Decorating with Funky Shui: How to Lighten Up, Loosen Up, and Have Fun Decorating Your Home
Decorating with Funky Shui encourages you to dig out all those wild and crazy pieces you've been hiding. So c'mon, gather up all those snow globes and let the disco ball sparkle in your living room. Let your rooms tell people who you really are-if you dare.Your home should be a reflection of your own personality, not a hodgepodge of mass-produced whatnots from a "big-box" chain retail store. Inspired by the popular Chinese art of feng shui, this lighthearted book takes you through the "Fun-damentals," the four directions to make your house yours, all yours: Find the playful center of the room: It can be a random garage-sale treasure, that cool mannequin you didn't think you could find a place for, or the tarnished tuba you inherited from Grandpa. That one goofy, unusual, or chic conversation piece can become the star of your room. Brighten up with color: Not everything has to match your boring beige sofa. Rooms without color lack flavor. Enlighten up: Fun, dynamic lighting can brighten a room in more ways than one. Candles add coziness; Christmas lights sparkle year-round. A string of hot-pepper lights can spice up a cool room. Abundance through abundance: The souvenirs you pick up during road trips. Your collection of vintage milk-bottle caps. All the Pez dispensers you can't bear to part with. If you've got 'em, flaunt 'em. Artfully display your collections-whatever they may be-to show them off.Decorating with Funky Shui encourages you to stretch your imagination to find a style that's uniquely you.
Customer Review: Screw Feng Shui!
Are you tired of all those decorating books (and shows) that insist we must rid ourselves of all our treasured items that we've spent so much time collecting? I know I am. I've tried the whole feng shui thing and it just doesn't fit my personality. I'm through trying to fit the mold of some organized, bland, neat freak. It's just not going to happen. This is a lighthearted book with some really great photos. It's not meant to be a "real" decorating book, I think. It just reminds us to have fun with our beloved stuff. Lots of wide open space might be great for energy flow, but for some people,like me, the emptiness just leaves a cold feeling. If you feel the same way, then this is the book for you.
Customer Review: Funky, yes -- practical, no
Decorating with Funky Shui is a fun book, no doubt. It's fun to read and look at, and I was thoroughly entertained by the kitsch and the collectibles. But I have to say that beyond the few good ideas in the book, it's not a very practical decorating strategy for families with babies, small children, or rambunctious pets.
I love the idea that you can decorate with stuff you accumulate and can't toss out, but I can't see myself collecting so much stuff in clusters and having to dust my decor. Imagine the intricate work involved! And with pets, forget it.
In theory a great, fun book. In reality, only if you're single or not sharing a space and have the patience to clean all these objects and spaces.