FURNITURE MAKEOVER FOR THE BEDROOM

Besides being a Feng Shui consultant I love to work on beautiful transformations, furniture makeovers!Here is the work I've done for our bedroom. I've got my 15 year old bedroom furniture spray painted. I was searching to purchase a new bedroom furniture set. But then I decided that we could use it for a couple of more years if we gave it a new lease. Being expats you need to think twice! Relocating quite often- this is totally a different lifestyle!

BEFORE

AFTER

VINTAGE  STYLE TURKISH MIRROR

MY LOVE BIRDS:) 

I got these beautiful handmade ceramic birds with evil eyes from a small gift shop in Izmir,Turkey, Aren't they cute? Objects in pairs is good for your bedroom from a Feng Shui perspective!

BEFORE

AFTER

NEW HEADBOARD

The only major change is the headboard. I purchased this lovely French rattan headboard from Luz de Luna in Al Barsha,Dubai. They also sell their pieces at Home Design store located on the 1st floor of Mall of The Emirates. The price was around US$ 1,000. 

NOW

Velvet, purple pillows & lilac cotton satin bedspread

The velvet, purple pillows are from Ralph Lauren, Harvey Nichols, US$ 250 for both.
The lilac cotton satin bedspread is from Crate and Barrel, US$190. All from Mall of the Emirates,Dubai.


I really like the cotton satin bedspread which is very lightweight and machine washable. The one I had before was a heavy cotton type of bedspread and was impossible to wash, only dry cleaned. 

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Actually, I'm still working on the styling, and balancing the Yin&Yang properties of the room as well as the 5 elements. I don't like to rush choosing the accessories as I want a look that will last for some time...

The Miracle of the Chinese Bamboo Tree

From a Feng Shui perspective, bamboo is the symbol of Wood energy and therefore represents growth, long life and prosperity. It's always green and never changes. The tree stands upright and survives through every season and the worst storms. 

I would like to share a favourite section about Bamboo Trees from the book of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families By Stpehen R.Covey. 

"In everything you do in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!                                                             

Many things in family life are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You work and you invest time and effort, and you do everything you can possibly do to nurture growth, and sometimes you don't see anything for weeks, months, or even years. But if you're patient and keep working and nurturing, that "fifth year" will come, and you will be astonished at the growth and change you see taking place.

Patience is faith in action. Patience is emotional diligence. It's the willingness to suffer inside so that others can grow. It reveals love. It gives birth to understanding."

So true,right?

The following photos of Bamboo trees were taken from a trip to Sri Lanka. It was my first time to really see the amazing bamboo trees in the nature. Of course I do have bamboo plants in my house which are the ones in big pots. But to see them in the nature feels so different. The nature in Sri Lanka is absolutely gorgeous with flowers, trees and plants growing from every corner. There are loads of more photos to share. Sri Lanka has about 170 different kinds of orchids!  

photo: by Burcu Ungun (Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

photo: by Burcu Ungun(Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

  

photo: by Burcu Ungun(Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

The bamboo tree is also a popular motif in Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese Brush Painting. Here is a painting done by me and the other one by my wonderful Chinese Brush Painting Teacher Violette Posth. Hope you like them:) Violette gives private Chinese Brush Painting classes in groups from the comfort of her home in Dubai,UAE. Anyone interested please e-mail me for her details. 

Painting by Burcu Ungun

Painting by Violette Posth

OPRAH: THE 6 THINGS I CAN LIVE WITHOUT

‎Oprah Winfrey employs her own Feng Shui Consultant. She is a huge fan. And she successfully integrates the ancient art of placement into her life. She did go through difficult times when she was younger. But she never gave up and now she runs her huge business and is touching & inspiring so many different lives. She has created miracles in her life and others. Isn't that great? 

Never give up! There's always some light at the end of the tunnel. 

Here is her recent post about de-cluttering on www.oprah.com

photo: www.oprah.com

"What I know for sure: I don't want to hold on to stuff that's holding me back. We do this de-clutter issue every year for good reason. Clearing out the old and bringing in the new is a constant process. A metaphor for moving on, no matter how or where you live" - Oprah

My house is a mess. Boxes filled with everything I own line the hallways, in the process of being sorted for storage or giveaway. I'm redesigning: clearing out what's no longer useful, and simplifying for the way I live now. 

For 25 years, my world revolved around the Oprah show. My house, though beautiful to me, was more a showplace than a how-I-live space, because the fact was, I didn't really live in it. I entertained infrequently. At the end of a day overflowing with commitments, the house was simply where I went to regroup and restore. Most of the time I spent here, I was holed up in my bedroom, my office, or the kitchen. Entire rooms never got used.

Several months ago, though, a friend stopped by for a visit, and as we sat in my aesthetically pleasing living room with all its accoutrements, I realized there wasn't a single place to put my feet up. My lovely silk-covered sofas didn't invite a good curl-up. Right then I decided to make a change.

I want every room in my house to offer its own welcome mat. I have no one to impress but myself, and what impresses me most are comfort and a style that reflects my pajama sensibility.

I'm not saying it's been easy to give up all the things I'd invested in. Like many people, I tend to get attached to the idea of things—losing sight of whether the things themselves actually serve a real purpose. What helped was finding new uses for old possessions. For me, it's easier to give up a once-favorite coat or chair or piece of jewelry if I can find someone else who'll appreciate it as much as I did.

What I know for sure: I don't want to hold on to stuff that's holding me back. We do this de-clutter issue every year for good reason. Clearing out the old and bringing in the new is a constant process. A metaphor for moving on, no matter how or where you live.

Goodbye to All That

A few things I've discovered I can live without:

1. Antique chairs that are not 100 percent comfortable to sit in.

2. Stone floors. Replacing them with wood will bring me joy.

3. All shoes that hurt my feet.

4. All clothes I haven't worn in two years.

5. Scarves. I never wear them.

6. Hats. I created a whole room with display cases for them, but now I'm selling them at a "church ladies" sale and giving the money away.


Read more: http://www.oprah.com

A HISTORICAL COLONIAL IN THE HEART OF SINGAPORE

Recently, I came across the home tour of Bebe and Adrian Zecha's residence in Singapore via Architectural Digest. It's a historical colonial, known as black and white, is amongst those originally built for senior officials in the British military between 1900 and 1940. “There are fewer than 250 left in Singapore,” notes Adrian Zecha.

I felt complete peace & harmony as I was going through the photos. Look at how the desk in the living area is in power position and the positioning of the seating area. Isn't it welcoming? Yin & yang is in full swing and there is a blend of different shapes like rounded and hard surfaces, dark and light, edges and corners, dark and light, high and low,...  

photo: Russell MacMasters

The couple, who collect Asian art, placed a Ming jar in the living room.

                                                                                       photo: Russell MacMasters
The house is enclosed by walls of windows, which provide maximum ventilation.
 

                                                                                              photo: Russell MacMasters
Bebe Zecha, with Gin likes the house’s “utter simplicity.” Although the rooms offer a clean backdrop for art, “we’ve never displayed our pieces in a formal way,” she says. “We’ve always scattered them throughout our houses.”

                                                                                              photo: Russell MacMasters
A circa 1930s painting of birds and foliage from the modern Beijing School dominates the dining room. The hall painting is 18th-century Chinese. The blue-and-white porcelain box is a Qing-period ice bucket used to cool rooms in the summer.

                                                                                          photo: Russell MacMasters
In the hall, a bamboo table holds a range of objects, including an old wood Chinese mask.

                                                                                              photo: Russell MacMasters
Books and Buddha sculptures, as well as a 17th-century Tibetan bronze dancing demon guardian, fill the built-in shelves that envelop the library.

                                                                                              photo: Russell MacMasters
A 17th-century Tibetan bronze dancing demon guardian.

                                                                                              photo: Russell MacMasters
A rare early-20th-century Thai painting of Buddha and two disciples hangs above the bed in the master bedroom. A pair of Korean cherrywood étagères showcase collections of Burmese silver bowls and antique wood vessels made for holding calligraphy brushes.
I would advise a stronger and wider headboard from a Feng Shui perspective. And if you really want to hang up a painting or any other decorative item make sure that it's securely drilled and fixed. Otherwise avoid hanging heavy items over the headboard. 

POWER OF COLORS IN FENG SHUI

Did you ever think about the power of colors? Color is such a great tool that it can immediately set the mood of people and even spaces. It affects our behaviour, thoughts and feelings. The more we understand how it works the more advantage we can take out of the power of colors!
Feng Shui provides guidelines on how to use colors according to the five feng shui elements and yin&yang, and gives information about symbolism and dynamics of colors in general. A basic rule is that red and black should be used sparingly. Too much red  creates aggressiveness and tension, and black can cause depression and pessimism. The purpose of a room is also important when deciding on the color. For instance it would be more appropriate to use bolder, joyfull colors for a living room whereas more quiet and gentle colors would be wise to use for a bedroom or a place used for relaxation.

photo: censationalgirl.com

photo: countryliving.com

Here are some quick highlights of colors:
White: Improves concentration and clear thinking. Choosing white means that all possibilities are open, but it can also mean that a person who chooses white is unable to form an opinion.
Green: Supports healing and stimulates creativity. It's the color of growth and nature. Also soothes the spirit, calms the nerves and reassures people.
Blue: Light blue stimulates creativity and openness, while deep blue colors subdue and create distance. Standing for intellect and spiritual insight, blue represents the positive side of imagination and utopian ideas.
Red: It's activating and stimulating, improves assertiveness and dynamism. But red, like black should be used as an accent color only.
Black: Absorbs all other colors and creates a sense of depth. Should only be used as an accent color.
Yellow: Represents the sun's power. It's cheerful,lively and gentle. It's a very positive color .It's balancing and calming.
Orange: It's the color of ripe, full, lively, warm, dry, cozy, sociable, youghtful & bright.
Brown: It has a stabilizing effect and creates a sense of grounding, connection with the natural world.
Grey: This is an ambitious color and is associated with being in transition or between states.It may be viewed as a color for compromise and harmony, or be seen as dismal and linked to depression.
Purple: It's the color of high ideals, loyalty, truth, power, balance between spirit&mind, passion&intellect and also love&wisdom since it consists of equal parts of red and blue.
Pink: It's the color of feminity, beauty, harmony. In China, pink is a favorite color for bedrooms to support a happy marriage.


Sources: Feng Shui Symbols & The Feng Shui Housebook