Adding a Touch of Color to Your Space

Colors change the essence of the environment.

With a bright white or neutral backdrop, adding colorful artwork, throw pillows, plant life, or pieces of furniture will add spark to the space. Vivid colors are bold and can be used to emphasize, contrast or create rhythm. Each color represents and invokes its own mood, creating a vivid feel.

With color, you can cultivate a balanced atmosphere in your home. Light and color exert influence automatically, and determine how people perceive the area around them. Every color, each with its own frequency, is a form of energy.

Take a peek at how some of these selections utilize accents of color to create mood and meaning in the space!

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Learn more about Chromotherapy and how to utilize color in your modern home!

Create A Sanctuary Enlightened Decor

Transforming a Space with Mirrors

Mirrors are wave reflectors of visible light, and can illuminate any space.

The earliest mirrors in 6000 BC Turkey, were made from polished obsidian. In Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, polished copper mirrors have been dated back to 4000 BC. Metal-coated glass mirrors were invented by Sidon, or modern-day Lebanon, and appeared in the first century AD.

Long have mirrors been a way of reflecting light onto your face, and pouring illumination into any space. In ancient Egypt, tombs and chambers were illuminated using an ingenious system of series of mirrors reflecting light from the ground surface. Mirrors are used in scientific apparatus, enabling the function of telescopes, cameras, lasers, and industrial machinery.

To create depth and spread light in any space, place large or a series of small ornate mirrors along any wall, and utilize the natural light of the home to reflect brightness into any corner. See how these modern homes utilize mirrors to brighten up the environment!

Eco Homes Enlightened Architecture

Modernist Homes Designed for Beach Sites

Oceanside Living. Blissful, salty breezes blowing continually, rich breaths of humid air, the rushing resonance of waves crashing, and endless horizons full of sun-kissed pigments.

Designing your modern home alongside the oceanfront with ensure you pave your way to a blissful existence. Amidst peaceful elements, you are creating a lifestyle of tranquility and simplicity. Away from the noise of urban zones, you will embrace the sounds, smells, and sensations of nature.

Explore with us these exquisite modern homes, designed to welcome all of the natural beauty of the surrounding seascapes.

Rockledge Residence, Laguna Beach

Exterior Lounge with Detached Guest House

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

Photographs Courtesy of Trendir

La Jolla Estate by Fredman Design Group, San Diego

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Photographs Courtesy of One Kind Design

Checkout our Bunglo Poolside Collection for inspiration to decorate your aquatic settings!

Host With Intention Plant Based Recipes

Weekly Healthy Recipe: Smoked Salmon + Arugula + Avocado Mélange

We are in the midst of the hottest part of the summer in Central Texas; your body is working hard, and it’s essential to replenish all the vital nutrients it needs!

Omega fatty acids can help lower the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, fight against depression, dementia, and arthritis. It’s important to remember that our body cannot produce them on its own; you have to consume them in food, or take supplements. The best source of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, is in fish.

High intakes of dietary nitrate, like that found in arugula, have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of oxygen needed during exercise, and enhance athletic performance. This is great when your body is working extra hard during the heat! Consuming 2 cups of arugula will provide an intake of 20 percent of vitamin A, over 50 percent of vitamin K, 8 percent of vitamin C, folate, and calcium needs for your day.

Did you know that Avocados contain more potassium than a banana? Avocados are packed with essential nutrients, and ideally should be consumed daily!

In avocados, you will find:

Vitamin K: 26% of the daily value (DV)
Folate: 20% of the DV
Vitamin C: 17% of the DV
Potassium: 14% of the DV
Vitamin B5: 14% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV
Vitamin E: 10% of the DV

Avocados also contains magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin).

Safe to say, in this yummy medley, you will be consuming a meal of superfoods.

Ingredients You’ll Need

4 (5- to 6-ounce) wild caught salmon filets
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups baby arugula
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

The Dressing

2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon.
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves of minced garlic
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dill

Instructions

Begin by prepping your dressing so that the ingredients may have time to meld together. Mince your fresh garlic, and mix into the olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Add in the fresh dill, cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper, and Himalayan salt.

Place freshly sliced smoked salmon in a bowl, and pour the dressing over, set aside, and allow the fish to marinate.

You may leave the arugula in whole leaves, or slice into smaller bites. Dice the fresh avocado into cubes, and mix into the greens. Add in the salmon, and pour the remainder of the dressing over the ingredients, stirring together.

Create A Sanctuary Enlightened Decor

Modern Beanbags for Luxury Floor Seating

Sitting on or nearer to the floor will help you bring grounding energy to your body and your environment.

Beanbag chairs are a way to enjoy the luxurious, lounging element of floor seating, while still enjoying some support to the spine. In a beanbag chair, you are allowing some additional extension to your lower body by having less strain on the psoas muscle, therefore helping to maintain a higher level of circulation in a seated position.

“Floor culture” has been widespread across Asia for centuries. In Korea, sitting on the floor was a way to stay warmer due to the ondol, or underfloor heating systems. In India, sitting on the floor while eating is part of the Ayurvedic lifestyle, aiding in digestion, circulation, and portion control. In Japan, there is at least one room of the house with washitsu, a traditional style room that is adorned only with woven tatami mats across the floor, a simple low table, and some floor cushions. In modern times, we enjoy floor seating as a means to feel more cozy and comfortable in our own homes, and when welcoming guests. With an array of contemporary designs to choose from, one can maintain a modern look in their home, while still offering a relaxed and inviting aesthetic.

We hope you enjoy some of our favorite modern beanbag chair selections!

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Photograph Courtesy of Honestly WTF

Learn about how to maintain a clean and minimalist environment in your home in Cleanse Your Home, Cleanse Your Mind.

Create A Sanctuary Enlightened Decor

How to Decorate Large Rooms

When designing the interior decoration of a larger space, it is important for the room to feel cozy, while maintaining the flow of openness. Here are some tips on making a large room have the perfect balance!

Large Room, Large Furniture

Depending on the shape of the room, or where windows are placed, you may easily divide up areas of a larger room with and L-shaped sectional. In addition, you may even compliment your sectional or sofa with an oversized ottoman.

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Area Rugs

The perfect way to create environments for lounging in a larger room are to align your furniture atop an area rug. Use the rug to define the borders of a particular zone for sitting or laying.

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Shop The Rugs Warehouse

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Shop Bunglo

Day Beds

Placing a day bed or chaise lounge chair in the center of a large room can be the perfect divider between different areas. If your living room and dining room are conencted in the same large space, separate them with the bold placement of a larger piece of furniture.

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Japanese Screens

A wooden or paper Japanese screen can be used for shade, privacy, or be a means to section off different areas within a larger space. Create a reading nook, or separate your dining area from the main living space by placing a screen between the two environments.

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Shop Urban Outfitters

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Accent Walls

If you’d like to tone down the openness of a large room, or simply give it a little warmth and character, try adding an accent wall showcasing your favorite pigment. Use a color that is calming and comforting, but makes a statement nonetheless.

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Incorporate Tall House Plants

A perfect way to fill a large room with warm, earthy energy is to place taller house plants along the edges of your furniture, in corners, or on side tables. Try a potted ficus tree, a majesty palm, or Madagascar palm to fill out your environment with forest vibes.

Photograph Courtesy of Pinterest

Photograph Courtesy of Pinterest

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Create A Sanctuary Feng Shui

A Brief History of Feng Shui

One of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, fen shui, or wind-water, is a ancient traditional belief system that guides and governs the energy forces within architectural structures.

Closely linked to Taoism, feng shui practice discusses the arrangement within architecture in terms of the “invisible forces“ that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi. In traditional Chinese culture, qi is believed to be the vital force, life force, energy flow, or material energy forming part of every living entity. Qi, in relation to feng shui, includes the orientation of a structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment, including the local microclimates, the slope of the land, vegetation, and soil quality.

The use of feng shui is dated back as far as 5000 BC to the Yangshao people that lived along the Yangtze River in China. Between 4700 BC and 2900 BC, the Hongshan people in Northeast China, who interacted with the Yangshao, adopted feng shui into their culture. Before the magnetic compass, feng shui relied on cosmography to set the orientation of structures. Early Chinese astronomers utilized a gnomon, or the part of a sundial that casts the shadow, as the first instrument to use circumpolar stars to determine the north-south axis of settlements. Rituals for using a feng shui instrument required a diviner to examine current sky phenomena to set the device and adjust their position in relation to the device. The magnetic compass was in fact originally invented by the Han Dynasty for the purpose of divination and feng shui.

In Western civilization, feng shui has become widespread, and is commonly utilized in interior design and architecture.

Bagua

In Yaodian, the cardinal directions are determined by the marker-stars of the mega-constellations known as the Four Celestial Animals:

East: The Azure Dragon (Spring equinox)—Niao (Bird 鳥), α Scorpionis
South: The Vermilion Bird (Summer solstice)—Huo (Fire 火), α Hydrae
West: The White Tiger (Autumn equinox)—Mǎo (Hair 毛), η Tauri (the Pleiades)
North: The Black Tortoise (Winter solstice)—Xū (Emptiness, Void 虛), α Aquarii, β Aquarii

You can use the bagua diagram in your own home, by using a compass, or the compass app on your phone, to check how you have intuitively placed things around your home, and re-arrange accordingly. Using the bagua diagram can, if anything, be an excellent way to decorate and arrange parts your home with intention!

Quick Tips for Feng Shui in a Modern Home

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Learn about Color Therapy to utilize more elements of Feng Shui in your modern home!

Host With Intention Plant Based Recipes

Weekly Healthy Recipe: Green Goddess Buddha Bowl

When we think about nature and health, we think of green.

Green vegetables contain an abundance of carotenoids-antioxidants that protect our cells. They also contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Leafy greens give the body folate. The word folate describing the B vitamin originates from the Latin root word folium, which means leaf. The function associated with folate is varied and works in conjunction with other nutrients. Folate deficiency is common, and leads to a multitude of health problems including digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease, and most famously perhaps, birth defects. Folate is also crucial in epigenetics (external or environmental factors that switch genes on and off without changing the DNA sequence), through a process known as methylation, where folate acts as a methyl donor promoting cellular differentiation. Folate is also essential for DNA and RNA synthesis, amino acid production, and cell division. To put it plainly, you really, really need folate in your diet.

Greens lead to longevity.

Ingredients You’ll Need

2 cups greens, kale, spinach, chard, and arugula
1 pound broccoli florets (about 10 cups)
4 large eggs
8 ounces sugar snap peas
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked grains, such as farro, quinoa, and/or brown rice
2 cucumbers, halved, sliced
2 avocados, halved, pitted, sliced
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup edamame

The Dressing

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup Bulgarian yogurt
2 1/4 teaspoons himalayan salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 cup mixed chopped cilantro, parsley, chives, and tarragon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss broccoli with 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until charred and tender, 15–20 minutes.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add eggs, cover, and cook 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water (keep cooking water boiling) and let cool. Peel eggs.
Add sugar snap peas to boiling water and cook until bright green and just slightly tender, 1–2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with ice water.
Purée yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, herbs, 2 tsp olive oil, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 2 tsp nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a food processor until smooth.
Toss grains, 1/2 cup dressing in a large bowl. Mix in broccoli, edamame, snap peas, cucumbers, and the mixed greens into the bowl. Top with avocado slices, pumpkin seeds, sliced eggs, and remaining herbs. Use any remaining dressing for drizzling atop your mix!

Check out another amazing Healthy Recipe!

Destinations Travel

Wanderlust Destination: Chandigarh, India

Chandigarh, India is a time capsule of Mid-Century Modern architecture nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas.

In 2016, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, making these incredible modern buildings an unmissable wonder. In Chandigarh, India, you won’t find an ancient city, or any British colonial buildings. Chandigarh was one of India’s first planned cities, created by the Chandigarh Capital Project Team, and led by Swiss architect, Charles Edouard Corbusier (Le Corbusier). As a marvelous result, Chandigarh is a urban zone that feels both futuristic and retro. The flawless geometrical outline mirrors the engineering virtuoso of the organizers of the city, Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki. Chandigarh is a vacation destination with a modern business focus.

In India, most of the cities are planned and created solely for automobiles, so a sidewalk is an immense luxury. In Chandigarh, there are plentiful pedestrian walkways where you may safely stroll, a perfect means to pleasantly meander local streets by foot. Take a quick walk with us through this modernist haven!

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Photograph Courtesy of Acaixanegra

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Photograph Courtesy of Acaixanegra

Mid-Century Sea Palette

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Photograph Courtesy of Acaixanegra

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Photograph Courtesy of de zeen

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Photograph Courtesy of de zeen

Photograph Courtesy of de zeen

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If you enjoyed your virtual wanderings through Chandigarh, check out our Wanderlust Destination in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

Color Therapy Create A Sanctuary

Indigo Pillows for a Midsummer Mood

Indigo is the “peace that surpasses all understanding,” being protective, benevolent, gentle, and cooling. It governs our higher psychic activities, insight, wisdom, and assists us in navigating deep changes.

It relates to the third eye, where the pituitary gland is located. Indigo relates to self responsibility of one’s own life, to following the soul’s path, and trusting one’s own intuition. It inspires the ability to see things from a ‘higher’ viewpoint rather than purely for satisfaction of the ego or one’s material comfort. In indigo, we feel a resonant sense of unity and clarity. Indigo relates to self-expression through speech and communication, and is the very essence of truth and purpose.

Indigo dye is among the oldest to be used for dying textiles and making prints, and was first documented in history as being used in Huaca Prieta, Peru. Since its discovery, indigo dye has been used in the ancient civilizations of Japan, India and Southeast Asian countries, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Africa.

The color indigo is named after the indigo dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. Indigofera tinctoria, also called true indigo, has been naturalized to be cultivated in tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Since it is a legume, it is also widely used as a soil-improving ground cover, and is rotated into fields similarly to alfalfa and other beans. Dye is obtained through processing the leaves through fermentation.