Feng shui has been around for centuries.  Those who believe in its power are usually more in balance with their surrounding and exhibit a positive energy.  However, feng shui is not something that can be understood overnight.  This is a complicated and confusing philosophy.  However, if one is truly devoted to its knowledge and historical meaning, then a person can truly achieve harmony within and with their surroundings.

Feng Shui began in ancient China around the third century B.C. with the West Han dynasty.  According to feng shui design, a belief exists that the earth is a being with life that has an energy surrounding it.  That energy in Chinese is called “chi”.  Chi is determined by the placement of an object and the actual physical surroundings placed around that object.  The site around an object, usually a building, is believed to have either positive or negative energy. 

In ancient China feng shui design was practiced by rich and poor alike.  According to the website www.indobase.com who gives a wonderful detailed explanation of the history of feng shui, “In ancient China a city was planned in concentric rectangles surrounded by walls surrounded by lakes, hills, valley, gardens, courtyards and parks.”   The Chinese tried to ensure that both the manmade and the natural environment were planned to promote and enhance positive energy.  Then they were landscaped using the Yin and Yang ideas.

Buildings in ancient China were centered on the ancient philosophy of feng shui.  No matter if one was rich or poor, feng shui design had to be followed in order to promote a positive energy.  Construction elements followed feng shui when “the left of the building represented Yang or male force and was connected to the forces of heaven and the right of the building represented Yin or the female force and was connected with the energies of the earth.”  Yang was represented by things such as an elevation in the front while Yin was represented by elevations in the back.  Because of the positive energy that many believed would come from this building design, emperors even had their palaces built on these concepts and this was thought to be very favorable to power.

Feng shui can be a complicated and confusing topic to fully understand.  Every element is represented by the forces at work in the feng shui philosophy.  However, a person can use good feng shui design to ensure that a harmonious environment both inside and outside of their dwelling is followed.  By learning from the ancients, this tradition has been and will continue to be passed on to generations for years to come.

Many times the smallest additions such as modern pillows can make a dramatic change to any room, adding flair, a splash of color or a tone of international intrigue. Throw pillows that were once plain and inconspicuous, drawing their trait from matching window treatments are now taking on the challenge of bold and beautiful in a modern world.

With the 21st century, a new and creative group of designers are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to adding pizzazz to home decor. Swedish award-winning artist, Lena Bergstrom, led Swedish textile manufacturer, Designers Eye, into the millennium with soft, appealing designs, perfectly bringing an air of opulence to any living room group or rooftop garden. The felted, virgin wool in simple, yet elegant floral shapes or horizontal stripes have been noted throughout the world.

TV and Film Art Director, Madeline Rogers, is another inspiration to gaiety in accessories with her company’s, Mibo, line of fine products. Pillows and lampshades stand out in any room with large, blossoming floral designs in modern day eggplant, grays, greens and reds. Inspired by the British seaside resorts with their brightly striped lounge chairs, Mibo can change any setting into a day at the beach with handmade pillows, stuffed with allergy free filling.

Nothing spells fun like a pair of friends who can envision a dream, have a great work ethic and absolutely love detail and textiles. Modern Basics came to life when Page Ikeda and Rhonda Holloway, at the wheel, decided to begin a business of bright, stylish and witty accessories for the home. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the functional, comfortable and very attractive pillows and bedding line have taken the nation by storm since 2001.

Although there are some of us who consider fabrics with style a new and exciting addition to our homes, Japan has been decorating with floor pillows, known as zabutons, for centuries. Popping up in American homes and bringing an inviting change in entertaining friends or just plain lounging, the zabuton is made of muslin but can be covered in virtually any type of material to show off an artist’s popular work or a beautiful textile design.

Art no longer just belongs on a wall as a way to enjoy the best of beauty and creativity. With the flow of new designers discovering a different type of canvas in material, pillows can become dramatically stunning. The modern age is booming with fresh ideas and energetic inventiveness in home decor and pillow covers are a perfect route to take in providing the public with functional, mood pleasing workmanship. Allow yourself to browse the invigorating artists of today in textiles and let yourself live comfortably with art.

Over the past centuries, we have evolved from the mere existence of primitive hunters and laborers into a society of technical savvy humans. Each new generation looks back at the last to proclaim an excellence in the forward moving progress of the given day. Unfortunately, our once fertile forests are turning barren and our oil surplus that makes the awesome plastics of today, now out paces the gasoline usage in vehicles. A new society is needed and some members of the modern furniture field have found a way to start the battle.

Orange22, a Los Angeles based design firm that was founded in 2000, decided that it was time to give back to society and our world to begin the much needed change. Their newly released project referred to as Blank Canvas Project is doing just that. Chosen icons in the professional art world are stamping their personal mark of design, making it possible for everyone to enjoy a piece of signature art in their home that is both unique and functional.

Leading Orange22 into a new society is a dedicated staff that have been challenged by using the ingenuity and creativity that they are known for. Armed with only their skills, providing solutions for traditional furnishings without harming the environment is a large feat in itself but these artists are going one step further. Fighting problems of social plight, such as cancer, AIDS and other worldwide problems are dreams that they have chosen to tackle.

To date, Orange22 has created an initial line of Botanist furniture, known as the Botanist Blank Canvas Project. A dynamic team of designers were hand picked by Dario Antonioni, Founder and Creative Director of Orange22, to leave their artistic mark on three pieces of furniture, a bench, coffee table and end table of the Blank Canvas Series. Each designer, together with Orange22, donates a portion of the royalty to a charity or foundation of their choice.

Milton Glaser, Kahi Lee, Massimo and Lella Vignelli and Clause Zellweger are a few of the icons that have contributed to Orange22 with outstanding designs on the bench that can be used as a seat, coffee table or end table. Presented in a variety of colors and environmentally friendly, these pieces can be used as a work of art or functionally in a living room, hallway or even on an outside patio.

Dario hopes that his doctrine of utilizing collaboration to create positive change will resonate beyond the design community, modern home furniture, and ultimately help to affect and inspire the greater global community. Orange22 has plans for Botanist in the future, as well. Antonioni is currently working on a book called A Decade of Botanist: A Philanthropic Product, 80 designers and 80 foundations and how we’ve helped change the world.

Born Ephraim Owen Goldberg in 1929, a young boy discovered that almost anything could be molded into beauty; be it pieces of chain link fence, wood scraps or tossed aside corrugated steel. This creativity followed Goldberg into his adult life when he changed his name to Frank Owen Gehry. Still amazing the world with the impossible and intriguing designs of buildings, sculptures, jewelry and modern home furniture, Gehry does what he loves.

Deconstructivist architecture, or DeCon, is often mentioned when making reference to Frank Gehrys architectural designs. Apart from the culturally inherited universality of form, his work outrages some who practice stiff, selected standards. To Gehry, everything does not have to be constructed with a T-square or conservative materials. Sleek and intriguing with a hint of magic and fun makes a Gehry creation stands alone. A graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture, along with the study of city planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, prepared Gehry to fully understand and extend his colossal ideas.

Gehry doesn’t spend all of his time on designing structurally radical landmarks but also enjoys smaller designs with sculpture, household items, jewelry and furniture. Heller furniture features the Frank Gehry line of furniture that Gehry has designed for simplicity, comfort and fun, indoors or out. This is not the first line that has been presented by the architectural icon but one that stands out as lasting.

The New World Symphony campus in Miami Beach, Florida is one of dozens of projects currently being worked by Gehry in his non-stop zest for intriguing designs. Many international buildings dazzle their surroundings, causing a majestic scene among the most common of settings. For instance, Energie Forum Innovation, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, stands gleaming in the sun, as beautiful as the day is was constructed some thirteen years ago, presenting a sense of cultural power and pride.

Gehrys latest furniture line by Heller is quickly gaining popularity in the international world because of the interchangeable uses, timeless appearance and uniqueness of style. Well build with an emphasis on coil aberration and flexible fabric; little care is necessary in placing the collection of lightweight cubes, benches, chairs, sofas and tables in several different settings.

A quiet boy from the 40s proves that imagination can grow into anything obtainable with hard work and structure. Owning a piece of Frank Owen Gehry can never go wrong with the extensive reputation that this man has made for himself and his modern furniture design.

Aromatherapy is an ancient practice of burning herbs and other botanicals to achieve favorable results. Burning frankincense in particular has been done for centuries in places of worship and meditation in an incense burner. The popularity of burning frankincense fueled the want of some people to add the essence of frankincense in a lot of things that rely on scent to make people feel good such as shampoos, lotions, perfumes and other aromatherapy items.

Feelings Soothed And Meditative

The act of burning frankincense for many meditative people signals a desire fro introspection. The fact that many people believe that burning frankincense can expand one’s meditative prowess as well as help to deepen and slow breathing. The scent of frankincense can induce a potent introspection that many believe to be beneficial for themselves due to its calming and soothing effect.

Burning frankincense may be the traditional way of experiencing the scent but as a massage therapy oil, frankincense essential oil works well also. Not only does frankincense essential oil help to soothe the muscles and the tissues but it also helps as an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic agent. Regular massages with frankincense essential oil also promote a better digestive system as well as an improved reproductive system for women.

The relaxing and calming atmosphere that burning frankincense promotes is most desirable for people under a great deal of stress. The deeper and slower breaths that occur to a person inhaling burning frankincense or the smell of frankincense help with some respiratory conditions. There are many other conditions that may improve with the aid of frankincense.

The Ways Of Burning Frankincense

There are several different ways to burn frank incense. The most common in households is done via a candle burner, with a diffuser and through the burning of incense sticks. Burning frankincense with a candle burner and a diffuser is similar in the way that the essential oil is burnt. Candle burners usually have a small pool with some oil in it half filled with a tea light candle burning beneath it. Diffusers on the other hand do not use candles to generate the heat; instead they use electricity to speed the frankincense. Burning frankincense incense sticks is the usually done in places of worship and prayer.

The traditional method of burning frankincense is to take hardened frankincense resin, also known as “tears”, and place these on live hot coals. This is the traditional way that people in the Middle East have used for a long time and some still use today.