What happened here?
They say nothing causes more arguments between a couple than money or sex!
If you’ve been following this series, you know I am sharing our extreme makeover through Feng Shui eyes and that we started this project in the wealth area of the Bagua with the world’s creepiest kitchen. (Know one creepier? Send me photos.) As coincidence would have it, the second room that needed our attention was in the relationship area of the Bagua. (Seems we were going to have the money and sex thing covered!)
This poor room was sending some pretty major mixed signals. (Not advisable in a relationship, by the way.) It didn’t know what to be or what to do. Judging by the furniture, its role had been that of a living room though its location felt more conducive to that of a guest room. (The REAL living room had its own problems.)
Oh my. Is that an outside wall, you ask?
• A quick assessment revealed challenges that went well beyond the cast off furniture.
- A cement block add-on with no insulation
- Two outside walls inside
- A window with no more view
- Acoustic drop ceiling with no insulation
- A shallow ledge with no function (but for dust)
- A sliding glass door that led to a two-foot drop onto powdered granite
• A Feng Shui assessment revealed a room that was rich with relationship metaphors and some pretty hinky chi that needed redirecting, repurposing and refining.
- Insulation: Comfort zones and protection from outside influences.
- Opposing outside-inside walls: Relationship priorities as they relate to the world views and private views of a couple. A need for balance and harmony.
- Blocked window: Redirect vision. Don’t look to what is no more. To what has no view. (Like past resentments.)
- Shallow ledge: Are memories, mementos and special things that support what’s valued in a relationship placed on ledges (beliefs, expectations, fears) too shallow to safely hold them?
- Door with a two-foot drop: Unsure footing between the relationship and the world.
We did not want any of that bad chi! This room was going to have to be our living room for a good while so, like the kitchen, it had to pull more than its own weight in maintaining harmony and balance.
WE HAD WORK TO DO! CALL IN THE TROOPS!
"#@&%*!" Poor Dad. Again, wondering ... wondering.
LETS TAKE ANOTHER LOOK
BEFORE
BEFORE: Old room with all its challenges.
AFTER
AFTER: New room. Complete with insulation, new drywall, faux finish, white trim – and a porch step (for that two-foot drop) that now leads out to a poured concrete patio!
BEFORE
BEFORE: Old room with its exterior walls.
AFTER
AFTER: New room that now serves as our guest room – and an extra reading room.
Hey! A bookaholic's got to put her stash somewhere! (Were this staged to sell, many of these books would be removed.)
Addressing our extreme makeover project with intention allowed us to commit the chi to what supported our relationship as we danced with each other and the world … and around plastic sheeting and drop clothes and stacked drywall and sawhorses and paint cans and …
If Walls Could Talk! I’m sharing before and after photos of our great adventure throughout this Extreme Makeover Series using my Enlightened Interiors eyes. Click here for more information on my Enlightened Interiors services. Our homes have stories to tell – even those just acquired. How we ’stash our stuff’ reveals a lot – as this previous owner’s bankruptcy attests to. By paying attention and making mindful decisions, Ray and I were able to heal this old mill house (it so wanted to be happy) and lay the foundation for a home that supports our creative drives and passions in a way that no place before it has.
Just joined the tour? Here’s a table of contents with links.
Part 2: A Kitchen Beyond Creepy
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Definition: Bagua (bog-wa): The Bagua maps out nine areas of life that contribute to – or deplete from – wellness and joy. (Like career, health, love, creativity, etc.) Think of it as a blueprint for your home. But instead of showing you the location of a bedroom or closet, it reveals the area concerned with family, health, love, etc. In Feng Shui you adjust areas of the Bagua when you wish to encourage support of a specific intention or desire.
Copyright 2009 Extreme Makeover: the adventure begins
Tags: extreme makeover
