The Art of Interior Harmony

Nov 1, 2017Design

“A well-balanced space is like a good cup of coffee for your soul; rejuvenating your drained spirit and revitalising your depleted energy sytem”

Design for your Soul

Welcome to the Indoor-Energy Series!

The year is finally rounding up and things are shifting into a calmer mode. After having worked hard throughout the year, most of us just want to kick-back, relax and find ways to unwind. To help you celebrate your individuality in a happy place, this post is packed with a few interior design solutions that compliment a positive lifestyle.

At this time of year you often start to reflect on the months gone by and perhaps even slowly begin to lay out plans for the new year ahead. It is a fantastic period to do an introspection; taking stock of the things that you have accomplished and working towards clearing out negative vibes in preparation for the merriment of the Holiday Season.

Introspection is often accompanied by a whole bunch of questions relating to different aspects of your life.

Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain spaces and could spend hours in them, and yet can’t bare to stay too long in others? Perhaps you may have noticed that you completely hate being in a space on a particular day, but can absolutely love it a few days later.

Although there are many factors that can make you want to run and hide, the simple fact is that the energy within the space does not resonate well with you at that particular moment in time.

We all want to fulfill a purpose in a sense and, in most cases, want to tell an inspiring story about our lives. We do this at home, work and while socialising with family and friends. Whether positive or negative, each and every story is filled with some kind of energy that is also known as Chi.

During the course of your day, your story changes numerous times and so too does the energy that comes with it. Sometimes, the ever-changing levels can lead to an imbalance in your Chi that causes you to feel uneasy when you enter certain places. You therefore tend to seek out sanctuaries where you do not feel like the life is literally being sucked out of you.

The perfect blend of elements

According to ancient spiritual beliefs, our Chi is linked to the Earth’s elements – Fire, Water, Earth, Metal and Wind. The strange feeling that you have in certain places often comes from within your body’s drained energy centers. Basically, it is your body’s way of telling you to run and find happiness by filling your tank with the missing elements.

It is probably a good idea to listen to your body before you refuel on one too many bottles of wine in the hope of finding relief. And at this point you have probably guessed what the hangover-free solution might be.

A well balanced space is like a good cup of coffee to your soul; rejuvenating your drained spirit and revitalising your energy sytsem. Your senses draw in energy from the shapes, sounds, smells, textures and visuals within your environments. You usually gravitate towards stimulation that replenishes your inner self, inorder to restore a sense of balance and harmony to your life. If your surroundings do not fulfill that need, you tend to feel out of place.

If you want a space to resonate well with you, positive Chi from within it has to flow freely towards you. In order to achieve this result for their clients, energy-conscious designers understand that balance and harmony play a major role in well-rounded projects.

Ofcourse, there are several complex ways of achieving this. However, more and more designers are turning to nature for inspiration, borrowing from its shapes, forms and elements. In many cases, the 5 elements mentioned above are the driving force behind breath-taking designs. And the best part of all is that you can do this too!

So how exactly do we illuminate the darker corners of our spaces to allow for better moods?

Although you come into contact with various products on a daily basis, you often do not realise just how interconnected you are with nature’s elements or how your interaction with those elements influences your mood. To be able to gain a sense of balance, you need to identify what it is that satisfies your 5 senses and makes you wanna kick off your shoes instead of heading for the hills.

The best way to start, is by creating harmony within your immediate environment. To get you a few steps closer to spending time in the interior that will keep you smiling, here are a few easy steps to kick-start your journey to soulfull bliss:

Step 1: Declutter

Since we are all hopefully trying to tell a positive story, make it a priority to surround yourself with items that make you happy. Remove anything you do not absolutely love from your space and make room for positive energy to flow freely.

If the idea of throwing out your things terrifies you, simply stow them away in storage boxes. These can double up as interesting seating or coffee tables. The fun part is that you can occassionally swop out items to shake up the look and add an element of surprise to your dinner parties.

Step 2: Re-energise

Once every thing that you hate is out of sight, start to refill your environment with items that bring you joy and make you want to get up and dance.

Dont be shy to add a splash of colour to brighten things up. And yes, even bright yellow is acceptable!

Play with shapes that correspond to the elements; use waves to represent Water, rectangles for Wood, triangles for Fire, circles for Metal and squares for Earth.

Step 3: Preserve

Now that your space is filled with positive energy, try to keep it that way.

Apart from keeping out any new items that you do not like or need, leave the negative vibes at the door. Many Western and Asian cultures achieve this by taking their shoes off before entering a space. That way the energy that they carried around with them during the day stays outside.

Just know that shoes need love too, so be kind and give them a neat spot to live in.

Remember that the right environment can put back a spring into your step. When choosing a space to compliment your mood after work or while socialising, look for elements that set a positive tone and will leave you feeling energised.

What’s in store?

Look out for more tips on how to re-energise a space in the next post. 3 Purple Feathers was commissioned by Stones for Africa to create a series of enchanting visuals for use in the gemstone store. The up-coming featured designs are the perfect examples of how interior design meets spirituality in an effort to amplify energies within your surroundings.