Is it possible to have too many pictures hanging on your walls and placed so carefully on your tables, dresser, bookshelves, window sills and desk? Do walls and furniture tops need to breath and have space for energy to slowly meander? Are you personally affected by the energy of the pictures you’ve surrounded yourself with? Can you have too many eyes (family pictures) watching you when you work or sleep? Do the pictures in your bedroom over stimulate you when you are ready to sleep at night? Or, do some pictures cause you to want to sleep in the middle of the afternoon while in your office? Can something this simple make a difference?
Not only can it, it does make a huge difference. For those of you who are collectors and tend to have some clutter here and there, you also tend to do the same with decorative pictures on walls and family pictures on tables, desks and bookshelves. Energy cannot distinguish the difference between “unwanted” clutter and the “loved” clutter you create with all the memories and favorite things you show off on walls as décor and tabletops as family pictures. Do you really need to display “all” of your pictures of your children, grandchildren and for some of you, great grandchildren? Is it really important to have all sixteen pictures of Susie’s or Michael’s years from pre-school to high school on display? The same holds true for wall décor. Just because you still have 6 pictures un-hung from your last home, do they need to be hung in your condo or new home if they do not fit?
For those of you who tend to be minimalists, it is much easier to not over do with pictures. Minimalists however tend to go just the opposite direction. They put so few pictures on their walls that their homes can feel sterile and unwelcoming. They also tend to display very few family pictures or none at all which leaves a feeling of emptiness and being unconnected. Family pictures provide grounding, especially if you live far away from many of them.
Is there a way to create balance and still enjoy home décor and family pictures hanging on walls or lovingly placed on tables? Yes! There is a solution with just a few guidelines to follow:
Always hang fewer instead of more pictures, keep it simple
If you are in an office or an area that requires much focusing, remove all but three family pictures – it is very hard to focus with all those eyes watching you
In a room where you wish to rest or sleep hang only pictures that are peaceful in pastel colors and try to avoid bright red and orange
In a room where you wish to engage in conversation use brighter pictures with high energy scenery or activities to encourage interaction – in this area red and orange are quite welcomed
In the room where you eat most of your meals place pictures of wholesome things that are used to nourish the body and the soul such as pictures of bountiful fruit, waving fields of wheat, people fishing or vineyards
The southwest area of your family room (or living room if you do not have a family room) and bedroom are the best areas in your home to feature family pictures – place or hang them in groupings and make sure the people in the pictures are facing each other
Family pictures should not be scattered throughout the entire house but rather placed very carefully and lovingly in an area where they are not quite so public yet are very much a part of your daily life
To further energize your family relationships, frame those pictures in ceramic and glass frames or in earth tone colors
If you also have a special group of friends and business associates that you are close to or have shared many years with, display those pictures in the northwest area of your office or family room – again either hang them or place them on furniture in groupings so that energy can move freely around them and not get stuck within becoming stagnant
To further energize pictures of friends and business associates frame them in silver
If you wish to place more importance on a picture mat it and place it in a larger frame or set it on a table easel to give it more importance. Over size the framing on a wall décor picture as well to make it stand out more or use a distinctive frame. Do keep in mind however it is the picture that is important, not the frame. It is the picture you want everyone to look at not a very expensive frame.
To avoid the “loved” clutter look, keep your wall reasonably sparse of pictures and hang only ones that fit and you really love. Make family and friends’ pictures more important by giving them a special area in your house to reside. Enjoy what you see in your surroundings looking back at you and you will enjoy your surroundings more.
Download “Can you have too many pictures” in PDF Format.
© Pat Heydlauff, All Rights Reserved
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, uses Feng Shui design principles to eliminate chaos and stress at home and within oneself. More than a Feng Shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps remove clutter and negativity while encouraging personal growth, improved relationships and prosperity. Her new book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,” shows how to achieve a better tomorrow. For information on her consulting, speaking and artwork, call: 561-408-2708.
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