Posts Tagged Entertaining

By Lisa Jansusz

We entertain a fair amount. During my single days, I hosted regular “ladies nights” with appetizers (and wine!), but these days are more about sit down meals. We do host informal gatherings, but for the most part, our meals are eaten at the table.

Since the houses I’ve lived in did not have eat-in kitchens, we eat in our dining room. (Yes, 3x a day on the weekends.) Within the Feng Shui realm, this room is related to health and wealth, no matter where it’s located in your bagua. Health because it’s where you receive nutrients from eating, and wealth because if you had food for your family, you were considered wealthy.

So the question becomes; how is your dining room looking? If you think it needs some ramping up, here are some Feng Shui considerations.

• Use it if you aren’t already. With eat-in kitchens, the dining room might be gathering dust. That is leaving a lot of unrealized opportunity. Energize the room by eating in it every once in a while – don’t wait for a special occasion.
• Enhance it. I have an ever-changing centerpiece on our table that is switched out with the seasons, the holidays and just on a whim. Bring in fresh flowers or something you love (anything will do – statue, bowl, other accessory) that will give it a boost of feel-good energy.
• Keep it ready. Dining rooms can become magnets for clutter (mail, boxes, office papers, etc.) if they aren’t used regularly. Even if it’s not a regularly-used room, you still need to keep a handle on what’s happening there.
• Distract the eye from it if it’s near the front door. That can be a message about people eating and running or can contribute to weight gain (first message you get is food). Add some other “eye candy” to direct the eye away so it’s the first thing you see versus the dining room.
• Change its purpose. Although we do like to see rooms used as they are intended, we also balance that with wanting rooms to be used. I know several people who converted their dining rooms to offices, play areas and libraries because they were used more.

Whether you entertain or not, remember that your dining room is still a reflection of what’s happening in your life. Make sure yours is sending your intended message.