Success Stories/Testimonials

Success Stories

“A Transformed Bedroom Brings a New Lease on Life”  New

Situation:

My client complained of feeling overwhelmed. When I visited her bedroom, I began to understand why. To make her small bedroom appear larger, she had covered her closet doors with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The mirrors spanned the area in front of and to the side of her bed. Because the first thing she saw when she woke up was her own reflection, she felt like she was instantly “on” each morning. The effect was one of constant movement and exposure that affected her ability to achieve peace of mind.

“I felt like I was on stage and very exposed. I couldn’t get away from myself.”

She usually kept one closet door open because it housed a large, old TV set, exposing a rather crammed closet, adding further to the sense of busyness in the room.

At the entrance to the bedroom were two doors:  a screened door that opened out to the hallway and a solid wooden door that led into the bedroom. The screened door opened up directly into the path of her front door. We call these “fighting” doors; for my client, they accentuated her inability to “find peace.”

In addition, a fanlight hung in the center of the bedroom. Though it wasn’t large, it was a heavy presence in the small room. And there were two overhead cabinets above the door: one outside the door and another just inside the room. Combined, these heavy overhead cabinets and fanlight bore down on her, adding to her sense of overwhelm.

Analysis:

All of these elements – the omnipresent mirrors, the looming ceiling fan, the fighting doors, and the cabinets overhanging the doorway – worked together to create a busy, oppressive space that energetically overwhelmed and upset my client.

Solutions:

In feng shui, mirrors are used to activate a space, whereas my client craved a quiet and restful room. My first recommendation was to remove the mirrors from the closet to quiet down the room. I also suggested that she remove the large ceiling fan and the two cabinets over the bedroom door, which were literally pushing her down. She was already in the process of clearing out her closets, so I encouraged her to continue this essential process.

Over the year, my client made significant changes to the room based on my recommendations. She replaced the mirrors on the closet with wood veneer panels. She removed one of the overhead cabinets above the bedroom door and replaced both doors leading into the bedroom with a sliding pocket door. This significantly opened up the entrance to her room.

She went on to replace her old, bulky TV with a compact, flat screen model that now sits on her dresser, so she’s able to keep her closet doors closed. She also replaced the ceiling fanlight with a smaller, sparkling ceiling light.

Results:

A year and a half later I revisited the room. My first reaction was that it looked much larger and more attractive. I thought the pale green walls had recently been painted, but it turned out to be the original color. Now the soothing green could “breathe.” The room felt cozy and light.

My client likes the room much better and feels more peace of mind because she’s no longer bombarded by her own reflection or feeling the oppressive effects of heavy overhead fixtures. She has plans to remove the other cabinet over the door.

My client’s life took an upward swing as well. Her business took off and a deal that she had been working on for a year came to fruition. The best part is that she says she doesn’t feel so overwhelmed anymore.

“I wake up relaxed, feeling relieved of not being ‘out there’ and ‘exposed’ all the time. Everything has been slowly and happily falling into place and that feeling of being overwhelmed is basically non-existent.”

“Feng Shui Breathed New Life into Our Home, Thanks to Melissa.” 

Situation:

A couple contacted me because they knew they wanted to change their surroundings, but were unclear as to what that change would look like or how they would go about achieving it. The wife had set goals for the year that included a stable professional situation and financial stability; a happy marriage; and a life that balanced health, spirituality, and creativity.

They also wanted a home that welcomed friends. A month before our consultation, they had a party. However, they noticed that all their friends congregated in the kitchen and living room. No one even entered the adjoining dining room, which seemed odd to them. The small kitchen was crammed with people.

The wife admitted that she had some fears about the consultation--that she would become more confused than she already was about Feng Shui and that it would be overwhelming and involve too much work. However, that turned out not to be the case.

Solutions and Results:

“The consultation with Melissa was an eye-opener. She encouraged us to express ourselves, and she respected our values. She established trust with us, much like a doctor, and we found it easy to open up to her and tell her about our lives.”

I recommended that they begin with the easiest solutions first:

Kitchen
The kitchen's surfaces were crowded with appliances, affecting the couple's ability to have a comfortable meal. I suggested they clear the clutter, hang artwork in specific areas, and rearrange some chairs. They now have a warm, charming kitchen where they can easily prepare dinner, have a quick snack, or have coffee with a friend.

“We began feeling immediate changes, almost as if things were falling into place.”

Entry
To enhance their careers, I suggested that the wife, who enjoyed art, create a collage for their entry, which was located in the “Career” area of the bagua (a map of their home that relates to various aspects of life). To raise the energy in the Career area, she had the collage framed in a lightbox. The framer liked it so much that he asked for more pieces to exhibit in his gallery. Now her work takes up an entire wall in the gallery and she will be part of an upcoming show. She also received the top award in her printmaking class.

In addition, soon after the consultation, their careers stabilized--she received an enhanced position at her firm and her husband landed a new job.

Dining Room
To create a warm dining room that is inviting to friends, I recommended using rounded, rather than sharp, edges. So they added a round Chinese paper lamp that echoed the one in their adjacent living room. They replaced a short, heavy storage console with an open bookshelf that lights up. They hung strands of natural shells in the window, which faces a skylit inner shaft. In the shaft they placed a healthy plant.

A month after the consultation, the couple invited friends to their home, many of whom had attended the earlier party. Several commented that the apartment had a completely different feel. “Something changed” was the consensus. The couple noticed it too: People flowed throughout their home, including the dining room. As a result, several guests followed up with me for consultations of their own.

Home Offices
The couple uses their space differently now. We created a comfortable sitting area in the wife’s office, where the husband enjoys reading. He also feels better in his own office now that he has a view of the door from his desk.

Happily, the couple is about to welcome a new baby, and the husband’s office will be transformed into the baby’s room. Since the room is located in the “Relationships” area of their home, I recommended they hang a collage that the wife made for their wedding that symbolizes love.

Challenges
The couple did encounter some personal challenges after the consultation: They had a flood through a window in the “Wealth & Prosperity” area of their apartment, their car was wrecked in an accident, and their luggage and train tickets were lost on a trip.

“Based on what we learned from Melissa, we now understand that our living spaces are alive and influence us all the time. In this case, we realized that our home was speaking to us.”

When they called to tell me of these setbacks, I recommended several solutions to enhance the energy in the flooded Wealth & Prosperity area and in the Wealth & Prosperity areas of each room in their home. They moved their large television away from the window, which gave them access to the window for the first time. They hung beautiful crystals in the windows and placed fresh flowers in the damaged area. In addition, I gave them a walking meditation to set new intentions for every area in their home. A month later, they were reimbursed for their tickets and they recently bought a new car.

A Year Later
Looking back, the couple accomplished so much—better jobs; a baby on the way; obstacles surmounted; and a home that their friends love to visit.

“In the end, Melissa taught us that our homes are alive with energy. As life changes, our priorities change, so we need to make adjustments to our environments to reflect these changes. We also realize that the knowledge of Feng Shui is already within ourselves, but so often we don’t let it happen.”

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