Your Home Has Been Telling You Something for Months. Here's What You've Been Missing.
There is a room in almost every home I've worked with that the person apologizes for before I see it.
Not because it's a mess. Not because anything is technically wrong with it. Just because something in it has never landed, and they've stopped expecting it to. They've made peace with it the way you make peace with a recurring ache you've decided isn't serious enough to address.
I have learned to pay close attention to that apology. Because the room they're apologizing for is almost never the room with the problem. It's the room that's been most honest about it.
Most of what I do in a session is help someone close a decision that has been running too long. The cognitive version of what a home does to a person when nothing feels resolved. But there's a layer underneath that I've become increasingly interested in, the way a space carries something before a single decision has been made about it. Before the furniture arrives. Before the paint is chosen. Before any of it. Brittany Wasstrom of Intuitive Home, has been working in that layer for years. Her practice sits at the intersection of interior decorating, Feng Shui, and something harder to name but easier to recognize when you walk into a room that has it: the sense that the space is working with the life inside it rather than quietly against it.
This conversation is not about crystals, though crystals appear. It is not about whether you believe in energy, though energy comes up. It is about the thing underneath both of those things, the part where a person pays close enough attention to the space she lives in that the space starts paying attention back. That part I believe in completely.
The long way into this work
Wasstrom: I would say it all started at a young age, without knowing the benefits or details of what I was enjoying, I started collecting rocks around the age of 5- maybe earlier.
I was always interested in nature and the way I felt afterwards being in it.
In 2016, I was presented with my first spiritual awakening, I like to describe it as an egg being cracked open and it presented every aspect of my life that needed to start being healed.
I truly believe that was the start of the Ancestral family lineage healing that needed to take place. I was already slowly incorporating smudging, and I was already working with crystals, I had a passion for Interior Decorating as well, so it was a natural, organic development. I originally moved to Kelowna in 2012 to pursue a Fashion Career but pivoted into Interior Decorating.
Similar in a lot of ways, but also different in some ways.
I have always been very hands-on, I love creating and working with my hands. Through this experience, I also came up with my Business name, Business mission, and offerings- through meditation.
As I started to go deeper into my healing journey I started seeing a pattern within myself and realized how much our environments affect us daily.
I decided to take my personal life and how my childhood growing up was shaping my now adulthood life and use it as my thesis. This is when I started to hone in on what I needed now that my child self didn't receive it then.
With this information, I started to create an environment within my home that supported me and all versions that needed that support.
My home is very calming, relaxing, simple, decluttered and bright.
I have crystals placed intentionally throughout, I burn Palo Santo often, I love to be surrounded by neutral colors as it calms my nervous system and I make sure to surround myself with plants and natural light to purify the air and balance the energy.
Everything I surround myself with has a purpose and meaning to it.
I knew that I needed to incorporate this aspect into how I approach design because It was helping me and I knew it could help others.
In regards to Feng shui, I recently started to dive more and more into it, as it ties all of my offerings together and supplies my clients with a grid to create the environment they need while being hands-on.
What I notice in Brittany's origin story is the same thing I notice in most designers who end up doing work that actually matters: it started with something personal that refused to stay personal. The rocks at five. The spiritual awakening in 2016. The pattern she saw in herself that she couldn't unsee once she'd seen it. That's not a brand origin story. That's someone who followed a thread long enough that it became a practice.
The designers I trust most arrived at their work the long way round.
Image | Brittany Wasstrom
The question that changes where you start
Wasstrom: Questions like:
How do you want to feel within your home?
What is important to you, to have in your home?
Is there anything you don't like/love?
What are your favorite colors/shapes?
Depending on the client and project, some clients want to focus on the 3-hour in-home Feng Shui consultation only, and some clients would like to incorporate it into the full furnishing/decorating projects.
Mindfulness plays a part in every aspect of my design process.
Starting with myself first, meditating before I meet a new client, and cleansing my aura.
I never want my day-to-day challenges or energy to affect a project. I am mindful of what we put into a client’s home, as everything impacts us in some shape or form. I am mindful of what could be reused or repurposed, depending on the client’s budget, we will make sure to always keep you within that $.
We are mindful of your journey and the story we are creating and bringing to life, which is yours!
It's like a delicate flower that we are slowly peeling back.
"How do you want to feel within your home?"
That question sounds simple. It isn't. Most people have never been asked it directly, which is why when I ask a version of it in a session, there's always a pause. Not because the person doesn't know. Because they're not used to their answer being the starting point.
Every framework that follows, every layout consideration, every material and color choice, becomes clearer once that question has a real answer. Not a Pinterest answer. A true one.
On belief not being the entry requirement
Wasstrom: Since I have only recently started to dive into Feng Shui in the past year I haven't come across any specific situations, but I would say like with anything you have to have a belief behind the practice that you are incorporating as a ritual into your life.
There might be people who struggle to believe that certain objects/numbers bring good luck or guide us along our journey.
There also might be certain people who struggle to understand how our homes and what we surround ourselves with, how affect us.
I think everyone is on their life path and journey and if this is meant to be guided into yours, then we will align and meet.
I am always open to learning and sharing my experiences, in hopes that I can make a small impact on whoever it needs to.
This is the part I want to stay with for a moment, because it matters for how you read the rest of this conversation.
You do not need to believe in crystals or Feng Shui or ancestral lineage healing for this conversation to be useful to you. What Brittany is describing underneath the framework is something I see in every single session I do: that our environments are in a constant, ongoing conversation with us. That we have been absorbing that conversation whether we're aware of it or not. And that awareness, just the act of paying attention, changes the relationship.
You don't have to subscribe to the system. You just have to be willing to listen to your space.
What a space reveals when the conditions are right
Wasstrom: Memorable!
A vision board check-off-the-list project!
A Joshua Tree Airbnb project that I was recently a part of with another designer in California. We have become very good friends and she invited me to help her with this project. It was a dream project of mine and we approached design in the same way, so it was a natural process for both of us.
We got the opportunity to style and organize the Airbnb, we also made sure to incorporate Feng Shui into the space by making sure that the layout and spaces reflected each GUA on the Feng Shui Bagua Map.
We had crystals in each room that reflected that space and we made sure to Cleanse the space afterwards as well. Each room included the Earth Elements that paired with the GUA which helped balance the home as a whole.
You can see the final results on my Instagram Feed.
What strikes me about this project isn't the Feng Shui framework. It's that two designers approached a space with the explicit intention of making it feel settled for everyone who walked into it. Not styled. Settled. That distinction is the whole job, whether or not you're working from a Bagua map.
The history a person carries into a room
Wasstrom: As I mentioned above, I am here as a guide to help create and bring the client’s vision and story to life.
So, in doing so I ask questions that dive deep into who they are and what they are wanting to feel more of within their environment. Each project is completely customized to that individual. From their budget to their style.
We are looking at all of the small, tangible details that may seem like they aren't creating an impact, but they have the biggest impact.
Décor, colors, fabrics, shapes, personal décor, furniture, patterns, and textures- they all play part in what story and energy we are bringing to life.
To get even more detail, I look at which crystals we can incorporate, diffusers, plants, incense/essential oils, and books that will enhance that feeling.
This is where Brittany's work and mine arrive at the same place from different directions.
What she's describing, the small tangible details that seem insignificant but carry the biggest impact, is exactly what I see when I ask someone which pieces have moved with them through three apartments and never once been questioned. Those objects are references to come back to. They're the clearest picture that exists of what a person actually needs a home to feel like. The job is learning to read them.
Structure as support, not override
Wasstrom: Each Gua on the Feng Shui Bagua Map has a yin/yang energy, an Earth Element, colors that are best suited for that space, and different items that could be included to enhance that energy more.
Depending on the client’s style, I stay mindful of the specific Gua for that space, and if for example, the colors suggested for that Gua are not prominent in our overall design, I will most likely incorporate it into a crystal or make sure a book or piece of décor has a slight hint of it.
The overall design- the client’s vision and style will always be brought to life even with focusing on the Bagua Map.
We want each space to flow and feel seamless when walking through.
By balancing the yin/yang energies and earth elements we accomplish this!
Metal-Earth-Wood-Water-Fire
We will use the Fire element for example.
Let's say a bedroom lands on a gua that is the Fire Element we would be looking at a pattern within the duvet cover or pillow pattern that brings in the fire element.
We could also look at adding a fireplace, warm color tones on the walls and lights can also represent fire.
The principle here is one I'd apply to any framework in design: it works when it supports the person's own clarity rather than replacing it. The Bagua map doesn't tell you who you are or what you need. It gives a structure to work within once you know. That's a meaningful difference. The best tools in this work are the ones that get out of the way once they've done their job.
Before you change anything
Wasstrom: I am currently working on a Feng Shui: The Bagua Map Guide, so I recommend downloading this when I am finished!
First, I would sit down and understand how you want to feel within your everyday life, and in your home + the WHY.
This is the #1 thing we want to figure out before proceeding because it is the foundation for the rest of the work. Grab a journal and don't be afraid to dive deep into it!
In the meantime, I recommend looking up "The Bagua map" and starting by looking at how it aligns with your home.
Always start at your front door and map it out, you can also use the Bagua Map for each room within your home as well. Once you have mapped your home out with the Gua, I recommend looking at each space individually and determining what feels off, and what is currently incorporated from that GUA, and what is not.
Sit with it first. That instruction runs completely against the impulse most people have when a space feels off, which is to fix it immediately, to buy the thing, move the furniture, repaint the wall before you've understood what the wall has been asking for.
The pause Brittany is recommending isn't indecision. It's information-gathering. The most expensive design mistakes I've seen came from skipping it.
What it looks like when everything is accounted for
Wasstrom: Last year I got the privilege to work alongside a client who was moving from Ontario to Kelowna and starting from scratch.
We started and finished with a smudging session, which is complimentary with every new project. As the building was new and there had been trades in and out of the building leading up to the project completion, we wanted to make sure that she was in alignment with her home before and after returning to the space.
She made it known that she wanted to feel immersed in nature, but inside. She also had a lot of beautiful antique furniture that she wanted to incorporate, so I had to be mindful of the way how I blended her pieces with the modern townhouse, which we succeeded at.
I ended up choosing a rug that reminded her of the ocean, we added a wood mantle onto the front facing of the fireplace to add more warmth and the earth element.
We added a glass-top coffee table to create a flow from the kitchen through the dining area to the living room and out to the patio- as it was all open concept.
We also added two large beautiful forest esc canvas' above the sofa which allowed her to feel as if she was in the forest. The antique cabinet in the dining room matched the wood that was brought into the living room and added lots of character to the home.
Every item added to her home had a purpose and story to tell. Each item, including furniture, was mindfully and intentionally thought out based on what she originally shared with me.
Every item added to her home had a purpose and a story. That's the sentence I keep coming back to in this answer. Not because it's about Feng Shui. Because that's what a decided home feels like. Nothing in it is asking a question. Everything has been chosen from the right place, which means nothing needs to be reconsidered.
That's the after-state. Not beautiful. Satisfied.
Image | Unsplash
The simplest place to start
Wasstrom: One thing that always shocks people is when I tell them to " Shop their own home", as humans in today’s society we are presented with A LOT of different new things that we feel like we need and then end up creating clutter and excess.
So, look at what you already have and try to change your perspective on how it can be used or placed. If this is something that feels overwhelming to you, have someone like myself come in and help with this part. I have a rule in my home, if I bring something new in, 1-2 items have to go!
Suggestions:
I always suggest looking at your cleaning supplies, are they all natural ingredients? If not, swap it out!
Look at which essential oils align with you based on what you need at that moment and add a diffuser in your home or multiple!
Look at incorporating crystals and their energy benefits, also cleansing your home with Palo Santo/Sage.
Open your windows up, let the fresh air in, and open your blinds/curtains up. This helps with stimulating dopamine and creating more JOY
Add plants & air purifiers to cleanse the air in your home.
Look at your layout, make sure it flows seamlessly and that there are no objects obstructing the pathways.
DECLUTTER/ORGANIZE
"Shop your own home" is one of the most underrated pieces of design advice I've heard. Not because it saves money, though it does. Because it forces the question: what do I already have that I've stopped seeing? What has been in my home long enough that I've started treating it as furniture rather than a choice?
Most people don't need more. They need to look more carefully at what's already there.
Image | Unsplash
Where this is all going
Wasstrom: I see more and more people waking up to the idea of Spirituality in general and it's beautiful to see.
As I have mentioned, everyone is on their journey and whatever they are guided towards is meant for them. I find people are talking more and more about the way we live and how it impacts us greatly.
We need to be having more of these conversations!
I see this approach and Holistic Design evolving greatly, it's so IMPORTANT. People are starting to be more mindful and intentional with everything they do daily and this is just one small "ritual" to add in.
Small things like removing all toxic chemical products from your home. Looking at the energy inside your home, cleansing it, what are you surrounding yourself with?
I'm excited to see where it goes and how it expands!
I will say, be open minded, as it's a way of living and healing. It's reconnecting back to yourself and with your environment. Its allowing opportunities to enter. It's removing in order to receive new.
Her work is offered both virtually and in person, shaped around where clients are in their own process.
Wasstrom: I offer services both virtually & in person ( excl. a few).
We like to cater to clients GLOBALLY as everyone deserves to reconnect!
The shift Brittany is describing, more people paying attention to how their environments affect them, is real. I see it in every session. Clients are arriving with a more precise vocabulary for what's wrong than they had five years ago. They're not just saying "something's off." They're saying "I walk into this room and my body tenses and I don't know why." That's not a decorating question. That's a person who has started listening.
The next step, for most of them, is learning to trust what they hear.
What paying attention actually changes
Homes respond to us long before we decide what to change.
That restlessness you've been calling a design problem. The room you've been apologizing for. The space that technically works but makes you hold your breath. Those aren't failures of taste or budget or the wrong sofa.
They're the home being honest with you.
This conversation doesn't ask you to adopt a new system or rearrange your life around a framework. It asks something simpler. To listen before you adjust. To sit with what feels off without rushing to resolve it. To pay attention to what's already in the room before you add anything else to it.
Often that attention, just the willingness to notice, is enough to change the relationship. And once the relationship changes, the decisions that follow tend to come from a clearer place.
That's where Design Mood begins. Not with what to change. With what's actually there.
