Most people have at least heard the words Feng Shui, they may even have a feng shui fountain, but the fact is that your average person doesn’t really know what it means or what it entails. While it has changed since it migrated to the west, Feng Shui originated in ancient China. It is essentially a way of arranging a space that is supposed to promote a positive flow of qi, or life energy. If you are familiar with acupuncture, tai chi, or martial arts, qi is a vital part of these arts as well.
The core idea behind feng shui is to design a living or working area so that it promotes positive energy which will in turn have good effects in your life. This is accomplished in part by balancing the five elements: metal, earth, fire, wood and water. Since most people don’t have ponds near their houses, a feng shui fountain is often used to fulfill the water role.
Even if you’re not really interested in the greater concepts of feng shui, that’s no reason you can’t utilize a fountain to add to the decor of a space. A lot of people enjoy having a fountain around due to the relaxing sound of running water in the background.
Fountains can come in a wide variety of styles, from oriental inspired designs to more western concepts to wildly abstract ones. They also come in many different sizes and shapes – some are small enough to place on a nightstand, while others might hang on the wall. Some outdoor feng shui fountains are quite large (and also quite expensive!).
There are a lot of rules to follow if you want to reap the positive energy benefits of feng shui. Here are a few basics to get you started. There are two big things to watch out for. First of all, you don’t want a fountain in a bedroom. The water element can bring added anxiety to one’s life when located in a sleeping area. The other caveat is to avoid placing a water feature in the south, as fire (which clashes with water) is the dominant element of the southern orientation.
The optimal places for a feng shui fountain are east, southeast, or northern sections of your home. Each area is associated with a different positive energy flowing into your life. An eastern fountain promotes health, while one placed in the southeast supports your wealth and prosperity. A north-located fountain will bring positive energy that will support your career and livelihood.
A feng shui fountain is a great way to start channeling positive energy through your living space. But it’s just that – a start. There’s a lot more to this ancient Chinese art.
Filed under Design Landscaping by on Dec 20th, 2010. Comment. 
The design landscaping that surrounds your home is one of the first things that people will notice when they arrive at your property. The landscape design that you select will create the atmosphere that envelopes your home and garden and can embrace people with welcoming warmth. Landscaping around your home and yard will also have a significant impact on the overall value of your property.
There are many ways that you can improve the landscaping around your home. Some people worry that to improve their landscape design properly, they need to hire landscape architects or landscape contractors. This can be wonderful if you can afford it, but many people very successfully undertake the landscaping design for their homes on their own.
If you would rather do your design landscaping yourself rather than hiring a professional, then the first step is to learn the basics of landscape design. Good design is actually quite simple if you know and follow the four following principles. Combine these landscaping principles with your own tastes and preferences and you will quickly be able to create a plan for your home and garden exteriors that will be a reflection of you.
The first element of landscaping is the concept of balance. If you concentrate most of your new plants in one area, then the rest of your garden landscaping area will look rather neglected. Distribute the plants around the yard or the garden at least somewhat evenly and with a sense of flow. This will help draw the eye though the entire landscape design and engage your visitors.
The second aspect of great landscaping is proportion. The idea here is to make sure that any landscape design feature you choose fits in appropriately, in terms of size, to the surrounding areas, fixtures and structures. Trying to wedge an huge gazebo into a tiny back yard will end up looking almost comical, and will not provide a great effect. At the same time, if you have an enormous front lawn, then you will need to add larger elements in plantings or features that will be noticed and not overwhelmed.
Transition is the third principle you need to know for your landscaping project and is closely related to proportion. Even though your landscape design can include flowers, plants, large shrubs, bushes and even trees, the way to make them really work together in a beautiful way is with the use of transition. It is the smooth flow from one type and size of plant to another. You want to lead the eye from delicate plants to larger ones with some in-between sizes. Color transitions can also be a very effective aspect of your overall landscaping design plan.
The last of the four concepts of landscaping is unity and it is the ultimate sense that you are trying to express with your design. All of the choices that you make in how you balance, proportion, and transition the various colors, sizes and textures of your landscape elements should be governed by a unifying theme. This is what brings the landscape design together to work in harmony and create a spectacular home and garden.
It is helpful to select a theme for your design landscaping and utilize that theme throughout your entire design plan. Just be sure to stick to your chosen theme all the way through and only use elements that fit into that theme. If you started out to create the feel of an English cottage garden, then you do not want to add accent pieces that have an oriental flair.
Filed under Design Landscaping by on Apr 13th, 2008. Comment.