Kimo Stowell - Real Estate Merchandiser

Master Bath Virtual Remodel - Pearl Ridge Hawaii - JDS Consulting Hawaii Decor Design and Home Staging

Many of our clients at JDS Consulting are simply looking for a little inspiration in their design projects. We point our clients in the right direction by providing suggested designs, materials, and visuals so they have a better understanding of how to achieve their renovation dreams.

One common concern amongst many of our clients, is that there are just too many choices to choose from, which can paralyze even the bravest of do-it-yourselfers. No one wants to make the wrong choice when it comes to renovations, as mistakes can be costly and time consuming. In order to alleviate that fear and provide a clear well defined goal for our clients we provide a comprehensive design strategy that addresses what materials and accessories to use, where to find them and what the project might look like in completion.

In this virtual makeover, our client a recent retiree, wanted a modern Japanese design aesthetic for their master suite renovation. They also had specific concerns regarding the height of the vanity in the bath and storage and organizational concerns as well. As Real Estate Merchandising specialists we approach every design with resale in mind, however, our client had no intention of selling the property and wanted certain design elements modified to her specific needs and personal taste that might otherwise be counter-intuitive to a Merchandiser.

The primary concern for our client in this project was the height of the vanity. After a recent medical procedure coupled with her diminutive size, our client needed the vanity to be lower than the standard 30"-32" height of a typical vanity console.In order to avoid the cost of custom cabinetry we decided on a wall mounted single wading pool sink & vanity which could be hung at a more convenient height. She also wanted drawers instead of cabinets and because of her medical condition she would be unable to bend and reach the lowest drawers which the mounted vanity design dispensed with. The width of vanity was also reduced to provide more square footage in the vanity area and we offered a choice of coral stone or golden onyx for the vanity top. We also suggested using coral stone or travertine for the floor and backslash which would extend to the floor. Our client stressed simplicity and easy maintenance with the the fixture selection so we choose a simple polished or brushed nickel look from Moen.

The golden wood tone selected for the teak vanity cabinets, shoji closet doors, and latern style light fixtures was chosen to compliment her many Asian antiques and teak furniture found in the rest of the home.

A sisal area rug and stripped ottoman indicative of Japanese kimono designs would round off the accessories for the bath.

JDS Consulting- Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.

www.RealEstateDesignOnLine.com tel.+1.808.344.1264 Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

50 years of Hawaii Statehood: Fact or Fiction? A history of pervasive racism in US politics... There is a lot of debate going on these days concerning the legitimacy of the Statehood of Hawaii and whether native Hawaiians should have a say in determining Hawaii's future and the outcome of former Kingdom lands confiscated after the overthrow. There has been a lot of disinformation disseminated, as well as, propaganda concerning the legitimacy of the Republic of Hawaii followed by the Territory of Hawaii and subsequent US Statehood. As Hawaii commemorates 50 years of US Statehood, there are many questions being raised as to the legality of not only the overthrow of the Kingdom in 1893 but the participation of the US Navy in conspiracy with American Business interests to undermine a legitimate sovereign nation and the deliberate disenfranchisement of voting rights from native Hawaiians and citizens of Asian descent. The US Congress formally apologized for it's illegal and conspiratorial participation in the overthrow in 1993 which ignited a desire for Kingdom lands or ceded lands confiscated during the overthrow to be returned to Native Hawaiian control. This claim to ceded lands by the native community has sparked several legal battles including a US Supreme Court Ruling this past spring which raised the issue of perfect title and whether the US State of Hawaii has legitimate legal claim to ceded lands. Below are three recent articles concerning Hawaiian Sovereignty that are fairly comprehensive in presenting the scope of the issue including local perspectives. It is important to note that there is a distinction between the Akaka Bill which seeks to give Federal Recognition to Native Hawaiians in the same manner as Native Americans and the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement which basically seeks the restoration of the sovereign government of Hawaii. Friday, August 7, 2009 Obama backs Native Hawaiian self-governance bill President's endorsement clear during Senate hearing By John Yaukey Advertiser Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The Obama administration came through on its promise to support Native Hawaiian self-governance yesterday with a powerful statement to a Senate panel, backing a bill that would give Native Hawaiians the same rights as Native Americans and Alaskans. The full-throated endorsement came from Sam Hirsch, deputy associate attorney general, to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The panel was weighing nine-year-old legislation, authored by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, that would set up a process for Native Hawaiian autonomy within the state and federal systems. "The Department of Justice strongly supports the core policy goals of this bill, and I am pleased to testify on this historic legislation," Hirsch said. He rejected arguments that political recognition of Native Hawaiians would constitute a "race-based" distinction. He said that the federal government had an obligation to establish a government-to-government relationship with the Native Hawaiian people, who have been living in political limbo for more than a century following the overthrow of their kingdom. "The general history of the Native Hawaiian people bears significant similarities to the history of Indian tribes," he said. "The United States has recognized the Kingdom of Hawai'i as a sovereign power and dealt with it as such through much of the 19th century." This was a stark turnaround from the Bush administration. In 2006, the Justice Department under President George W. Bush argued that the so-called Akaka bill would "divide people by their race." In a June House hearing on the Akaka legislation, a Bush appointee suggested that Native Hawaiian recognition could lead to some form of mild sedition. "It is clear that many ethnic Hawaiians will not regard the new government as deriving its powers solely from federal delegation," said Gail Heroit, a Republican appointee on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "Rather, they will argue that it derives its power from their own inherent sovereignty and is thus not subject to any of the limitations on power found in the U.S. Constitution." An issue of parity Yesterday, Akaka sought to bring the debate back to its central pivot point: that Native Hawaiians are no different from any other indigenous people who have political contracts with the federal government. "The legislation before us today provides parity," he said. "It enables Hawai'i's indigenous people to establish a government-to-government relationship with the United States. The process is consistent with Constitution, federal and state law." Eventually, it could give Native Hawaiians greater control over their highly valuable ancestral lands. The Akaka legislation would develop a process for reorganizing a Native Hawaiian government. If it passes in the Indian Affairs Committee, as expected, then the full Senate would take it up. Passage in the heavily Democratic House is virtually assured. But even if the Akaka bill passes, it remains potentially vulnerable to court challenges. Civil rights legislation is typically challenged for years after passage. In 2000, the Supreme Court shot down special privileges Native Hawaiians enjoyed in special elections for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, threatening a vast network of Native Hawaiian political and social structures. 9 years of trying Yesterday's Senate hearing marks the seventh time Congress has taken up the legislation since it was first introduced in 2000. The bill has already passed the House twice but has never been able to clear the Senate, where legislation can sometimes require 60 of 100 votes to pass and a single senator can place a hold on a bill. Akaka said he expects he'll need 60 votes to pass the bill. At stake - in addition to the political future of the Native Hawaiian people - ultimately is control over some 1.8 million acres of land that many Native Hawaiians believe was taken from them illegally in the annexation of Hawai'i in 1898. Passage of the Akaka bill would provide for negotiations on the disposition of Native Hawaiian land, natural resources and other assets. Sunday, August 9, 2009 Pride in Hawaiian culture reawakened Seeds of sovereignty movement sown during 1960s-70s renaissance By Michael Tsai The Honolulu Advertiser For five electric days in 1993, tens of thousands of Native Hawaiians and others sympathetic to Native Hawaiian causes marked the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy with a series of marches, demonstrations and historical re-enactments culminating in a dramatic march from Aloha Tower to 'Iolani Palace, a journey meant to symbolize the rebirth of Hawaiian culture. The commemoration, organized by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in cooperation with an array of Native Hawaiian organizations from around the state, was one of the largest gatherings of Native Hawaiians in modern times, stunning not just for its implications heading forward, but for what it represented given the experience of Native Hawaiians since statehood in 1959. Participants in the events rallied under the motto "Onipa'a," the Hawaiian word for "steadfast" famously invoked by Queen Lili'uokalani a hundred years earlier as she abdicated her throne to U.S. forces working in concert with American businessmen. "Hold yourselves up high and be proud," the queen told her subjects. "For each and every one of you has much to be proud of in yourselves and in your people. Hold fast to that pride and love you have for your heritage and your country. Yes, your country. For you nation, onipa'a. Hold fast." By the time of the statehood plebiscite in 1959, pride in country had withered to what John Whitehead, retired University of Alaska history professor and author of "Completing the Union: Alaska, Hawaii and the Battles for Statehood," characterized as "nostalgia for what had been lost with no real belief that it could be restored." Perhaps worse, pride in Hawaiian identity had been undermined by social, political and educational systems calibrated to de-emphasize, even suppress, ethnic identity in favor of full Americanization. Scared of questions Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa, former director of the University of Hawai'i's Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, was still a child when Hawai'i joined the union. She said the first decade of statehood did nothing to undo the years of disempowerment and shame many Native Hawaiians felt. "I graduated from Kamehameha High School in 1970, and we never even heard of the 1893 overthrow," she said. "In school, we learned that one minute we were a kingdom with ali'i and the next minute we were Americans. It was only after I graduated that I read ("Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen"). Then I asked my mother what had happened in 1893, and in 1959. "She told me not to ask such questions because the Americans would put me in jail," she said. "She was terrified of my political awakening. And I can only imagine that Hawaiians her age were equally scared about their children's questions." Kame'eleihiwa's mother recounted the infamous Massie case, in which Grace Fortescue, son-in-law Thomas Massie and two accomplices spent an hour with Gov. Lawrence Judd as punishment for kidnapping and murdering a Hawaiian man accused of raping Massie's wife Thalia. (A report by the Pinkerton Detective Agency later concluded that Thalia Massie had not been raped; charges against other defendants in the rape case were eventually dropped.) But while Kame'eleihiwa understood her mother's fears, they did not deter her investigations of Hawaiian history. Indeed, for a generation of Hawaiians coming of age in the tumultuous 1960s and '70s, a cultural and political awakening was just brewing. Renaissance ignited The first Hawaiian Renaissance occurred during the reign of King David Kalakaua, who spearheaded a revival of hula, fresh examination of Hawaiian myth and legend, and a renewed interest in Hawaiian music. The Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1960s and '70s, which was ignited, appropriately, with the establishment of the Merrie Monarch Festival, was far broader in scope, encompassing not just renewed interest and study of Hawaiian music, language (both Hawaiian and Hawaiian creole/pidgin), hula, agriculture and navigation, but also political activism on the part of young Native Hawaiians. For Kihei Soli Niheu, whose efforts on behalf of Kalama Valley farmers helped lead to a series of highly influential land battles in the 1970s and 1980s, the climate of political discontent percolating on college campuses across the United States in the 1960s provided a viable medium for personal political growth. Niheu attended San Jose State College, where he befriended the school's Black Student Union and was exposed to the revolutionary ideas of sociology professor Harry Edwards, who is best known for inspiring Tommie Smith's and John Carlos' famous Black Power protest at the 1968 Olympic Games. In those formative years, Niheu read Che Guevara, Mao Tse-tung and Karl Marx, followed the Angela Davis trial and participated in protests against American involvement in Vietnam. Like other Native Hawaiians of his generation, Niheu said he knew little about his own history. "I didn't learn much about Hawaiian history at Kamehameha," he said. "After eighth grade, they cut out Hawaiian language. They wouldn't teach us Hawaiian because they said we had to become American. I remember thinking, 'What? Who the hell are they?' " Yet, as Niheu witnessed firsthand the struggles that African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, women and other groups undertook to assert their civil rights on the Mainland, Niheu said he couldn't help but reflect on the state of Native Hawaiians like himself. In 1970, Niheu returned to Hawai'i and quickly got involved in antiwar protests on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus. Activists organize Soon after, UH ethnic studies professor Larry Kamakawiwo'ole tapped Niheu for a talk-story session with fellow activists Pete Thompson, Kalani Ohelo and Kehau Lee. The talk revolved around the worsening situation in Kalama Valley, where some 150 families - most of them Native Hawaiian, many of them previously displaced by development projects - were being evicted to make way for further Hawai'i Kai development. The group resolved to do what it could to support the displaced families, a decision that would prove a milestone moment in the evolution of modern Native Hawaiian activism. Despite a yearlong "occupation," the arrest of dozens of activists and subsequent protracted legal battle, the movement could not ultimately prevent the displacement of the farmers and the development of the land. It did, however, provide the impetus for the formation of several Native Hawaiian-led community groups that would wage similar battles across the state. It also inspired an emerging generation of Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian activists to resist the rapid development of traditionally rural and agricultural lands brought about by the state's increased economic reliance on tourism and the island's fast-growing population, and to begin to build a case for independence from the United States.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Some Hawaiian activists reject statehood, saying it's a 'crime'

Activists point to illegal acts, starting with the overthrow

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

In 1959, what opposition there was to Hawai'i statehood was based on a variety of factors, from fears that communists had infiltrated the territory's labor unions to concerns that statehood would further disenfranchise its Native Hawaiian population.

Fifty years later, Hawaiian activists are calling for an end to the statehood era, not as a goal unto itself but as a necessary step in remediating a series of illegal acts through which, they say, the United States robbed Hawai'i of its rightful status as a sovereign nation.

Contemporary opposition to statehood, and by extension the larger Hawaiian sovereignty movement, is largely the result of a re-examination of Hawaiian history sparked by the so-called second Hawaiian renaissance.

As Native Hawaiian political activism flourished throughout the 1970s and '80s - notably with the hard-fought success of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana - a new generation of Native Hawaiian scholars turned a critical eye to the circumstances that surrounded the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, the U.S. annexation of Hawai'i in 1898, and Hawai'i's entry to the union in 1959, and began to formulate legal bases for Hawaiian independence.

The cause of Hawaiian self-determination has been taken up by myriad organizations large and small, from the state-affiliated but largely autonomous Office of Hawaiian Affairs, to grassroots organizations like Ka Lahui Hawai'i and Kanaka Maoli Tribunal Komike, to the estimated 20 or more individuals and groups that have claimed status as independent Hawaiian kingdoms, republics or other governmental forms.

U.S. Apology

While the specific terms of independence each group advocates may vary widely, the justifications are typically predicated on the grounds that the overthrow, annexation and statehood were all achieved via illegal means.

The Apology Resolution of 1993 - introduced by U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, passed by both houses of Congress, and signed by then President Clinton - acknowledged "that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and ... that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum."

Though the resolution did not directly provide for or require any redress for Native Hawaiians, the fact of its very existence has served to bolster Hawaiian sovereignty claims.

"Because of onipa'a (the massive demonstration of Native Hawaiian sovereignty advocates in observance of the 100th anniversary of the overthrow) in 1993, because of that pressure, Sen. Akaka felt compelled to investigate and that's why they drafted the apology," said physician and noted Hawaiian activist Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell. "They apologized for their role in the overthrow. They admitted it was a violation of treaties and international law and that they have violated the sovereignty of Native Hawaiian people and their right to self-determination.

"Now they have to apologize for annexation and statehood," he said. "These are major crimes."

No formal treaty

Native Hawaiian scholars argue that annexation was illegal both in relation to the overthrow and in the way in which it was approved by Congress by resolution (requiring a simple majority vote) versus formal treaty, which would have required a two-thirds majority vote.

As Lilikala Kama'eleihiwa, former director of the University of Hawai'i's Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, argues: "Because of the queen's restraint (in ordering no military resistance to the overthrow) and because there was no Hawaiian conflict with the American military, the taking of Hawai'i as an American territory in 1900, without a vote of the citizens of Hawai'i, and against the anti-annexation petitions signed by 95 percent of the Native Hawaiian population, continues to be illegal today."

The argument against statehood seemed less clear until the 1990s, when Hawaiian scholars learned of Hawai'i's theretofore little-known inclusion on the United Nations' 1946 list of "non-self-governing territories."

In 1953, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 742, which held that inhabitants of non-self-governing territories were entitled to various options for self-government, including statehood, free association, commonwealth status or independence, with preference given to independence.

In 1960, a year after statehood was accepted by Hawai'i voters, the U.N. General Assembly reviewed the list and adopted a declaration stating that all non-self-governing territories were entitled to independence and self-determination.

Hawaiian sovereignty advocates argue that the "yes or no" options on the statehood ballot unfairly limited voters' options to immediately accept statehood or remain a territory (the default assumption for a "no" vote), thereby denying them the opportunity to pursue options for self-governance.

Blaisdell said he and other kupuna are working to bring the issue to the attention of U.N. member nations in hopes of having the matter brought before the U.N. General Assembly.

"Our Hawaiian nation does not have a seat in the U.N., so we have to go through a member nation that is willing to help us. To do that, we have to properly inform them."

Blaisdell and a coalition of Hawaiian leaders and community activists have also written to President Obama asking for a meeting to address Native Hawaiian grievances and requesting his help in suspending action on the controversial Akaka bill.

'Legally dubious'

Richard Falk, an emeritus professor of international law at Princeton University and U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the 1959 plebiscite was "legally dubious because it did not allow Hawaiians to exercise their full sovereign and inalienable right of self determination."

"Of course, the long passage of time and the absence of effective opposition in 1959 could be argued to amount to a waiver," Falk said. "However, if Hawai'i was once a sovereign entity, and if the right of self-determination remains operative, then the people of Hawai'i remain entitled to some sort of assessment of their preferences as to status."

Falk added that while the limited options on the ballot do not necessarily invalidate the plebiscite, "it is easier to suggest that changing circumstances and the improper limitation of options in 1959 mean that the plebiscite was defective and needs to be superseded by a new more authoritative expression of the will of the Hawaiian people."

Yet, sovereignty advocates remain steadfast in their efforts to attain self-determination.

For scholar-activists like Kama'eleihiwa, the urgency of the mission is evident in the appalling demographic profile of Native Hawaiians: low life expectancy and high infant mortality; increasing homelessness; disproportionately high numbers of Native Hawaiians in prison; disproportionately low numbers of Hawaiians in higher education, whether as students, faculty or administrators.

"Of course, the most galling issue is lack of access to our ancestral lands," Kama'eleihiwa said. "We are a sea-going people, but lucky if 1 percent of us can afford land on the ocean anymore. We want land upon which to live and raise our children, upon which to build our houses and schools, where we can speak our ancestral language, and upon which we can plant our kalo and 'uala, and practice our culture. We are the only natives in the Pacific that do not control a land base."

And for those problems to begin to be resolved, Kama'eleihiwa, Blaisdell, Niheu and a growing number of others argue, the era of statehood must give way to something new.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Virtual Master Suite Make Over Part II: The Master Bath

Virtual Master Suite Make Over Part I

In continuation of our virtual master suite makeover we move to the bathroom of our Nu'uanu, Hawaii Condo project. Our clients have a tiled water closet in the master bath separating the bath and toilet from the vanity area which is carpeted. For this post and project we focused on the vanity area alone.

Renovating Kitchens and bathrooms traditionally returns the most money on your investment at the resale of the property. As Real Estate Merchandisers we advise are clients to maximize return by economizing on big ticket items like granite and hardwood by searching for on sale, discontinued or remnant products online and locally.

When it comes to the appraisal, granite is granite regardless of how much you paid for it. Spending a little time to see whats on sale can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars both pre and post sale of the property. The same goes for hardwood and fixtures.

Avoid buying the top of the line, most expensive products, instead select quality middle of the road fixtures that are easy to clean and made by reputable manufacturers. There are substantial savings to be made if you check online for close-outs and sales.

Our clients had decided to use Cherry hard wood in the kitchen remodel, and a dark oatmeal Berber throughout the condo. To coordinate those choices We compiled some options for flooring in the vanity area of the master bath to include a strawberry Coral Stone, cream Travertine, Eco-friendly Cork, and asymmetrical Slate tiles.

As they had yet to decide on the flooring for the Kitchen, entry, and hallways we suggested that whatever flooring was decided for those areas we would continue into the master bath vanity in replacement of the carpeting. We suggested a double vanity and Dark Cherry cabinets with granite or coral for a countertop in the Bath but suggested that a lighter stained Cherry could work as well in contrast with the Kitchen Cabinets.

The renderings below gave the client an idea of how the combination of different materials might work with various wall colors.

When it came to fixtures we suggested brushed nickle for the faucets and drawer pulls and offered some online sale items that could be compared to local pricing(minus the shipping costs to Hawaii).

The final result was a sophisticated bright and warm space that could withstand both home owners and renters wear and tear without too much maintenance needed. I suggested an Asian Art piece consisting of drooping golden Chrysanthemums by Thai Artist Luo Suya, who specializes in Chinese brush painting.

Nu'uanu Hawaii, Virtual Master Suite Make Over Part II: The Master Bath

JDS Consulting- Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.

www.RealEstateDesignOnLine.com tel.+1.808.344.1264 Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

Part I: The Master Bedroom - A diamond in the rough.

The heroine of this master suite makeovers name has been changed for dramatic purposes to "Tiffany"; whose family is in the process of remodeling their Nu'uanu Condo. Tiffany and Co. needed help with design choices and contacted JDS Consulting for some Do It Yourself advice. After our initial consultation we determined that the new diggs would have a Modern, Contemporary Asian design aesthetic with an earth tone color palette to compliment the view. We also needed the space to potentially function as both a second home and or rental, so stylish durability was an important factor. We chose a delicious color palette of rich honey gold, espresso brown, and oatmeal neutral for the master bedroom and a smattering of polished strawberry coral stone and chocolate cabinetry in the master bath all concocted to cook up a lip smacking delight to wake up to.

To create interest and warmth to the bedroom we decided an accent wall would be appropriate. The accent wall would act as a secondary focal point for the room(the view being the primary) and would be behind the headboard of the bed. We selected a honey gold color and offered a variety of art possibilities to compliment the decor of espresso colored furniture and oatmeal colored walls.

Our first accent wall art suggestion was an Asian styled gold leaf screen; bamboo is a common Asian motif and ties nicely with the rooms view of Punch Bowl crater and the Asian theme of the condo.

Our second suggestion was a sculptural piece comprised of various rectangles inspired from the carpet patterns in the figure below, bottom right. Decidedly more modern than the traditional screen, it is a renter-friendly option that could be made by hand or re-purposed from any number of recycled materials.

The last suggestion was a damask which could be painted with stencil or incorporated as a wallpaper or fabric panel. We suggested an Hawaiian quilt pattern but a number of designs could work equally well in this design.

A major design aesthetic in Hawaii is the seemless transition from interior spaces to exterior spaces.

Hawaiian design takes full advantage of the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape by incorporating it's colors and flora into the design allowing the eye to move unhindered from foreground to horizon.

The elegant shape and miniaturized form of a Bonsai tree helps draw the greenery inside: blurring the lines between the in and out of doors.

We chose a sculpted rectangular nickle lamp with gold shade to reinforce the modern rectangle motif that we repeat through out the condo. We also selected area rugs that reinforced the rectangle theme.

The minimalist side table pictured to the right was offered as an option for our clients to recycle the kitchen cabinet doors which were being replaced. The simplicity of the design is both modern and Eco friendly, requiring less materials to produce a functioning piece of furniture.

Stay tuned for Part II: A Virtual Master Bath make over!

Nu'uanu Hawaii, Virtual Master Suite Make Over: Breakfast in Bed at Tiffany's!

JDS Consulting- Staging Hawaii nei! Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha.

www.RealEstateDesignOnLine.com tel.+1.808.344.1264 Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

You have perhaps heard about the ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shui and you may even know that it is a philosophy applied to interior design and it's concepts are utilized by many Real Estate merchandisers and home stagers. But what you might not know is that Feng Shui is a philosophy of creating and optimizing environments to bring about happiness, abundance and harmony for it's inhabitants. This philosophy includes urban and city planning, personal and public architecture, interior and garden design, and the ultimate placement of objects in our personal environments.

Feng Shui is simply translated as "wind" and "water" used together the words represent harmony and balance. The ancient understanding is based on the flow of energy or "chi" through the universe and our everyday existence.

It is believed that the practice was first established over six thousand years ago and is related to physics, philosophy, astronomy and astrology. Oringinating in Fuxing(Foo-SHING) Province, it is said that the creators of Feng Shui were a group of woman advisers to an ancient Zhou King.

Ancient Hawaiians practiced a remarkably similar philosophy in architecture and interior design to maximise mana(energy) promoting it's unhindered flow as essential to healthy and prosperous living.

On my last visit to China I had an opportunity to watch several artists produce traditional water color and calligraphy pieces. Here artists in Guangzhou (Canton), paint out on the street near the Six Banyan Temple - photos by Kimo

With the knowledge of Feng Shui, people are believed to be able to make themselves more compatible with nature, their surroundings and the flow of their own lives, so that they can have a more affirming influence on their emotions, health, and finances.

According to Feng Shui philosophy, relationships, wealth, success and health are relative to the arrangement of our belongings. If the energy in our environment is hindered or not flowing correctly it can cause disharmony.

Feng Shui aims to balance energy in order to attain greater happiness, well-being and productivity and Feng Shui Art inspires the viewer to behold and envision these concepts. In doing so you are able to manifest these emotional states in your life and environment.

The Feng Shui Art that is featured in this post was created by Hawaii resident Zojing.

Born in Hong Kong, educated in Australia and Canada, Zojing has found inspiration for her art living here in Hawaii. Specializing in Asian Calligraphy, watercolors and abstract brush painting she brings modern flare and color to the ancient art forms of the Far East.

Please visit her website FengShuiArt.com to purchase great gifts for clients, family and friends at very reasonable prices.

Many of her pieces are available for under $20 and are perfect for closing gifts and accentuating the Feng Shui decor in homes and offices. Perfect for home staging!

You can see Zojing's work on display at the Louis Pohl Gallery on the corner of Nu'uanu and Hotel Streets in Chinatown here in Honolulu.

Heaven and Earth by Zojing

Dreams Do Come True- Give A Gift of Feng Shui to brighten someones day!

JDS Consulting- Staging Hawaii nei! Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Visit our Blog: Questions for Kimo: Decor Design & all things Hawaiian- www.RealEstateDesignOnLine.com tel.+1.808.344.1264 Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009