When I was preparing to move back home to Cape Cod from California where most homes do not have basements, I was excited that our new house has one. We used to call it “the cellar”. When I was a child, we would play down there when the weather was foul outside. Wonderful memories……….. And as an adult, I now have a vast area to store things and work on projects. Yay!
Our basement is divided to about half finished living area with a fireplace, and half unfinished storage and furnace area. When we purchased our house, the basement was dark and full of mold. The plan is to have an art studio and office in the finished area and maintain storage and a small workshop in the unfinished area.
But starting the day that the moving truck arrived, we would direct furniture and household items that we didn’t know what to do with down to the basement. And without a garage, all of our tools, bicycles and extra patio furniture ended up there. Then when it came time to start remodeling the space, we were broadsided with the unexpected dilemma of what to do with all of the stuff that has accumulated in just a year and a half. Ugh!
In the practice of Feng Shui, a basement is considered an area where potentially the flow of energy can be blocked or come to a dead end with limited windows and air circulation. As it happened to us, it also becomes a place where items that no longer have a use or represent the past can come to lay to rest. Basements can lack a balance of Yin and Yang where they become overly Yin (Dark and Sluggish) and lack Yang ( Light and Energetic). The basement resides within the foundation of your home. The foundation is technically and energetically considered the support of the home and the lives within it. A weak and unhealthy foundation cannot support a home and the lives within it.
Our plan is to firstly clean out the clutter, organize the space, have a yard sale and give away the things that no longer serve us. We are adding a window for more light and air flow. The walls are going to be painted light, warm colors. We will introduce art and fabrics to compliment. This will increase Yang energy to the space and create balance. The art studio and office are creative and productive areas which will offset the more stationary storage area. This will all create a balance and harmony which builds a strong foundation for our home and lifestyles. Now that is good Feng Shui!
In my next articles, I will discuss the design of our art studio and office as it relates to supporting the use of those spaces through Feng Shui.
Our basement is divided to about half finished living area with a fireplace, and half unfinished storage and furnace area. When we purchased our house, the basement was dark and full of mold. The plan is to have an art studio and office in the finished area and maintain storage and a small workshop in the unfinished area.
But starting the day that the moving truck arrived, we would direct furniture and household items that we didn’t know what to do with down to the basement. And without a garage, all of our tools, bicycles and extra patio furniture ended up there. Then when it came time to start remodeling the space, we were broadsided with the unexpected dilemma of what to do with all of the stuff that has accumulated in just a year and a half. Ugh!
In the practice of Feng Shui, a basement is considered an area where potentially the flow of energy can be blocked or come to a dead end with limited windows and air circulation. As it happened to us, it also becomes a place where items that no longer have a use or represent the past can come to lay to rest. Basements can lack a balance of Yin and Yang where they become overly Yin (Dark and Sluggish) and lack Yang ( Light and Energetic). The basement resides within the foundation of your home. The foundation is technically and energetically considered the support of the home and the lives within it. A weak and unhealthy foundation cannot support a home and the lives within it.
Our plan is to firstly clean out the clutter, organize the space, have a yard sale and give away the things that no longer serve us. We are adding a window for more light and air flow. The walls are going to be painted light, warm colors. We will introduce art and fabrics to compliment. This will increase Yang energy to the space and create balance. The art studio and office are creative and productive areas which will offset the more stationary storage area. This will all create a balance and harmony which builds a strong foundation for our home and lifestyles. Now that is good Feng Shui!
In my next articles, I will discuss the design of our art studio and office as it relates to supporting the use of those spaces through Feng Shui.
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