Entryways have a powerful impact on the entire home as they literally transition and direct energy. And cleaning out unwanted clutter from the garage opens up the ideal “holding area” to help de-clutter the rest of the home. The garage can temporarily be a space for donation pick-up, trash, and garage sale items (see, “Getting Rid of Weird Waste”). This makes it possible to de-clutter a little each day, instead of having to do a full home overhaul (which is sometimes called moving, see “Harnessing Moving Mojo” and is generally not fun).
Feng Shui acknowledges the important shift that occurs in entry spaces, which is actually based on our survival instincts. Cathleen McCandless in Feng Shui That Makes Sense says, “As you enter a building, you need a few seconds to decompress and acclimate to the new surroundings and the new sensory experience. Your survival instincts relax once you sense that an environment is safe.”
The main idea is to regulate the speed of energy flowing in and out of a home. The energy can be “too fast” if there is a straight shot through the doors or walkways with no objects to soften the edges. Energy can also feel “too slow” if things are cluttered. It is important to consider how your stuff interacts with the flow of your entry areas. Clearing a comfortable path and providing helpful seats and storage will improve Feng Shui.
A well-defined entryway provides the ideal shifting gears location. Even with open floor plans, adding some sort of barrier (a plant, low bookcase, or chair) will give a feeling of protection as it buffers the private and public space. McCandless recommends, “In order to make the entryway feel its Feng Shui best, the space should be clean, well-lit, and free of clutter… Be sure to designate a place that’s attractive and accessible for placing keys, sunglasses, mail, and other items that tend to be dumped by the main entrance.” There are all sorts of storage options for the things your family uses on a daily basis, so find what works for you.
Also, consider airflow as an important function of entry doors. A bunch of smelly shoes right in line with the flow of air is not a good combination. Instead, store as many shoes as possible in closets, bins, or on racks clear of the pathway to keep things feeling fresh.
In most homes, the garage is one of the largest “rooms” in the home. A garage can be used for any number of things, but stagnate storage is a bad idea for this transitional space. I understand if you have a different primary purpose (other than parking cars) for your garage, but a shocking number of people fill their garages with unused stuff (aka junk). A majority of Americans enter their homes through the garage, which means this environment has a strong impact on the feeling of home. I want to encourage you to love your garage as a place to store the things you use and love (see,“Letting go of Stuff: Developing Habits of Release”)!
Vertical storage is always a win, so peg boards, wall racks, and careful planning can help maximize limited storage. My family knows that if an item is not used outside, it is not allowed to be stored in our garage. I place a high value on our garage real estate as it is the main transition area of our home. I also like to "decorate" the garage with seasonal wreaths and excess artwork (see, “Decorating with Functional Art”). Our garage is by no means perfect, but, as with every room of our house, I clean it out regularly. During the summer we park one car and a LOT of gear in the garage. In the winter, summer gear moves to storage and we successfully park two cars (with inches to spare) in the comforts of the garage.
If the garage is used as the primary entry and exit point, then it will also serve the home to store things like coats, shoes, and other “out of the house” gear in or near this area. We have our “mud room” set up in the garage with most of our shoes and outdoor gear. With this set up, to keep energy flowing, the front door should also be opened at least once a day. I like to check for packages and get the mail through our front door. In fact, I love the comfortable clear feeling of our front entry/step so much that I regularly use this space to take breaks. Our front garden adds immense value to our entryway too, as a living breathing energy source. When in doubt, add a plant (see,“Positively Planting It”) and feel the good vibes enter!
Love Always,
Meg
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