Lyn Garcia loves her work as an esthetician and makeup artist and wanted to create a space that expresses who she is, honors her clients’ needs for privacy and pampering, and supports her growing business. Her space within a styling salon – an 8 x 12’ room without windows but with 10’ ceilings — was a wonderful opportunity to showcase what Feng Shui can do in a small space.
We first reviewed what she must have in the space to do her work: A large treatment table that she can walk around, a rolling magnifying light, storage for hot wax and other tools of the trade, hooks for purses and clothing, and wall-hung mirrors. 
Her setup included a dark wood cabinet with open shelves and drawers with boxes of various items stored on top. Next to the cabinet was a rolling cart for the hot wax machine with a cord trailing to an extension power strip on the floor and drawers filled with makeup. A small open garbage can and an open coiled metal container for used towels sat next to the cart. The treatment table was pushed against the back wall beneath two empty white hanging cabinets. For art, Lyn had a framed quote and a mirror, which was hung too high for her to see her whole face.
She was open to changing everything.
Because creating more business was one of Lyn’s primary goals, we chose a color with a purple tone to it to enhance Wealth & Prosperity. The color, Portland Gray, is in Benjamin Moore’s Affinity line of low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, and I recommended that the entire room by painted this color.
I suggested that we create a room that is spa-like – calm, clean and organized with the “scary tools” (tweezers, hot wax) kept in drawers, and the “beautiful tools” (makeup, cotton balls, etc.) displayed openly in pretty containers. We talked about creating a clerestory window to give her some light and air – or the impression of it — but that wasn’t possible. As an alternative, we discussed painting a “window” on the Family & Health wall that could look out onto trees, the iconic symbol of the Family & Health gua. Trees would support her, her business growth and her clients’ health. Additionally, I recommended removing the hanging cabinets that loomed over the treatment table and made the space feel even smaller. Finally, we talked about keeping used towels and the garbage can in closed containers and moving away from dark furniture to light, to make the space feel larger.
I came back to visit Lyn several months later after our consultation. She had accomplished nearly all of the recommended changes!
The walls are painted in Portland Gray, and she has a mural of aspen trees in the Family & Health area. In the Wealth & Prosperity corner of the mural she painted a red cardinal to draw attention to that gua and she’s hung a white curtain there to create a private space for changing. The curtain hangs on the floor to create flow, symbolically enhancing the flow of wealth to her business. She had the white storage cabinets removed for the wall, and she can now walk all around the treatment table without bumping her head. (Feng Shui supports safety, comfort and beauty!). She culled her tools and makeup and installed a new cabinet with mostly closed storage. She keeps matching containers on top in metal and white – both express the Metal Element to support the Children and Creativity gua where this cabinet is situated. She added circular mirrors at different heights for her clients (and she can now see herself, too). The round mirrors support Metal and Water Elements along the Helpful People/Travel and Career/Journey wall of her space.
Lyn keeps a floor lamp in her Relationship corner to bring attention and light to that area, and she plans to hang her esthetician diploma on the Fame & Reputation wall to showcase her credentials.
Lyn and her clients love the new salon and her business is growing. She is already accomplishing the first goal of the consultation! Feng Shui can help you reach your goals too, in any size space.
