ZeroTwentyEight - The Blog

May 11, 2021

Is Feng Shui the way we decorate our homes?

The term Feng Shui may mean WIND and WATER but it describes a method or a science that harnesses the energy of the environment to improve people's lives!

Just as we need air and water to live, our homes do too and it is literally this "air" that also enters our homes that brings that Vital energy that is called Chi.

In reality FENG SHUI is a new term to describe what the Chinese elders called "Ham Yu", which is the science of understanding the environment and the energy that moves from nature, how we harmonise it and how it can help us to have a life successful and prosperous!

But what is the purpose?

If our energy is high, in a good vibration, we are more optimistic, more courageous, happier and have less illness and if we are happier the people around us are happier too. But if the energy of the house is bad, we go home and argue, we have diseases, problems...we have no energy to progress or prosper.

So the first and only objective of Feng Shui is to align the environment with the people who live or work in a specific place, to understand what the energies of the environment are and how this energy flows in space, because it is very important to flow and not allow it to stay stagnant.

Thus, the Feng Shui functions as the acupuncture of the house.

No item of decoration can change the Chi, it all depends on understanding the 5 elements of Chinese Metaphysics which is the variation of the vibration of energy and how we align it with ourselves because we are energy too.

Although decoration and the choices we make to decorate our homes can explain a lot about our inner self...it can show us why we do what we do and undoubtedly change our internal status.

In this way we can also be responsible for the energy that circulates within our homes and our lives because we are also partly responsible for that energy.

So, although most people think that Feng Shui is the way we decorate our home, this is far from the truth!

We just use shapes, colours, materials and symbolism to be able to recreate the cycles of nature and how it naturally feeds, wears off or controls itself.

April 26, 2021

What does our experience say about building your home in LSF?

LSF or better, Light Steel Frame (Light Steel) is a construction system whose main structural system is super resistant and super light Galvanised Steel pieces which are then "closed" with cementitious slabs on the outside and plasterboard on the inside.

This system can be used in any type of building and it was not necessary to make any type of change or adaptation to the project that was initially planned.

We have seen during this process that this system has numerous major advantages:

In addition to having a significant area gainSince the thickness of the walls is less when compared to a masonry construction, these works are also more quickmainly because they have fewer steps, which will make all the difference in the completion time.

And as all people in general are in a hurry to see their projects completed this is a great advantage.

Since it is much easier to pass electrical installations, plumbing, gas, air conditioning, etc., it is also easier to make maintenance. You only need to remove the plate covering the walls to do the maintenance and at the end put the plate back.

But to be honest what captivated me the most was the fact that it is sustainable and that a large part of the raw material can be recycled and not much rubbish is produced during the construction work...which makes the work much cleaner and quicker as the pieces are already bought ready to be assembled.

The work is done with little or almost no use of water and with little waste, unlike the traditional method which produces a lot of rubble.

As for the disadvantages, I know of only one...it needs specialised workforce. This is a disadvantage that I consider to be a great advantage since we are seeing more and more unqualified professionals in reinforced concrete and block works.

The Light Steel system needs to be thoroughly calculated and planned so as not to allow errors or waste, thus requiring specialized professionals.

There is a great growth in this type of building in Madeira because there are many benefits even though we know that the Light Steel is a system that has long been used in many other parts of the world.

Do you think that Light Steel has everything to become a trend in Wood or do you believe that traditional models are better?

March 19, 2021

5 BASIC PRINCIPLES that make all the difference in our lives...

There is a Chinese saying that reveals that these are the 5 basic principles to have a prosperous life!

1ST DESTINATION

Determined by our horoscope! It reveals our strengths and weaknesses!

This is not a sentence, just a map to know ourselves better and be able to enhance our strengths and try to improve the weaknesses.

Know yourself!

2º THE LUCK

Luck is a difficult concept to define and I believe it is effectively a mental state. Everything is energy and so are our thoughts!

  • If we face the future with hope, good things will happen to us!
  • If we face the future with fear we will attract all our fears!

Have you never heard the expression "we are on a lucky streak", I believe this "streak" is what the English define as "bendig reality" that is to say, to get into the right flow! It's like entering a river upstream, if we try to row upstream we are going to have a very difficult life!

So be careful what you think and feel!

The Chinese believe that we can improve the GOOD LUCK working on others 4 Principles.

3º FENG SHUI

Using feng shui we can live in harmony with the world and with others!

By living this way we can improve ALL aspects of our lives!

...including luck!

4TH PHILANTHROPY

To give without expecting any reward. To dedicate oneself unselfishly to the causes of others without wanting to receive anything in return or prioritising one's own interests.

Giving in this selfless way guarantees an improvement in the quality of our lives!

and finally...

5º EDUCATION

We should see education as an exercise to be done throughout our lives!

It helps to think that in nature nothing stands still, a tree does not stand still...it is either growing or it is dying! So are we...either we are evolving or we are regressing!

Wanting to learn and study has to be a way of being in life.

TRY APPLYING THESE 5 PRINCIPLES AND YOU WILL SEE YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE!

February 11, 2021

Should we follow the INSTINCT or the INTUITION?

Any change always starts within us!

It happens to me every time I go on a trip, I come back with a huge desire to change the house, do some tidying up and throw things away and in the last trip I took the changes were so big that I even changed my house! It happens to me and I believe it happens to all of us... in that most of the time changing the house or moving house arises from a change that has already occurred within us.

Here at the studio we deal every day with people who are changing their lives and are changing their homes and all of them, in some way, are also dealing with the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, which provokes anxiety and expectation.

When we are stepping out of our comfort zone and we are afraid, we develop our defence instinct. Of course, this instinct serves to protect us and can help us foresee less good situations but it also paralyses and gets in the way, leads us to raise many doubts, become more sensitive, more irritable and often leads people to say that they regret having embarked on this adventure...!

But when our inner self has already told us that it's time to change what we should do is really follow our heart...follow our INTUITION!

What we should keep in mind are the reasons why we wanted to change because it is these "whys" that will give us a purpose when doubts arise and then...surround yourself with the right people to help!

So while the INTUITION already told you to move forward, the INSTINCT will continue to tell you not to leave your seat!

January 22, 2021

Is this what you have to rescue for your spaces?

With progress, machinisation and globalisation it has become easy and cheap to buy the design Italy, the accuracy to Germany or technology to Japan, but nevertheless the exclusive, the "tailor-made" was lost.

The exchange of energy of those who create, those who produce and those who buy. The conversation, the connection, the handshake... listening and learning from those who have been in the profession for many years and have a lot to transmit.

Being able to choose from a thousand pallets of colours, patterns, materials... and not just the three they impose on us.

We can add another 3cm, or another 10cm, or another 1 metre...instead of thinking that an extra 5cm would have been perfect.

The sofa of the designer X or the furniture of the brand Y and not your sofa!

Suddenly we have a house full of objects that aren't even ours and don't fit perfectly!

I think that this also has to be part of this "turn" that the world is taking and the fact that we cannot give hugs makes me think of this contact that we have to rescue with those who are artists and can make "their" sofa, "their" furniture, "their" curtain, "their" bed, "their" chair...

It is this energy that we have to rescue for our objects and allow them to be an extension of our identity.

This is how the ZeroTwentyEight gives Soul to your space!

February 28, 2020

How does the FRONT DOOR determine your success?

Is the ENTRANCE DOOR responsible for how we start the day and how we feel when we get home after a long day at work?

In fengshui we study that it actually affects our mentality, our mood and our attitude! It affects our career and our prosperity!

It is through the front door that the house receives the energy that will nurture it...and as such total openness is important so that energy can also enter in its entirety!

But even though fengshui determines what size you should have, the colour, the material, the location, the opening and that all of these are without a doubt very important points to consider, we still believe that everything in your home should reflect your personal taste. Everything should reflect who you are and what makes you feel good!

Hence we argue that DOOR should have all the features to make you feel safe and secure in your home!

AFTER ALL THAT'S WHY SHE'S THERE!

So we advise you to give great importance to your front door because a proportional, wide door that lets a lot of energy flow and makes a good impression can really influence your Career and DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS!

If there is so much to consider in an entrance door imagine in everything else... you can't imagine all we can help you materialize in your projects and give ALMA to your spaces!

January 3, 2020

BEING HAPPY IS MORE THAN A FEELING!

It is part of our purpose to make the experience of those who make a home a Happy Memory!

Is this one more art that we will have to master? Will this HYGGE way of seeing and feeling life be able to keep us more connected with today's world where everything is made by the metre...by the kilo...and in series...!

Of course!

Many are the people who have already built their own house and say they don't want to go through the same experience any time soon. This being our day to day life and our passion, we really have to turn this path into a HAPPY experience for the clients and for us. We know how important it is to go through the challenges we set ourselves with enormous lightness.

When we say that your home will always be a reflection of who you are, we are talking about memories, we are talking about moments, people and places that have made us who we are today and that we want mirrored in the places we choose to build to also shape us into the people we want to be in the future!

And our mission is to make it happen in a light and natural way. We are here to guide, advise, propose, execute, accompany...and so help create more happy memories!

"THE MORE WE RECALL HAPPY MEMORIES, THE HAPPIER WE FEEL."

This is the only way to get good energies and good vibrations into our designs and into your constructions!

AFTER ALL BEING HAPPY IS MORE THAN A FEELING... IT'S AN ART!

November 22, 2019

Does the entrepreneur have to have a superpower?

Having an entrepreneurial spirit has nothing to do with knowing how to run a company and when I had to "hold" mine alone I was lost for a while.

What I did know was that I loved everything I did and had a huge urge to help and inspire people to change their lives by changing their spaces.

But I felt lost between what it is to be a good professional and a good businesswoman...between what it was to help others and to have a profitable company...society teaches us that they are two different things and everyone gave me advice and around me it seemed that everyone knew how to run my company better than me!

What I wanted most was to feel recognised for what I did and for who I was...I believed that my work was an extension of me but I was criticised for thinking like that. It's not normal to love what we do so much and it seems that society is more accepting of those who spend their lives complaining!

But although I loved what I was doing I was at an impasse and my lack of energy showed that this was not the way forward...I was exhausted!

Then I stopped... I asked for help... and I understood that it is better to live our own way imperfectly than living the way of others perfectly!

I had to define well what my values were, what my beliefs were, what my strengths were, what I wanted to improve, what I wanted to deliver, what goals I wanted to achieve, which professionals I was looking for to be part of this fantastic team and which clients I was choosing to deliver our best...!

Today MY path makes sense to me and it started to make sense from the moment I accepted that it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else.

THE MOST HEROIC ACT I HAVE DONE IN MY WHOLE JOURNEY IS TO ACCEPT THAT I DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECTI JUST NEED TO DO MY BEST!

October 21, 2019

Are Dreams the Elixir of Youth?


What I like most in my profession is always being in contact with different people, with different dreams and ambitions!
Some are happier, some more cautious and worried, others more extravagant, but all of them bring me a little of their life experience that I share and learn from!


But today I'd like to tell you about a client I really admire for his ability to plan and live!

He is a 70 year old person who makes plans for the next 30 or 40 years of what he is going to build, what he is going to improve, change, expand...And who without knowing it teaches me what it is to have the will to live, to want more, to want better!

This is a great lesson I want for myself and I want to pass it on to my children.


How many times do we say "I'm not old enough anymore" but it is not age that prevents us from making our dreams come true it is AUSENCE theirs...their dreams, their goals and their plans!!!!


Without dreams life has no brightness
Without goals, dreams have no foundations...
Without plans, dreams don't come true!

They are the DREAMS that feed us the SOUL and give us VIDA...and no doubt they are the elixir of youth!!!

October 9, 2019

Is this what we materialise in our projects?


Usually clients come to the studio for us to create or alter their spaces because they can't imagine or visualise how they could look.

Imagining and dreaming is a capacity that we all have as children and that we unfortunately lose when we become adults, or at least we think we have to, except for the "artists" that society allows to continue dreaming and to continue being children!

Oh, the much-criticised but privileged artists!

It is true that we all have a right and a left side of the brain and this also defines if we are more logical or more creative and against this we cannot fight, maybe only train, but there is a way to dream and feel the spaces without being with the brain.

To know how we want to feel in the space, to know what we want to transmit to others, what sensations we want to share, what stories and fantasies we want them to remember, what energy we want them to feel and that way of seeing is with the heart.

And this is what I like our clients to feel and transmit to us so that we can materialise in our projects the right energy and soul of the spaces!

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