Bante Design: Healthy Hibernation

Healthy Hibernation
by DeAnna Radaj, Allied ASID, Bante Design, LLC

The leaves are changing colors, the nights are cooler, kids are back in school and our thoughts are turning to our interiors. Whether it’s getting that kitchen re-model done before the holidays or re-doing a college bound youngster’s room to a study, fall is the time we research and start these projects. As we are contemplating these projects-large or small-we need to look at “healthy” or eco-friendly alternatives when painting, buying furniture and accessories, or just re-arranging furniture! The difference employing healthy home design, and even feng shui, can make a difference in our mental, spiritual and physical well-being is amazing. Healthy home design is especially important for those who suffer from upper respiratory ailments, asthma, allergies and headaches, have or are expecting babies and/or have elderly parents living with them.

Let’s take a quick look at feng shui. Feng shui is a 5000 year old science that translates to “wind and water”…it’s the Chinese art of placement in that you are working in harmony with your environment-no matter what that is (i.e. Cubicle, individual room, house…) and utilizing the 5 elements (fire, water, earth, wood, metal), color and personal auspicious symbols. Personal auspicious symbols are defined as any item that is used and/or has a positive attachment to it. There are 9 Life Areas that are identified in feng shui and the Bagua board, which can be activated by color, shape and element. I would suggest reading some books, or finding a feng shui master in your area for a consultation. Feng shui works with Mother Nature in that you want a flowing traffic pattern, utilizing the elements and organic shapes and the realization that energy is a moving force in nature as well as in our spaces. Once we acknowledge this and understand the flow of energy or “chi” in our home and how to activate or reduce it in the various Life Areas, we will live more centered, balanced lives. Feng shui incorporates space-planning, color and accessorizing just like we were taught in design school, just from another design philosophy.

So, now we know a bit more about feng shui, now what about “healthy home” or eco-friendly design? The real push for this started in Europe about 30 years ago in studies done on “sick building syndrome” and Bau-biology. Sick building syndrome is caused by our vacuum sealed, no ventilation buildings that are filled with products (paint, carpet, furniture, cleaners…) that are emitting toxins and poisons into our air. Frequent migraines, fatigue, upper respiratory ailments and sore throats are only a few of the symptoms of SBS (sick building syndrome). Bau-biology is the study of design and construction of homes that fulfill all health/holistic requirements. They are spaces that are built with natural materials, utilize natural light, and avoid the effects of EMFs and uses energy and resource efficient systems. Slowly, we are catching up to Europe in our views towards green design and “healthy home” design choices. If you need some more reasons to “go au naturale” here they are:

Increase the health of all living occupants of the space (kids, pets, elderly, you…) by improving indoor air quality, reducing chemicals/toxins, increase water quality and mental health as you reduce stress and anxiety by becoming more “connected” with nature.
You will be following the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle); however, I’d like to add 1 more as Re-think! As you become more informed of all available choices, you will see how easy it is to decorate your home in a healthy and fashionable way!
Read The Lorax, by Dr Seuss!

OK DeAnna, you say, you’ve convinced me! But how do I start? Well, you’ve already done the hard part, making the commitment. I always suggest that my clients start by doing a MAJOR de-clutter and purge. It’s OK to start small but you must go through each room, closet, drawer and cabinet and ask yourself: Do I LOVE it? Do I USE it? Do I NEED it? If you don’t answer with a yes to any of the questions, you must get rid of it. If you have a hard time with this, you aren’t alone. I teach workshops on this that are always on a Wait List with men and women, young and old. After you are done with your purge (I guarantee you will feel a cathartic release of the past-items=emotional baggage!) do a good spring cleaning. Use natural house-hold cleaners. Sun and Earth, 7th Generation and Natural Choices are all wonderful products that are available in mainstream channels. Check their websites! There are also some great books out there if you have the time and energy to make your own cleaners. (Green Clean is one of my faves!). Here are some other tips to help you to de-tox your home:

Use natural hygiene products and cleaners-these are chemicals that when made pollute the environment, our homes and our bodies.
Go organic when possible-food (buy local and in season), clothing (man-made fibers are petroleum based and also include formaldehyde (new smell)) and linens.
No VOC paints and finishes. All major paint manufacturers now make low or no VOC paint. Sherwin Williams has “Harmony” and Pratt & Lambert have Comfort Care in their lines. You must ask for it though! VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are the chemicals and toxins used to inhibit mold and quicken dry time, or “that new paint smell”. Make the smart choice.
Eliminate plastics and vinyls from your home. Studies have shown that PVC also off-gas like VOC and have been shown to cause certain types of cancers. Yes, this includes your shower curtain!
Beware of what candles you buy! Candles are a leading cause of indoor air pollution (which studies have shown to be worse than outdoor air). The big offender here is the wick. Wicks in most inexpensive candles are made with lead.
Lead has been shown to cause a variety of illnesses. When purchasing candles for ambience, look at the wick, if you see a metal core-DO NOT BUY IT! Some wicks will be made with zinc, which is OK; however, the best choice is cotton. Wicks with metal are the cause of sooting and black smoke that can stain walls. Look for candles made from beeswax, palm or soy wax and scented with natural botanicals and/or essential oils.

Now let’s apply what we’ve learned to individual rooms (and some more tips!):

Bedroom: The bedroom is the most important room of the home. We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping. Therefore, it is imperative that this room is chemical/toxin free and promotes rest and restoration, as well as romance. In feng shui, the bedroom is related to the Relationship area of the Bagua board. To activate this area (bring about a relationship in business, romance or friendship) arrange items in pairs to signify couples. Use the earth element here and the colors red (legally binding relationship), pink (single and looking) and coral (single and not looking!). The important thing here is to think romance. There should not be any pictures of family or friends in this room-it’s for you and your significant other. That being said, there should be no TV, computer or exercise equipment in this room either. The bedroom is for two things and watching TV and working on the computer are not among them! Here are a few more tips:

Keep this room clutter-free, especially under the bed. Air needs to be able to circulate around the body to rejuvenate. Clutter is a dust collector-if you haven’t purged yet-Do it!
Keep electronic items to a bare minimum in this room to reduce the EMFs. If you must have an electronic alarm clock and/or phone in the room, keep them at least 3 feet from your head to reduce this risk.
Beds should always have a headboard for support.
Place your bed in the power position of the room. This is the opposite corner from the doorway upon entering the room. This is the most psychologically secure position in the room. Stay away from placing the bed where your feet are in direct line with the door. This is called the “death position” (you bring bodies out of a room feet first-hence the name).
Buy as luxurious linens as you can afford-this will add to the “sensuality” of the room.
Color schemes should be in cool colors (blue, green, purple) as this helps promote sleep and relaxation. When adding “passion” introduce your red/pinks.
Lastly, lie down and see what the view is. It should be something pleasant-not into the bathroom! This is the first and last thing you see before you fall asleep and this will stay with you subconsciously. Make it good, we want pleasant dreams.

Kitchen: Just as the bedroom is related to the Relationship area of the Bagua, the Kitchen is related to the Wealth/Abundance area of the home. Keep all appliances and plumbing in working order to keep “wealth” in the family. This room is for gathering and nourishing-keep this in mind when designing this room. Buy as good a quality kitchen tools and food/ingredients as possible to promote that feeling of wealth. Other tips for the kitchen:

Again, clutter-free. All flat surfaces seem to attract clutter. Resist this urge! Keep all small appliances that are used infrequently in cabinets. Knives should also be kept away when not in use (negative, cutting energy).
The color scheme here should be warm and inviting-reds, earth-tones and white are perfect here. Stay away from red and orange though if you are trying to lose weight. These colors tend to increase appetite –think of the colors used in fast food restaurants. Use blue instead as blue tends to “gray” out food and make unappetizing. A good choice is white and makes the perfect color for plates as it won’t distract from the food.
When you are cooking at the stove, make sure your back is not to the door. You want to be able to see who is coming and going and not be surprised. If your back is to the door and this can’t be changed, hang a reflective surface above the stove (pots, mirrored tile/switch plates, mirror). This accomplishes 2 things: people can’t sneak up behind you and the stove’s burners are “doubled” by the reflection which symbolically doubles the wealth of the family!
Since this room is about abundance and nourishment, keep pesticides out of this room period, and use natural cleaning products. Think healthy! This is a chemical/toxin free zone.

Living Room: Another of the social, active rooms of the home the Living Room is where you want to think comfort and flexibility. This room must accommodate numerous activities from watching TV, reading, talking…floor plan must be able to adjust to whatever the function of the room is at that moment. Rounded corners on furniture will reduce injuries if kids or pets are present. To bring life into this room include upward-growing plants. This encourages growth and new opportunities. More tips for the Living Room:

Think warm colors for your color scheme. Earth-tones here are great for grounding and they go with any color you want to bring in for an accent!
The head of the household’s chair/seat needs to be placed in the power position of the room. This seat can be given up to a guest if the host so chooses.
Flexible lighting is key in this area. Due to the variety of activities that take place in this room, think 3 types of lighting: general or overhead, task (desk, reading) and accent.

Bathroom: Bathrooms tend to get a bad rap in feng shui; however, if done properly you won’t find your energy “going down the drain”! It is very important in this room to have all 5 elements represented to balance this space. Be creative as this is the one room where there are no limits. Be very wary of having an overabundance of the water element though as this tends to “drown” energy or and make the occupants feel they are in over their heads. In this space you want to try to raise energy and keep the eye looking up. This is easy to do with bright overhead lighting, wallpaper boarder, a lighter color paint on the ceiling or mirrors. More tips for the bathroom:

Keep the toilet seat down, doors shut and drains closed (have a drain cover, do not leave exposed/open). The bathroom is also related to family finances and health so you want to keep all “means of escape” closed.
Mirrors, crystals and sun-catchers are wonderful in this room to create rainbows and bring in light and keep the eye moving up.
No rules on color here, be as bold and bright as your personality allows.
Keep all plumbing in good working order. Fix all leaks immediately-you don’t want to waste water and/or create bigger problems.
Purchase natural bath and body products and bathroom cleaners. You’re doing a lot to create a healthy environment so why would want to poison your body. Again, if something is labeled “fragrance” it’s a synthetic, petroleum based product-do not buy.

Home Office: The last room we’ll look at is the Home Office. With more people working at home or self-employed, this space takes on new significance. Health issues concerning EMFs are prevalent in this room due to the concentration electronic equipment. Computers, printers, scanners and telephones can literally drain your energy. To off-set this, bring in plants like spider plants, philodendrons and ivies to create a healthier work environment. Jade, money and orange trees are auspicious and represent wealth and abundance-place these by the office entrance! In general, there should be 1 plant per 100 sp feet of space for good indoor air quality.

Artwork and accessories in this space should include: items that represent success and the career you are in (or want to be in). If there is a client you want, post their business card in a prominent place where it will be in constant view as a visual reminder. A picture of a mountain should be placed behind the desk chair for support and offer protection from behind.
A large area rug should be placed in this room to anchor the space and keep the occupant grounded.
Task lighting is very important here-do not ignore. Save your eyes!
Color schemes in this space should include earth-tones (for grounding), blues (communication), black (career) and red (success, energy).
Natural light and ventilation are important (as in all rooms) here due to the bombardment of EMFs in this space. Open up the windows year round to allow some fresh air to circulate, utilize crystals and sun catchers to “capture” the sun and disperse it throughout the space and maximize outside views with mirrors.

Here’s a quick maintenance checklist to keep your space healthy:

Daily- Open windows to let fresh air in and pollutants out
Monthly- Vacuum or wipe down return and delivery vents to keep dust from blowing around, wash refrigerator drip pans to keep mold away.
Bi-monthly- Change furnace filters in winter months (use HEPA pleated filters which have more surface area to collect dirt/dust).
Annually- Have your furnace inspected to ensure that it’s not leaking carbon monoxide.
Bi-annually- Have forced air ducts cleanted. Do not use fragrance or antimicrobial chemicals. If someone has allergies/asthma do this annual.

Obviously we tackled a lot in a short amount of space, however, I hope some of these tips and information can help you create a beautiful and healthy space for you and your family. There are numerous books and classes available if you’d like to learn more about any of these topics (feng shui mastery can take over 5 years to attain!). Life is stressful enough, our homes should not add to it.