Feng Shui Your Spaces
Finding Balance in the Time of COVID-19
In a time reminiscent of a Richard Preston book, we all are struggling to maintain balance in our lives. Some days we wake up and momentarily, we forget about what is happening beyond the walls of our homes. We turn on our devices, and are reminded of the nutty existence we are all experiencing at the moment. While some of us continue to work from home, others brave the public; all of this while as a world population, we are spending more time in our homes. Suffice it to say, we all quietly, or not so, are grappling to answer the question:
What is "normal" anymore?
We have been mulling over this question and have determined that balance in your home (among other things) is quite effective in bringing us back to the present. With so many unknowns surrounding us at the moment it can be very easy to get lost in the clouds. If you are able to cultivate your living spaces and working environment to strike a balance with the natural world, the sense of balance in your daily life will benefit greatly.
An ancient philosophy known as Taoism is known for the belief that human life should connect and flow with the environment around it: Feng Shui. Utilizing common Feng Shui techniques in your home can promote a more peaceful, balanced and nourishing existence.
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Bring Light into Your Home
It is imperative that your spaces are well lit. Light represents the fire element and as a basic pillar of good Feng Shui, light is the strongest manifestation of energy in the home. Essentially, all lighting in your spaces, whether natural or artificial, affects the quality of your home energy.
Light is the top nutrient for us. It is good to get in the habit of assuring that you get good quality light throughout your day. Deficiency in sunlight can greatly affect our behavior, learning and overall health. So it is crucial to get adequate exposure to natural light or warm artificial lighting every day. Fluorescent lighting has been proved to have effects similar to malillumination. So making sure to have warm colored home lighting is advisable so as to avoid the negative effects of lack of light.
So, as wacky as it sounds, tap into that desire for better energy in your home. Try to bring in some color if you do not have much already, and even more important, at least 3 sources of light in every room. If you have windows, make sure to open the curtains every day to let the sunlight in. If you do not have good sources of sunlight in your spaces, make sure to load up on the warm lighting fixtures.
One of our favorite, incredibly innovative manufacturers, Articolo has wide variety of finishes that attempt to seamlessly merge what is inside your house with the natural world. While some pieces directly mimic natural phenomena in their shape, others rely on the light and patterns they emit to bring a space into balance.
Designer and founder, Nicci Green, explains, "Articolo's artful approach results in pieces that harmonise with the aesthetics of each space, ensuring continuity between spaces and the interior as a whole."
So, we encourage everyone to be open to that good energy, it is only up from here.
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Don't Forget Your Doors
In Feng Shui, doors are viewed as portals, that permit energy to flow through a space. So it may be the arrival of a new opportunity, or simply bringing light into your life, doors have a pivotal role in our lives.
Here are a few tips in order to maximize the Feng Shui. You must be sure that all of your doors can open 90 degrees or more. This allows you to receive all the opportunities life has to offer. If your doors are unable to open this far, it means that you will only be able to receive a portion of the offerings. So stop shoving all that clutter behind the door, and open your self up to the abundance of opportunities that could be coming through your door any minute.
Once you have cleaned up your clutter, it is essential that you check the functionality of your doors. You want to avoid squeaky hinges or faulty hardware. These issues have the potential to affect how good energy finds you. To make the energy flow as smooth as possible, be sure you have high-quality hinges and door hardware.
Hamilton Sinkler, one of a variety of unique hardware lines that we carry at Earth Elements®, has a multitude of luxury options to satisfy your Feng Shui needs. They boast collaborations with many venturous artists who have been willing to translate their visions into door and cabinet hardware. Since its inception in 2001, Hamilton Sinkler has a long-standing promise of quality products to all clients.
To ensure the energy is flowing adequately in your home, we at Earth Elements urge you to give us a call to set up an appointment with one of our talented product specialists to explore your options.
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Cleanse your Kitchen
Once of the most frequently used spaces in your home, the kitchen, can quickly become neglected is the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. The kitchen is one of the most important Feng Shui rooms in the home as it represents, wealth, abundance, and health. This space carries immense energy, good and bad, and how it is taken care of can either increase or inhibit either one of those energies. What we eat and hoe well we eat is directly related to how we show up in the world. Unsurprisingly, the stove, arguably the most used kitchen appliance is most connected to these abstract ideas of prosperity and wellness.
In order to assure that the energy in your kitchen is flowing well and not sitting stagnant, it is imperative that your stove is clean and in good repair. Yes, we know that cleaning the stove is a hugely daunting and laborious task. But keeping a clean stove allows fresh air and clean surfaces to cleanse the food you cook. Making sure your stove is fully functional is a no-brainer. Without a functioning stove, you're only other modes of cooking are limited.
Also, using the stove at least once a day keeps the energy active in the kitchen. That stale air can get stuffy, so using the stove, even just to boil some water, moves that energy around the space.
Moving on to the other most used appliance in your kitchen: the refrigerator. It seems so simple, but this is where we keep the vast majority of our food, specifically the foods that tend to have a short shelf life. Though we all admittedly forget once in a while, it is important to regularly purge the refrigerator and pantry of expired food. Again with this idea of a stagnant space: you do not want expired food cultivating bad energy in a space where you and your family spend a large amount of time. Once a week, take 15 minutes to go through your food storage and dispose all expired items.
Hestan, one of our tried and true appliance manufacturers, provides wonderful finishes that will make you want to keep your kitchen clean. With beautiful lines and incredible cooking technology, Hestan is truly known for their award-winning innovation and purpose-built performance. Even world renowned Chef Thomas Keller uses Hestan appliances in all of his restaurants.
If you do not find something to your liking from Hestan, Earth Elements
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Design Center carries a variety of other options. Regardless of your taste, we want you to understand just how essential it is to keep a clean and functioning kitchen in your home. As the space that experiences a lot of traffic, you want the energy flowing and as active as possible.
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We Are Open In Park City!
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Even though we had to postpone our Grand Opening celebration, we want to remind everyone that along with our 3 other locations, our newest location in Park City is open. We have an incredible amount of representation from a variety of brands across plumbing, hardware, appliances, lighting, tile and wood flooring divisions. Please take a moment to stop in an get to know our staff if you are in the area. We simply request that you call ahead to schedule an appointment. We look forward to meeting you!
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Meet the Faces of our Park City Showroom
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Wendy Wittenberg - Business Development
Wendy joined the Earth Elements team in September of 2019 as the company expanded into Park City, Utah. She is a veteran of the home building and interior products industry with more than 15 years of experience working with builders, designers and clients. The opportunity to work at Earth Elements in Park City provides the opportunity to combine two of her passions; working with people to make their dream home a reality and enjoying the beautiful mountain and outdoor lifestyle that makes Utah a special place to live.
In her free time, Wendy enjoys skiing, golf, traveling with her husband, exploring new adventures with their son and of course cheering on her alma mater and watching Tennessee football, GO VOLS!
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Nikki Fossey - Product Specialist (Plumbing, Lighting, Appliances)
Nikki has 10+ years of Showroom experience specializing in Plumbing and Appliances. She sees each project as special and unique and loves working hands on with clients to curate products that not only look beautiful, but add function and convenience to their everyday lives.
Snowboarding at Park City Mountain with her husband is her favorite winter past time. Most of her time however is spent doting on her 2 very spoiled fur babies, Shadow & Chevy.
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH:
Seared
Salmon
Nicoise
Salad
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Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 eggs
200g baby new potatoes
100g fine green beans, trimmed and halved
100g asparagus tips
12 cherry tomatoes
4 tinned anchovy fillets
2 baby gem lettuce (or a mix of leaves like rocket and watercress)
12 red olives
4 skin-on salmon fillets (about 150g each)
1 lemon
Salt and ground black pepper
A small punnet of mixed salad cress (optional)
Salad dressing
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon caper berries
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
A small bunch of fresh herbs such as dill, parsley or chives, chopped
Preparation Method
- Start by making the salad dressing. Place the garlic into a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt, and bash until smooth. Stir in the mustard powder, vinegar and oil. Roughly chop the caper berries and stir into the pestle and mortar, along with the chopped shallots. Season to taste and then stir in the herbs and place to one side.
- Place a medium pan of water on to the boiling plate to boil and add a pinch of salt. Cut the potatoes in half and drop them into the pan with the eggs. Soft boil the eggs (3-4 minutes), then carefully remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and pop them into a bowl of cold water (with ice if you have it) to cool quickly.
- Add the asparagus and green beans to the pan of potatoes. Bring back to the boil and continue cooking the potatoes and greens for a further 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked through. Drain the vegetables and tip into a large salad bowl with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Slice the tomatoes in half and add to the salad bowl, along with the anchovy fillets. Click off the baby gem lettuce leaves and add these and the olives to the bowl.
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place the salmon fillets skin side down onto a lined AGA baking tray. Roast for about 8-9 minutes on the second runners down in the roasting oven.
- Meanwhile, peel the cooled eggs and cut in half.
- Remove the salmon from the oven and transfer the fillets to a plate. Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad and toss well. Flake in the salmon as big chunks, and then add on the halved eggs, sunny side up. Season the salad and then grate on a little lemon zest, before scattering over little clumps of mixed cress. Serve with fresh, crusty bread and lemon wedges.
Conventional Cooking
- Cook the vegetables on the hob. For the salmon; place a large frying pan on a medium/high heat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the salmon fillets skin side down in the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is crisp and then turn the fillets over for a further 3 minutes of cooking.
Products Used in this Recipe:
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"So divinely is the world organized that every one of us, in our place and time, is in balance with everything else.
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- Johann Wolgang von Goethe
-Earth Elements Team-
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Earth Elemen
ts
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Design Center | 406.414.7040 | earthelements.com
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