be sure your passion doesn’t overwhelm you or those you love.

Fire Qualities for 2017

2017 is also a Fire Yin year. Fire is the element of passion, love, being in the spotlight, quick action and quick decisions. During a Fire Yin Year you need to take time to be alone to rest and recharge yourself or you risk burn-out or feeling “fried.”

Famous Roosters

Serena Williams (congratulations on your record breaking twenty third Grand Slam Championship!), Beyonce, Jennifer Aniston and Bob Marley.

Celebrate Chinese New Year Season

Jan 28 (new moon)- February 3, (first day of the Chinese astrological year) 2017 with a second chance at your January 1st New Year’s Resolutions and a sweet treat: an orange, tangerine or clementine fruit. The orange color of the fruit is represents gold. Eating a “golden” fruit will bring prosperity to you in the year to come

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Celebrate the New Year with a Feng Shui consultation for your home or office.

Contact me and we can discuss the improvements you want to see in your home and your life.

Slimmer by Kitchen Design: Good Design to Avoid Overeating

A Messy Cluttered Kitchen Leads to Overeating. How Kitchen Design and Set-up Helps

kitchen design, cluttered kitchen — Kitchen design: A messy cluttered kitchen undermines the best diet. Note: This is NOT my kitchen.

If you’re like me decluttering and/or dieting is on your perennial To Do List.

If your motivation for either one is running out of steam, see how a study at Cornell University proves that your environment influences how much and what you eat. Insightful kitchen design and setup can help you eat wisely.

Kitchen Design and Stress Eating

Diet programs tell you to get rid of any foods in your kitchen not allowed by the program. This makes sense, no tempting high-calorie foods around. But overeating is about more than what food is in your cabinets.

The Set-up of Your Kitchen Influences How Much and What You Eat

The Cornell study created two kitchens, one neat and one messy. Messy meaning mail, newspapers and dirty dishes scattered about. Note: these are non-food items. Snacks of cookies, crackers, and carrots were provided in both the neat and cluttered kitchens. The subjects (women) were divided into two groups: one for the neat kitchen and one for the messy kitchen. Half of the women were given a stress-inducing task while in the assigned kitchen. (In real life, when are you ever NOT stressed?)

The stressed women in the cluttered kitchen ate twice as many calories from cookies as the stressed women in the neat kitchen. The only difference was the neatness or messiness of the kitchen.

If you eat at your desk at work, a similar study demonstrated that subjects in a neat work environment ate a healthier snack (an apple) than subjects working in a cluttered work environment.

Lesson: Stress + Cluttered Environment = Eating more sweets.

Action: Declutter your kitchen and work space.

In the kitchen set up a place to process your mail, right over your paper recycle bin or shredder.
When you are busy, put dirty dishes in a sinkful of soapy water. This will get them one step closer to being cleaned or in the dishwasher, and put away. Train your family to help you with this.

Clear off the kitchen table and counter.

Declutter what is in your cabinets first, and decide if you really use it regularly.

How many times does a gadget or appliance seem like a good idea, but doesn’t really work for you?
Is something broken or replaced by a newer model?
Do you have duplicates?
Do you have a collection of cute mugs or cake pans you bought on a whim, but the thrill is gone.

Get rid of it.

Take a long, hard look at the appliances and stuff you have on your kitchen counters.

Do you really need the waffle iron out all the time?
How often do you use that big stand mixer?
The canisters for flour, sugar, salt are cute, but are they the best containers for your flour, sugar, salt?
Do you really use them all the time, and need them out on the counter?
Is your kitchen table a repository for mail, school work and magazines? Does this mess cause you to, by default, eat off the coffee table or a tray in front of the TV, instead of having a real family meal?

Things you use for formal or large gatherings a few times a year, go into a secondary storage place for them in the basement, that is organized and easy to access. Note: basement or attic storage is not a detour for things you need to let go of now.

Once your cabinets are decluttered. Declutter your counters and tables. What you really need you can now store in your now-spacious cabinets.

Do the same thing with your desk at home or the office.

Get rid of environmental stress with insightful kitchen design:

Clean up and declutter.
Support your calmer, slimmer self.

Click here for more. Decluttering as Art; Decluttering Haiku. Check out the wry haiku by Rachel Perry Welty

For personal insights on how to create a home, or office, that supports you and your goals contact me.

Comment below on what is the most challenging part of keeping your kitchen sane. I would love to hear from you.

Now excuse me while I tackle some dirty dishes. 😉

Decluttering as Art: Decluttering Haiku

Decluttering as Art and Poetry

Artist, Rachel Perry Welty approaches decluttering as art. Recently I saw an insightful and humorous solo exhibit about decluttering and

decluttering as art - miniature hand knit sweater in magenta — Sweater shrunk in wash

consumerism at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The artist is Rachel Perry Welty, of Gloucester and New York. On one gallery wall, 16 feet high by 78 feet long she arranged labeled photos of what she has discarded since 2009. As a conceptual artist she discards one item a day and documents it. I was taken with the simple photos and her droll comments that read like haiku. On one wall she illustrated the thoughts and feelings we all feel when confronting our “stuff.”

Decluttering as Art – “Haiku”:

“Sweat pants
Shrunk mightily
Goodwill”

Turn your stuff into someone else’s treasure. Your wearable, but unused clothing can be a bonus for someone less fortunate.

“Crumpled paper Has been in my car…
for a week
Trash.”

Your car needs decluttering too – from a wrapper to a broken tire gauge.

“Chair with damaged leg
Don’t know why we are keeping this.
Even if we fix it we still have a chair I don’t like.
Trash.”

It’s OK to trash something if fixing it is not worth your time and money, or the time and money of a charity.

“White sandals
Cheap and white and ugly
Goodwill.”

Make something good out of that fashion mistake – donate it.

“Assorted paper shopping bags
Too many to use,
Plus they are all so small.
Recycle.”

This sounds like a corner of my kitchen pantry. The bags are “too good” to throw out, but I haven’t found a use for them. Recycle bin here they come.

“Index card and miscellaneous business cards
Found these in a small metal file box
And remember they are from a job search in the late 1980’s
All this information is now obsolete.
Recycle.”

Or business cards from a networking event years ago. Time to recycle.

“Plastic zipper case
I used to collect these
But cannot find a use for this.
Recycle.”

I have a suitcase full of these plastic bags. Bed linens came inside. I keep thinking I will use them when I pack – and I never do. Non-recyclable, so trash.

“Ink pen
I don’t like how this writes
So I decided to get rid of it.
Trash.”

Let go of those old or freebie pens that fight you instead of flow.

“Stretcher bars
No longer need as I am not painting
and don’t want to store them
Sold to Becky K.”

Literally, decluttering as art.
As an artist Rachel is acknowledging that painting is no longer a part of her creative life. Her artist colleague can now make art out of Rachel’s unused clutter. The bonus: Rachel is making room in her own life and space for what she is really inspired to do.

“Old tole tray
One of many in a collection
that covered the yellow walls in bathroom;
Now that we are moving,
I have no place for them.
Consignment shop.”

Spaces change, tastes change, you change. What you once love, no longer stirs you. The love affair with the object is over. It’s OK to let go of artwork and decorative items that no longer speak to you.

As I looked at the more than one thousand photos of what Rachel Perry Welty de-cluttered over the past few years, I could identify with what she was letting go of and her thoughts on the objects – what they meant in the past and mean to her in the present.

Rachel has inspired me.

The fashion mistakes that take-up room in my closet are going to Goodwill before they are out of style.

The supplies for projects I never will do. I have tubes of watercolor paints and paper from a class I took years ago and never continued. I am giving them to a friend who is just discovering the delights of watercolor painting.

The kitchen gadgets that are functional, but I used once for a recipe I didn’t really like are going to Goodwill too. The same goes for special ingredients for that misguided recipe – in the trash.

One item a day goes into the recycle bin, trash or donation bag.
I can do that.

What do you think of Rachel’s approach to decluttering as art?
Do you declutter one item a day? How did it work for you?
How you make decluttering fun?
How to you inspire yourself to declutter?

Add your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.

If you want inspiration for a decluttering contact me.
If you want fresh ideas on how to make the most of the space you just freed-up for use/fun after a declutter, contact me.