Add some 'Chinese Feng shui' to your Home!
If you are looking to add some Chinese Inspired Lighting and Home Decor to your home to be unique, here at Cotterell & Co we have some bespoke hand made products that will add those warm inviting touches to your home.
One of our Interior Designers picked out a collection of products featuring Rustic Oranges, Reds, Florals and much more. The meaning on 'Feng shui' actually comes from ancient Chinese beliefs, that the way your home is built or the way that you arrange objects affects your success, health and happiness. The Chinese words "feng" and "shui" translate to mean “wind” and “water," respectively. This concept derived from an ancient poem that talks about human life being connected and flowing with the environment around it. The basic principles of ‘Feng Shui’ comes down to The Commanding Position and the Five Elements. In this blog we go into explaining them while adding in products to help add that ‘Chinese’ influences along the way.
Millar Hamilton
Starting with the Commanding Position. It is the spot in a room that is the furthest from the door and not in direct line with it e.g it puts you a diagonal to the door. Ideally, you should have a clear line of sight to the door. The commanding position is where you want to spend most of your time when you are in that room. Feng shui guidelines suggest you determine this dominant position in the room, then place your bed, your desk, or your stove in diagonal alignment, if you can. These three parts of your house are critical since each represents an essential part of your life. The bed stands for you, the desk is an extension of your career, and the stove represents your wealth and nourishment.
The five elements, earth, metal, water, wood, and fire all come from the Taoist tradition. The elements are five solid phases in life that work together to create a complete system. Typically, the practice of ‘feng shui’ works to balance these five elements in your home and each of your life areas. To incorporate the elements in your life and your home, you have to define where you want to focus your energy. Much like the bagua, you choose the one to three areas of your life you want to improve. Then, you strengthen your energy and your home's energy by adding the suggested colours or shapes in that room. For example, your bagua shows that your bedroom aligns with your health, overall wellness, and the place where you rejuvenate. It ties into the earth element. Consider ways to incorporate earth tones, ceramic or clay pottery, stones, or crystals in that room. After you have made improvements there, focus on a couple of other rooms or areas of your life. Look at the corresponding elements in those rooms and welcome that positive change into your life by adding those elements. The intent is to bring positive energy to those rooms, those areas of your life, and, ultimately, your entire home.
To go along with the Chinese influences of ‘Feng shui’ we wanted to add some of our own Chinese inspired products. Here we have added our Giraffe Lamp with an Orange Shade. This inspired us from history going as far back as 1414. A Giraffe - a unknown creature at the time in china- was presented to an Emperor who immediately associated it with the qilin, an auspicious mythical creature. Next, we have our Moooi Menagerie of Extinct Animals Bespoke Shade. The print celebrates extinct animals. The creatures are nestled amongst the outsize foliage picked out in stunningly vibrant colours. Our inspiration for the next lamp was the Traditional Asian Rice Hat. Our bespoke tapered shade is shaped in a similar way.
