Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of organizing a space to create a harmonious living environment.  To be quite honest with you, it is not a service I often mention.  Reason being:  of those who have shown interest in the practice, I have met an equal number of skeptics. 

Regardless of whether or not you are a believer, principles such as harmony, variety, balance, and awareness to the flow of energy thread Feng Shui into what I consider simply good design.   

Potential candidates for Feng Shui include those who:

• have read/watched “The Secret”;
• enjoy authors such as Napoleon Hill or Paulo Coelho;
• believe in abundance, recognize energy, or have studied Tai Chi; and
• are looking for a catalyst for change.

From the interested individual to the hard-core enthusiasts, Lavender & Lotus Interior Design would love to be part of your next project.

While innocently perusing pages of Facebook, I was quickly distracted by an advertisement for DecorDreamHome.com.  Since I’m such a sucker for beautiful things, I couldn’t help but investigate further.  The pillows!  The accessories!  Very exciting…

Where do I begin?  Just the thought of writing this post has my mind racing with excitement!!!  That, or perhaps I’ve had too much coffee.  Either way, Target is a fantastic resource for just about everything.  Rather than walking you through, aisle by aisle, I will do my best to focus on that which is most relevant.

The images below reflect a lot of my own personal style.  Aren’t they fabulous?!  If you happen to disagree, don’t count them out alltogether.  Between their retail stores and online, Target has a huge selection of bedding, lighting, window treatments, home decor, tableware, and the list goes on…

… On a bright [New Hampshire] Christmas day… 

Wishing everyone a beautiful holiday season and a New Year of peace and happiness.

The winner of Project Laundry List’s window display in downtown Concord is…  Concord Camera! 

Sincere thanks to the owner and staff of Concord Camera for their gracious cooperation.

Hold on to your delicates and your dryer sheets — today I’m going to talk about laundry.  Did you know that 80% of households in America have a dryer whereas countries like Italy average only 3%?  Air drying clothes can save money, reduce energy consumption, and even kill germs and bacteria thanks to the sun’s UV rays.

Project Laundry List is an event taking place in downtown Concord to promote the green advantages of using a clothesline.  Creative displays have been hung at the Capital building and 13 businesses.  In collaboration with Cyndi Rogers of Mariposa Designs, we worked on the design, construction, and installation of 5 displays:  Bagel Works, Caffenio, Concord Camera, Gibson’s Bookstore, and Gondwana.  Stay tuned to find out which window is the winner!

Bagel Works:  Window on the left - your average plastic grocery bag…  On the right - ANYTHING but ordinary bags woven from the plastic ones!  Created by Crafty Kathy, these hardcore alternatives are available for purchase at KAZA.  

Caffenio:  Funky garland made of coffee filters and coffee mugs.  A “tea” shirt is also shown hanging in the center.

Concord Camera:  Jumbo clothespins hold slides, fantastic black and white photos (of clotheslines of course), and rolls of negatives to drying racks.  Slides were also attached to a string of mini paper lanterns.

Gibson’s Bookstore:  Folding the pages of a book goes against everything I was ever taught.  I hate to even dog-ear a page to save my place!  The end result, however, can be beautiful  : )

Gondwana:  Students from Rundlett Middle School gave us a hand with clothes cut from paper bags.  Pictures and flags are also hung to represent the countries Gondwana practices Fair Trade with. 

As a side note, holy window glare Batman!   

Project Laundry List’s founder Alex Lee has been traveling to promote similar events in cities across America.  For more information, visit www.laundrylist.org.

After what has been nearly a lifetime (I’ve been known to exaggerate), I am finally graduating!  The past 4-years studying Interior Design at NH Institute of Art has been nothing less than sensational.  My path to higher education took a slight detour before I realized the artistic direction I wanted to take in life.  NHIA provided a challenging opportunity to study Interior Design in New Hampshire while continuing to work full-time.  I encourage anyone and everyone to consider NHIA for pursuing their own creative interests.

For the “senior” project, we were given a general footprint of a house and required to either use Universal (handicap accessible) or Green design principles.  Being the green enthusiast that I am, you can guess which option I went for. 

My concept for the project was “A Walk In Nature”.  Elements of nature and New England landscape served as inspiration for each room of the house.  In other words, the living room used colors, textures, and patterns found in the forest.  The kitchen, a field of tall grasses.  The bathroom, a flowing stream.  The bedroom, sunset in the mountains…

Visit www.nhia.edu for more information.  (ID is available through the Continuing Education Dept).

There are numerous facets to working with green design – creating a healthy environment, reusing furniture and accessories to extend their lifecycle, and designing for longevity, to name a few.  These techniques are also inherent qualities to my approach with interior design.  

As I have mentioned before, it’s impossible to be 100% green.  Each product has it’s green advantages and disadvantages.  The trick is to find the best balance for each individual client.  To complicate matters, rising awareness and preference for using green products has lead to “Green Washing”.  This term describes false or exaggerated claims of environmental friendliness.  So how do you make the best choices?  Aside from hiring your’s truly, organizations such as USGBC (US Green Building Council) help by certifying fact from fiction.  To learn more, I recommend GreenHomeGuide.com.  Their article “Navigating the Flooring Thicket: Finding the Greenest Way to Meet Your Needs” is excellent.

Go Green!

The sun is shining, birds chirp outside my window, and the curtains float up on a gentle breeze.  The smell of lilacs and apple blossoms fill the room.  Green explodes outside.  Spring is a time to celebrate the joy of a new year, starting over, a time for growth.  It’s time for change and your home is a great place to start.

“Home is not just a place to sleep, home is where we house our souls.”                 Alexandra Stoddard

Aimee Leduc of Lavender & Lotus Interior Design is available for projects big and small:  paint color, window treatments, furniture placement, personal organizing, and rennovations including kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, to name a few.  Call or write for a free consultation today!

Spring is just around the corner — and not a moment too soon.  After another dreary New England winter, I have a serious craving for color.  Delicate and subtle shades are all well and good, but right now I want bold, delicious, breath-taking color.  Below are a few designs to help shake those winter blues.  Enjoy!

Shown are images from Domino and desiretoinspire.blogspot.com – love them!