Totally Crazy or Totally Genius? What is Feng Shui anyway? On this episode we dive deep into the simple truth at the heart of Feng Shui: Environment affects us!
On Episode 67 co-hosts Kirsten and Graham talk to Feng Shui consultant Katie Rogers about this ancient practice. Here are a few links we discussed during the show — and keep reading for interview highlights, DIY success, and more!
Links we mentioned in Episode 67

* Katies’ website is fantastic and it contains a wonderful list of reading materials.  Be sure to check her blog for some great articles.
* Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 is a go-to warm gray paint color(Katie likes it at 50%)
* The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room, by Terah Kathryn Collins
* My Overlays (Kirsten’s DIY obsession)

Interview with Katie Rogers
We learn how Katie accidentally discovered Feng Shui when she began her first job out of college and couldn’t stand working in a sea of gray cubicles and florescent lighting. She had the idea that perhaps she could go into companies and change the spaces to increase worker happiness and productivity.
As Katie began researching interior design, she came across a book by Terah Kathryn Collins and her love for Feng Shui was born! She started experimenting in her own home and in her friends’ homes and began to see results.
As Katie sees it, the bottom line is that your home reflects your life. The space that you spend time in is actually having a really profound effect on you.

There are general principles to Feng Shui, but it’s also really specific to the individual client.  The process begins with trying to figure out what the client needs in their life. More peace? More order? More creativity?
Kirsten asks for advice with creating more peace and less chaos when the kids come home from school and Katie says we not only need to make sure there is a space for kids to put their stuff, but moms also have to make it really easy for our kids to put their things away (i.e. not on the other side of the house). There needs to be a natural flow, which is a core principle of Feng Shui.
Katie always looks at floor plans, whether the client is remodeling or not, to make sure there is good flow.
Kitchens represent health and prosperity. Decluttering a kitchen is crucial! Having a cluttered kitchen could be preventing you from cooking healthy.
Bedrooms are also very important in Feng Shui. You should have nothing underneath the bed! Your subconscious is never asleep so by having things under your bed, you are distracting yourself and preventing rest.
Katie talks about having visited houses of clients who were actual hoarders and how bad that amount of clutter is to a space.  We learn that we need to be intentional about the things we have in our home. It doesn’t matter if something was expensive or given to you for a wedding gift, if you don’t like it,