Posts Tagged ‘interior redesign’

Feng Shui Tips – Part 7 – Bathrooms

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

In Part 7 of Madonna’s Feng Shui Tips Madonna shares some Feng Shui Tips regarding how you may use Feng Shui to improve the balance of your bathrooms:

The toilet and bathroom are extremely important rooms in the house as they are places where water (money) drains away.

The ch’s should be allowed to flow smoothly into and out of these rooms without impediment.

Consequently, overly ornate bathrooms are not good from a feng shui point of view as they tend to hold the ch’i inside the room.

In fact, the Chinese prefer relatively simple, functional bathrooms with little in the way of ornaments or other decorations.

All the same, you should make this room a pleasant one with delicate colors and one or two objects that you find attractive.

A potted plant can also help encourage ch’i into this room

Green and blue colored towels help you relax, while at the same time, encourage the water to flow freely down the pipes. Blue is also a good feng shui color for the bathroom and toilet as it relates to the water element.

If the bathroom is located in the middle of the house in the good luck area, it will send negative ch’I through out the house. It will also send all your good luck down the down the toilet. If the toilet is located here, it is known as a “dead” toilet. The remedy for this is to place mirrors on all four walls inside the bathroom, which symbolically make the room disappear. It is also a good idea to place a mirror on the outside of the door to a dead toilet.

The other unfavorable locations for the toilet and bathroom are in the southwest, northeast, south, and beside or facing the front door. It is believed that if the toilet and bathroom are placed in the southwest and northeast the occupants will squabble and not get along with each other. If if is placed beside or in front of the front door. It is believed that the occupants will get a bad reputation

The bathroom also should not be located at the end of a long hallway, as this creates a shar heading directly toward it. This means that the beneficial ch;i that has come in through the front door ends up in the toilet! The remedy for this is to keep the lid down on the toilet and to keep the toilet door closed. It would also be beneficial to place a mirror on the outside of this door to make the room symbolically disappear.

These are traditional interpretations, and there is a remedy for each of these locations. A mirror on the outside of the door reflects the ch’i away from the toilet and bathroom.

Mirrors are necessary inside the bathroom, of course. Avoid mirror tiles though, as they create a netting effect that constricts the flow of money.

Light colors are better than dark ones in the toilet and bathroom. Different shades of blue to represent the water, element make a good choice. However, any color works well here. Except for red ( as water and fire oppose each other)

The one exception to a simple, purely functional bathroom is when it is located in the marriage sector of your home. If it is located here, make the bathroom as beautiful and as attractive as possible. Display favorite ornaments and hang a crystal from the ceiling to encourage the ch’i.

Ideally, the bathroom should have a window to allow light and ch;i to enter. This is because the bathroom is considered a negative location in feng shui. We do not want all the love and romance to be symbolically flushed down the toilet.

Enhance and beautify this room by encouraging ch’i in and effectively remedying what is normally a negative situation.

I hope my Feng Shui tips will help you!

- Madonna


Please find more of Madonna’s Great Feng Shui tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/feng-shui-tips/

and …


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi‘i as possible into our home, ok?


Do you need more help encouraging more positive chi’i as possible into our home and/or making your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 6 – Kitchens

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

In Part 6 of Madonna’s Feng Shui Tips Madonna shares some Feng Shui Tips regarding how you may use Feng Shui to improve the balance of your kitchens:

A modern kitchen.

Image via Wikipedia

Kitchens should be well lit and have a feeling of spaciousness, as the kitchen symbolizes the family’s wealth.

Being well lit encourages as much ch’i as possible into the room.

If it is dark and gloomy, you will not want to spend any time there.

The cook should be able to see anyone who enters the room without turning his or her head more than forty-five degrees.

If this is not possible, place mirrors to  allow the cook to see the doorway.

The stove must be kept clean and in good condition, as it relates directly to the wealth of the family.

Use all of the elements on your stove as this helps your prosperity.

Keep the kitchen well stocked with food to give the impression of abundance.

Try to conceal all pipes and drains, as they symbolize wealth draining away.

The Kitchen should have an airy, spacious, and welcoming feel. This will ensure plenty of ch’i to come to your kitchen.

I hope my Feng Shui tips will help you!

- Madonna


Please find more of Madonna’s Great Feng Shui tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/feng-shui-tips/

and …


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Do you need more help encouraging more positive chi’i as possible into our home and/or making your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

What a Transformation! – Another Interior Redesign Client Testimonial

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

What a transformation!

Went from “What am I going to do?”

… to …

wouldn’t do anything else!

Displayed excellence from the beginning to the end.

In this day and age their workmanship and sense of ethics is like finding a needle in a hay stack!!!

Absolutely outstanding work! ,…

would highly recommend to anyone!

- Pat


Please see some of the Before and After pictures from Phase I of this Transformation of Pat’s home at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/2009/12/01/staging-cleaning-landscaping-in-south-florida/


Please see More Client Testimonials for Madonna’Staging Interior Re-deisign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/client-testimonials/interior-redesign-client-testimonials/


Would You like Your Home Transformedre-designed too?

Just Contact Madonna and schedule Madonna’Staging Interior Redeisign Services for Your Home Today at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 5 – Front Door

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

It is the best Feng Shui if your guests see an attractive lobby area or living room when the front door is opened.

However, we do not want the door to open directly onto the living room as this destroys the privacy of the occupants

The remedy for this is to partially screen the entrance.

A bookcase, decorative screen or a large potted plant can provide the necessary privacy without detracting from the feng shui of the room.

The interior should be well-lit to encourage the ch’i to enter.

Dimly lit and gloomy entrances discourage ch’i.

The remedy for this is to increase the amount of light in the entrance area.

A chandelier would be perfect for this, as the crystals energize the ch’i and reflect it in every direction.

It is bad Feng Shui for the front door to open directly onto a staircase going either up or down.

This confuses the ch’i as it does not know whether to upstairs or into the rooms on the ground floor.

It also means that the occupants will be inclined to come into the house and immediately go to their own rooms, rather than socialize with other family members.

This does not apply if the staircase is at right angles to the front door as this arrangement allows the ch’i time to get used to the layout of the house.

The remedy for a staircase that goes directly up from the front door is to hang a crystal from the ceiling above the bottom step.

The ch’i will be attracted to this, rather than to the staircase.

Usually  a staircase going downstairs from the front door will have a door.  Keep the door closed whenever possible

It should not be possible to see the back door from the front door.

This situation allows the ch’i to enter the house, only to immediately leave again.

Also, if the back door is at the end of a long hallway leading from the front door, you have an internal shar. If possible, change the position of the back door.

Alternatively, a screen could be put up to conceal the back door from anyone entering the front door.

Crystals or wind chimes can be hung up immediately inside both the front and back doors to encourage the ch’i to linger.

Finally, if the back door is solid, a mirror can be placed on it to encourage the ch’i back inside.

For those of you out there that are starting to get your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced, …

I hope my Feng Shui tips will help you!

- Madonna


Please find more of Madonna’s Great Feng Shui tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/feng-shui-tips/

and …


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Do you need more help encouraging more positive chi’i as possible into our home and/or making your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

January is Get Organized Month!

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Did you know that January is The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Get Organized (GO) Month?

and …

Did you know that last Monday was National Clean Off Your Desk Day?

Did you Clean Off Your Desk for National Clean Off Your Desk Day?

Every January,  GO Month is dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of getting organized and of hiring a professional organizer.

Each year, NAPO also conducts a GO Month survey with members of the public to gauge their familiarity with professional organizing as well as their perceived need for the services a professional organizer can provide.

Of 400 adults polled in a November 2008 survey:

  • About 85 percent indicated an awareness of what professionals do
  • 96 percent said they would save time every day by becoming more organized. Among those 96 percent:
    • 15 percent felt they could save more than an hour each day—for a total of more than 15 days per year—if they were more organized at home.
    • 30 percent felt they could save at least 30 minutes each day—or more than an entire week per year—if they were more organized at home
  • 65 percent of respondents noted that their household was at least moderately disorganized
  • 27 percent said they felt disorganized at work (1)

Reference: (1) Wikipedia

Many people also make New Year’s Resolutions, every year, to get and stay More Organized, you know?

But …

How many people do you think actually follow through with their New Year’s Resolutions and actually get and/or stay organized throughout the year without some professional help?

I know it isn’t easy to initially get organized when you have been very disorganized for a long time, …

and …

Then it is an ongoing challenge for you to continually stay organized, right?

But …

There are Many Benefits to being and staying More Organized!

… including reducing stress and frustration, and as noted in the survey results above, that …

Organized People Save Time, and Money, every day!

and …

When you have your external world, e.g. your home, your office, etc. Organized and in order, then you will get your internal world / your life in order too!

… You know?

Do you need some help initially getting organized and/or staying organized?

Madonna’Staging can Help You both get and then stay More Organized all year long!

Madonna’Staging can provide you with all of the Organizing, De-Cluttering , Cleaning and/or Interior Redesign services you may need to Help You both get and then stay More Organized all year long!

Please see some Client Testimonials for:

and if you are ready and would like some Help to Celebrate Get Organized Month, fulfill Your New Year’s Resolution and getting  More Organized Now and staying Organized all year long, then …

You may find More Information about …

and Please Contact Madonna at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/about/

… to start getting More Organized Now and then staying Organized all year long!


Please Reply / Post Your Comments Here and Share with us all how You are Celebrating Get Organized Month this year?

Your Tips for getting and staying More Organized?

… and …

if You Cleaned Off Your Desk for National Clean Off Your Desk Day this year? ;) , ok?


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 4 – Curb Appeal

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

In Part 4 of Madonna’s Feng Shui Tips Madonna shares some Feng Shui Tips regarding how you may use Feng Shui to improve the “curb appeal” of your home and/or make your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced:

Here is a exercise that may be very revealing and make you see your home in a new light.

Take photos of the front of your home. (photos are very important you will see thing in photos that you do not normally see).

Start at the curb and take pictures as if you are a potential buyer.

We all view our homes with our emotions and it is hard to see it the same way a stranger would.

By doing this exercise you will be able to make the improvement that are needed. Not only for the sale of your home if you are wanting to do so …

But also for feng shui, it is very important to keep the front of your home clean and in good repair.

The placement of the front door is of extreme importance in feng shui.

The positions of the front door and the stove are the most important aspects in feng shui.

The size of your front door should be in keeping with the size of your house.

If the front door is overly large compared with the size of the house your fortunes will suffer.

If it is too small, ch’i is constricted and there will be disagreements in the family.

REMEDY Any shars that may be afflicting your front door.

This is the most important single aspect of feng shui.

Look for angled roof lings of neighboring houses, straight lines, streetlight poles, a single tall tree, and anything sharp, angled, pointed  or straight.

For instance, if your home is facing a T-junction you will need to make the road that heads towards your front door “disappear.”

A pa-kua mirror above the front door will do this.

Fences and trees can also create an effective remedy.

For those of you out there that are starting to get your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced, I hope my Feng Shui tips will help!

- Madonna


Please find more of Madonna’s Great Feng Shui tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/feng-shui-tips/

and …


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Need more help improving the “curb appeal” of your home and/or making your home more attractive, more comfortable and more balanced?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Real Estate Staging Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/real-estate-staging/

and/or …

Would you like some help encouraging as much positive chi’i as possible into our home?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 3 – Entrance

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Early nineteenth century French cut-glass and ...

Image via Wikipedia

In Part 3 of Madonna’s Feng Shui Tips Madonna shares some Feng Shui Tips regarding how to encourage more ch’i into your home:

The front door should be easy to locate.

If your guests find it hard to find, the ch’i will find it hard to find too.

A front door that opens in rather then out is better.

Doors that open out discourage ch’i  from entering.

The front door should open onto a bright, well-lit room, giving a glimpse of part of the interior of the home.

We want the entrance foyer to appear expansive.

If the front door opens onto a small lobby area, the ch’i is constricted and confined.

The remedy for this is to put up a large mirror. The mirror should be large enough that it does not appear to cut off your visitors’ heads.

A mirror in this position makes the entrance area appear larger and encourages the ch’i inside.

It can be a good idea to place the mirror above a small side-table or other piece of furniture.

Fresh flowers or ornaments could be placed on top of this to help attract the ch’i indoors.

The interior should be well-lit to encourage the ch’i to enter.

Dimly lit and gloomy entrances discourage ch’i.

The remedy for this is to increase the amount of light in the entrance area.  A chandelier would be perfect for this, as the crystals energize the ch’i and reflect it in every direction.

For those of you out there that are starting to get your home in balance, I hope my Feng Shui tips will help!

- Madonna


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Need more help encouraging as much positive chi’i as possible into our home?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Staging, Cleaning & Landscaping for a client in South Florida

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

We (Madonna’Staging) were contacted by the homeowners and were asked to Stage, Clean and Landscape their “new home” in phases for a future move-in date.

Scope of Project:

Phase I (completed)

  1. Window treatments for the entire house/home
  2. Rooms cleaned (construction clean) & staged:
    Kitchen, Dining Room, Den and Formal Living Room.

Completed in 2-1/2 days or 20 hours

**See pictures below for Phase I

Please note:  Plants (greenery) was not added in the home at the time of Phase I completion.  Pictures will be updated upon completion of all phases.


Phase II (in process)

  1. Rooms to be cleaned (construction clean) & staged:
    Family room, Office, 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths.
  2. Front yard landscaped with plants native to South Florida

Phase III (will start when Phase II is complete)

  1. Back yard & pool landscaped with plants native to South Florida

The homeowners requested that their favorite antique pieces needed to be incorporated into the interior design of their new home.

Wow, there were many antiques to choose from and we did it!

It was a wonderful experience working with these homeowners!!  They are such a joy to work for & with!!

We are looking forward to Phase II.  **More Pictures coming soon!


Please Contact Madonna / Madonna’Staging Now if you would also like to have your home Staged, Redesigned, Cleaned and/or Landscaped and see results like this for your home today!

and …

Please come back Here to see our further progress on and more before and after pictures from this Staging, Interior Redesign, Cleaning and Landscaping Project for this client in South Florida.


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 2 – Basic Feng Shui Rules

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

In Part 2 of Madonna’s Feng Shui Tips Madonna shares some basic Feng Shui rules:

1) The bedroom should be kept clutter free, so the ch’i can flow freely.

2) If a doorway and the head of the bed share the same wall, it can make you restless and disturb your sleep and if there is a door to the bathroom on the same wall it should be kept closed.

Front Door:

Your front door represents you and your approach to life. We just come in and out of our doors without noticing anything. It can be an interesting exercise to enter your home and try to see all the things that a stranger would notice when he or she visits. Ideally you want your front path and front door to be cheerful and welcoming. But does it? Is your paint on the front door in good shape? Is all the front clean? Does your door bell work? If not this is all bad feng shui!!! If your front is welcoming, plenty of light, flowering plants and an uncluttered entrance all this creates good feng shui!

3) Your front door is of supreme importance in feng shui as it is the main location where ch’i enters the house.  In feng sui we want the front door to be slightly larger than the back door.  We do not want the beneficial ch’i to come in the front and go immediately out the back door.

4) The front door should be in proportion to the size of the house. If it is too large it will allow valuable ch’i to escape.  This will cause financial problems.

5) We do not want the door too small either.  If it is too small the amount of ch’i able to come in is restricted. This will cause finacial problems also. And also make your guests nervous and apathetic.

6) In feng shui your front door is the door most frequently used. So if you always come in and out of your home through a door other than the actual front door that becomes your front door in feng shui.

7) Your front door should be on the left side of the house. That means if you are standing inside your home the front door should be on the left side of the front of the home.  I know you have no control over this if you are already living in your home., but for the ones buying a new home it is something to kept in mine.

The story behind this is that the dragon looks over the left-hand side of the house, and his energy and bountiful ch’i enters the more easily when the front door is located on this side.

A door in center is better than having the door on the right.

8) Front doors are also good to have facing east or south.  That means that you will be warmed by the morning sun when you leave for work.  This will put you in a better mood.

9) You do not want any shars to affect the front door. This is the single most important aspect of feng shui. The front entrance must be protected. The most serious shar of all occurs when the house is sited on a T-junction, with a street heading directly towards the front door. This is made worse if the street heads downhill towards you front door.

10) The path leading towards the front door can also create a shar if it consists of a straight line leading from the road to your front door.
There are remedies for all of this. Your can plant a hedge or put up a fence, so that the street is not longer visible. The path can be changed to a gentle curve or put something to make the path to a angle just before the front door. If you can’t do any of these things. You can put a pa-kua mirror above the door which will serve to eliminate the potential harm coming from these shars. A pa-kua mirror symbolically captures the shar and reflects it back where it came from.

For those of you out there that are starting to get your home in balance, I hope my Feng Shui tips will help!

- Madonna


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Need more help encouraging as much positive chi’i as possible into our home?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Feng Shui Tips – Part 1 – Introduction to Feng Shui

Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Feng shui Luopan compass
Image via Wikipedia

Ch’i is the universal life force.

It gathers near gently flowing water and is created whenever anything is done perfectly.

To operate effectively we need to encourage as much chi‘i as possible into our home.

Ch’i can be both positive and negative.

For instance, gently moving water creates positive ch’i, while stagnant water creates negative ch’i.

We want as much good ch’i as possible, but naturally want to eliminate any negative ch’i.

Ch’i needs to be nurtured and gathered.

Chi’ is made up of both YIN AND YANG.

Yin and yang are the two opposites in the universe. For instance night and day, short and tall. None of these can exist without the other.

The ancients never tried to define yin and yang, but just collect lists of opposites.

YIN is represented by black, and YANG is white.

The concept began many thousands of years ago when the ancient Chinese called the shady, northern slopes of the mountain YIN and the sunny, southern slopes YANG.

The ancient Taoists used the familiar symbol of yin and yang to represent completion.

This symbol, which looks like two tadpoles in a circle, symbolizes the universe.

One tadpole is black with a white dot in it and the other white with a black dot in it.

The dots indicate that inside every yin there is a certain amount of yang, and inside every yang is a degree of yin.

If your property is too yin, (t0o flat) you can remedy this by planting shrubs and trees or perhaps by the introduction of rocks or a garden shed. It is important to think ahead.  Small trees grow into big trees, which can alter the feng shui of the immediate area.

If your area is too yang,  (too hilly) you may be able to flatten part of your property to create a balance of yin and yang energy.

Even the house itself is divided into yin and yang areas.

The front of the house, which serves to greet people to the property, is outgoing and yang.

The farther inside the house you go, the more yin, and private, the rooms become This is why bedrooms usually feel better if they are situated well away from the front door.

For those of you out there that are starting to get your home in balance, I hope my Feng Shui Tips will help!

- Madonna


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Feng Shui Tips you may have?

and/or …

Please also Post any your questions you may have regarding how you may encourage as much positive chi’i as possible into our home, ok?


Need more help encouraging as much positive chi’i as possible into our home?

Please see Madonna’Staging Interior Redesign Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Interior Redesign Client Testimonial

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Madonna,

How did you make my most favorite place better?  I don’t know, but you did!

Anything is possible.

You look at a room and you think – you can do this or that, then … Madonna comes in and everything changes for

the best!

WOW, it’s so awesome!  We just can’t get enough of it!

‘You’ sit, look and think about it, how I could I not vision this before?

One room invited you in to enjoy!  What a concept.

It’s my home, but so much better.

What a change and we just love it!!

Thank you sooo much!!

The CB Family


Would You like Your home re-designed too?

Just Contact Madonna and schedule Madonna’Staging Interior Redeisign Services for Your Home Today at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/redesign/

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Testimonial – Real Estate Staging

Sunday, June 7th, 2009
Real Estate Owned (REO)

The Testimonial for Real Estate Staging on the sale of the home in Palm Bay.

For those of you that do not know this …

I just sold my own home! :)

This is a great story because it is a perfect example that Staging works.

My home that sold was a villa.

It was not in foreclosure and it was not a short sale.

We just wanted to move closer to my husbands work.

Being a villia it had two other one on the same street for sale that was just like it.

and …

The other two were well under my asking price.

The Realtor had wanted us to lower the price, but we said no!

So I asked my husband if he really wanted to move. Now I mean REALLY !!!!!!!!.

He looked at me and like I was crazy and said “Yes”.

So …

I told him them I was going to get serious about selling it.

So …

I started Staging it.

I walked through it with the eyes I use if I were at work on a clients home.

I staged the home and I made a Real Estate Marketing Flyer (that you can also get from me for your home).

And …

In just three weeks the house was sold! :)

My realtor and the buyers realtor could not believe it!

But both now see Staging in a new light! ;)

By the way I did not lower my price!

Info: My Realtor
Mary C. Shewman
321.733.7120
Mary@SellFloridaHomes.com
SELLFLORIDAHOMES.COM

She is a great lady, and was fun to work with!

- Madonna


Please find more information about How Real Estate Staging can Help You Sell all of Your Properties Faster and for More Money, and contact Madonna McDowell / Madonna’Staging to get all of Your Properties Professionally Staged Today! , at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/real-estate-staging/


Reblog this post [with Zemanta]