If you are looking to change how a space in your home feels, today’s HOMEWARD JOURNAL is for you. It doesn’t matter whether you hope to create spaces that energize and motivate, that inspire, that soothe and calm a racing mind‚ or all of the above. You’ll want to read what Suzanne Roynon has to say.
I’ve seen it time and again with my art collectors over the years: You have so many choices to create harmonious, inspiring, uplifting spaces. But where do you start? It can be overwhelming… Where do you start when you have a specific overall outcome in mind for your space, a specific energy you want to unlock within your home and within yourself? Higher spirits… more confidence… more calm… more conversation… more inspiration to get creative yourself. That’s where Suzanne comes in.
Suzanne is an interiors therapist — which, as I’ve come to learn — is very different from the work my interior designer friends do. Rather than develop her own signature decor style as an interior designer would, she says: “I actually work with the energy of the home, the energy of the clients, the energy of the possessions that they have. And that includes the art that they choose for their walls.”
Suzanne draws on her decades-long studies of traditional Feng Shui principles to help people whose living and working spaces — and by extension, often, whose lives — feel out of balance, even if it’s just by a touch.
The first thing she does when she walks into a new home? “I’ll pick up how I feel. Do I get goosebumps? Does the space feel light and airy? Or does it feel stressed?” More times than not, she says, our spaces now have that feeling of stress wafting through them, that same stress that plagues so much of so many other areas of our daily lives now, too. The second thing she does? “Look at what’s on their walls.” (read on below)
BALANCING ACT | Moulton Falls, WA | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 99
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My conversation with Suzanne quickly turned toward artwork as a tool to unlock new energy, new potential, new harmony within our spaces and ourselves. I quickly realized that the way she thought and talked about it was unlike any way I had ever hear anyone else talk about the power of artwork.
Art, Suzanne said, is a way of manifesting the life of your dreams: “If you want something new to come into your life, you need to make space for it, whether it's in your head, your heart, or your home — and there needs to be room for it.” It can be as obvious as hanging a piece of Hawaii art in your home if your life goal is the sweet, sweet island life when you retire. It’s visualizing what you want, creating veritable dream spaces.
But manifesting what you want out of life and how you want to feel on any given day can also be a lot subtler, and that’s where Suzanne had a lot of really helpful tips. So I asked her if she would walk me through an imaginary home, room by room, and give me suggestions for what kind of art she would use in specific spaces to unlock specific kinds of energy.
And that’s exactly what she did. By the end of it, my whole perspective on choosing and using art had shifted. So… come along, and find out what kinds of unexpected positive energy might hide in your own home, just waiting to be brought to the fore.
Looking to create a space that nurtures strength, stability and confidence?
The suggested spaces: living rooms, also: exercise areas
The remedy: Any space that is designed to ground you, a space you can retreat to in order to find strength, stability and confidence in your life, will have a heavy dose of the Feng Shui earth element present, Suzanne told me. What does that mean? That means stones, sand, anything that’s literally grounding. But how can art help unlock new wells of strength? Suzanne: “If somebody said, you know, I just need strength, I need to be able to stand up for myself and have that sense of stability — I’d say, let’s find a beautiful mountain image that’s giving you the strength and the stability and the surety of those mountains.”
What to be aware of: If a sense of stability is what you’re after, beware of images of volcanoes. The fact that they could blow their lid any minute (as unlikely as that might be)? “Just a touch unhelpful for a feeling of security”, says Suzanne.
The images Suzanne recommends: CASTLE IN THE SKY, LONG WAY HOME, FLATIRONS
CASTLE IN THE SKY | Owl Creek Pass, CO | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 99
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Looking to create a space that nurtures personal and professional growth, that attracts wealth?
The suggested spaces: offices, studies, libraries
The remedy: If you feel you yourself or someone else is holding you back, or you feel like you just need to get back in the flow of things, Suzanne recommends artworks showing water — especially dynamic water images, such as the waves of the ocean, or waterfalls. “You want to see the water moving,” Suzanne said. Likewise: “If someone wants to draw more money into their lives, put a waterfall image into your office. You want energy, you want things flowing toward you.”
But — here is a word of caution from Suzanne when tapping into the energy of water: “Be aware that with a lot of water energy comes the highs and lows of emotions. It can lead to tears and emotional outbursts.” So if you are someone prone to having a flaring temper at times (no judgment), Suzanne suggests to dial back the water. Instead, trigger that forward-progress thinking and growth mindset by looking for images that feature an emerging path or a perspective of a growing tree looking upward.
What to be aware of: If you use water images in those areas where you want to nurture growth or attract wealth, make sure that the water shown is not stagnant. Again, this whole exercise is one of using the symbolism of nature to visualize and manifest what you want in life. Do you want stagnation? Or an energetic flow forward?
The key here is movement and growth. So make sure to also avoid images of boats tied up on the shore, anything that resembles an obstacle. Don’t hold yourself back. Flow.
The images Suzanne recommends: THE RIVER, PURITY, LISTEN WITH LOVE, THE SEARCH, SKYWARD, BELONGING, UPSTREAM
'IMI OLA — THE SEARCH | Kauai, HI | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 99
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Looking to create a space that calms and quiets the mind?
The suggested spaces: reading nooks, meditation areas, living rooms
The remedy: We just talked about where not to use calm water imagery. Now let’s talk about where that kind of imagery is a perfect fit: In reading nooks, meditation areas, and, depending on how you want your living room to feel, even there. “It’s about creating spaces where you can feel completely calm,” says Suzanne. “Stress is just wiped away in that area.” Calm water imagery, she says, works wonders to put the mind at ease.
What to be aware of: As mentioned above, water invites highs and lows in emotions. At least, in areas such as reading nooks, mediation areas and living rooms, you will likely be in a mindset to experience and navigate them compassionately.
The images Suzanne recommends: EVERLASTING LOVE, BALANCING ACT, THE LIGHT WITHIN
AU'MAKUA — THE LIGHT WITHIN | Kauai, HI | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 99
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Looking to create a space that nurtures your relationships?
The suggested spaces: family rooms, bedrooms, entryways
The remedy: If you want to create a welcoming space, a space that brings people together and strengthens the bonds between you and your loved ones, look for artworks that show nature as a symbol of connection — for example, two trees intertwined, or a group of animals affectionately nurturing each other. “Anything that clearly showcases connection is so powerful in a relationship area of your home,” Suzanne says.
What to be aware of: In a space where you want to nurture and strengthen relationships, make sure to not use images that connote loneliness or singularity, like the lone tree rising above the rest or a portrait of an animal like a lion. No matter the strength that such imagery no doubt showcases, it is still a focus on one individual rather than its tender relationship with others.
The images Suzanne recommends: FAMILY BONDS, LIFELONG LOVE, WISTFUL EMINENCE
FAMILY BONDS | Denver, CO | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 50
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Looking to create places that allow you to get the rest you deserve and need?
The suggested spaces: bedrooms
The remedy: For bedrooms that invite rest and intimate connection, Suzanne recommends using lovely flowing landscapes — “nothing too jagged” — as well as soft images of enveloping fog. Also: Any images of animals tenderly connecting bring a positive, intimate energy into your bedroom.
What to be aware of: Suzanne doesn’t mince words: “No water in the bedroom — it is such an emotional trigger, especially if you’re dealing with bouts of anxiety or seasonal depression.”
The images Suzanne recommends: WHICH WAY IS HEAVEN, UPRISING, AUTUMNAL VISION, FAMILY BONDS, WHISPERS
UPRISING | Big Sur, CA | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 50
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Looking to create a space that celebrates a new beginning?
The suggested spaces: the first shared home, a new home, a new office
The remedy: Choosing a new piece of art can commemorate a grand new beginning, like a new home, or a wedding, a graduation, a new job. But it can also mark a fresh start that you hope for. Whatever it is: “Most people I work with are all about new beginnings,” says Suzanne. “For those spaces, I’d love to see some springtime paths where you may not be able to see the end of the path yet but you are invited onto it nonetheless.” The same goes for bridges, or a road leading off into the distance — anything that signifies a journey undertaken. “It shows that you are moving on to a new phase in life,” says Suzanne.
What to be aware of: Avoid images of autumn. Autumn is a season when things start to go dormant, Suzanne says. Rather, focus on the new beginnings in nature found in spring.
The images Suzanne recommends: BALANCING ACT, THE CALLING, A NEW BEGINNING, WHICH WAY IS HEAVEN
WHICH WAY IS HEAVEN? | Crested Butte, CO | Highly Collectible Limited Edition of 99
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Now go and unleash that harmonious energy in your home.
I don’t know about you, but Suzanne really opened my eyes to a whole new set of possibilities for creating inspiring spaces in my own home.
And while, granted, thinking about the energy of your home may feel a little woo woo or out-of-the-box, the effects that Suzanne describes are very much real. If you don’t like thinking about it in terms of changing the energy of a space, you might be more comfortable skipping the word energy altogether and using the word “feeling” instead. After all, we all strive to create a space that “feels like home,” right?
I’ve heard from so many of you over the years what “feeling home” means to you: spaces where you feel safe, sheltered, where you gather with family and friends, where you come to rest, where you can unequivocally be yourself, where you feel calm and nurtured — spaces where you walk through the door and feel the warm embrace of comfort.
It’s the same things that Suzanne talks about. And now she’s equipped you with a way to use artwork to create that homey feeling, to unleash the harmonious energy that hides in your home, too.
How powerful is that?!
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