How to Set Up Your Home Office in Alignment With Your Next Level (And Why You Should Refresh It Every Year)

Your home office isn’t just a functional space — it’s an energetic container for your ideas, income, confidence, and evolution.

If you’ve been feeling uninspired, scattered, stuck, or like you’ve “outgrown” your current work rhythm, it may not be a mindset issue at all. It might be your environment.

Your workspace holds memory. It holds old goals, old identities, old seasons of hustle or survival. And just like we shed layers every year as women, our offices need to evolve with us.

Refreshing your home office annually isn’t about trends or perfection — it’s about alignment.

Why Your Office Must Match the Version of You You’re Becoming

Here’s the truth most women don’t realize:

You cannot create next-level results inside an outdated energetic container.

Your office should reflect:

• The caliber of work you’re stepping into

• The woman you’re becoming, not who you used to be

• The level of calm, clarity, and authority you desire

If your space still mirrors an earlier chapter — a season of overworking, undercharging, or uncertainty — it quietly reinforces those patterns.

Refreshing your office signals to your nervous system and subconscious mind:
“I’m safe to rise. I’m ready for more.”

Why an Annual Office Refresh Is So Powerful

Just like we reset intentions every new year, your office deserves the same ritual.

An annual refresh helps you:

• Release stagnant energy and outdated goals

• Create mental clarity and renewed motivation

• Anchor a new identity through your environment

• Reclaim ownership over your time, focus, and creativity

Even small shifts — rearranging furniture, changing art, or updating textures — can radically shift how you show up in your work.

Start With an Energetic Cleanse (Before You Decorate)

Before you buy or add anything new, clear first.

This is the most overlooked step.

Do a slow, intentional reset:

• Clear out paperwork tied to old projects

• Remove items that trigger stress or obligation

• Let go of décor that no longer reflects who you are

As you do this, ask yourself:

“Does this belong to the woman I’m becoming — or the woman I’ve already outgrown?”

Your space should feel lighter after this step.

Feng Shui Foundations for a Next-Level Home Office

You don’t need to follow rigid rules — feng shui is about flow, safety, and intention.

Here are the essentials that make the biggest difference:

1. Desk Placement = Personal Power

Ideally, position your desk so you can see the door without being directly in line with it. This creates a sense of safety and authority — you’re not bracing for interruptions or surprises.

When your body feels safe, creativity flows more easily.

2. Support Behind You

A solid wall, bookshelf, or cabinet behind your chair symbolizes support in your work and career. Avoid sitting with your back exposed if possible — it subtly creates stress and vulnerability.

3. Clear the Space Under Your Desk

Clutter beneath your desk blocks forward momentum. Keep this area open and clean to support progress and opportunity.

Design Your Office for the Energy You Want to Feel

Instead of asking “What looks good?”, ask:

• How do I want to feel while working?

• Calm and focused?

• Creative and inspired?

• Grounded and confident?

Then design accordingly:

• Soft neutrals calm the nervous system

• Warm metals elevate confidence and abundance

• Natural textures ground your energy

• Intentional art reinforces identity and vision

Your office should feel like a sanctuary, not a pressure chamber.

Use Artwork as an Identity Anchor

Artwork in your office should be deeply personal and intentional.

Choose pieces that:

• Reflect who you are becoming

• Evoke confidence, expansion, or calm

• Act as visual reminders of your values and vision

This can include:

• Editorial or magazine art that represents aspiration

• Quotes that anchor your focus

• Images that symbolize freedom, leadership, or creativity

Think of your walls as a living vision board, not decoration.

FENG SHUI TIP: Gold is the color of success, so when it comes to your home office I like to encourage you to decorate with gold. I personally love to hang gold frames for the art in my work area. It pulls in wealth. Just like to gold crystals Pyrite & Citrine pull in wealth, the metal will do the same thing energetically. If you want to learn more about how to Feng Shui with crystals, read this book.
This is how Feng Shui works, its exactly like the law of attraction! Your home becomes your real life vision board.

Refresh the Details That Signal “Next Level”

Sometimes it’s the smallest upgrades that shift everything.

Consider refreshing:

• Your chair (comfort = confidence)

• Desk accessories (trays, organizers, lamps)

• Lighting (soft, layered light reduces stress)

• Textiles (a rug or curtain can ground the space)

Ask yourself:

“Would the next-level version of me work here?”

If the answer is no — that’s your cue.

I never used to like gallery walls. But once I started using interesting photos, magazine tears and different things in frames. It made my home so much more light hearted fun and enjoyable. For more fun tips, listen to this podcast episode to inspire you for your workspace.

Your Office Is a Mirror of Self-Trust

Your workspace should tell a story:

• That you trust yourself

• That you value your time and energy

• That your work matters

When your office feels intentional, your work becomes more intentional too.

This is how environment supports embodiment.

Let Your Office Grow With You

Your home office isn’t meant to stay static — it should evolve as you do.

Refreshing your space each year is an act of self-respect. It says:
“I honor my growth. I make space for what’s next.”

When your environment matches your expansion, everything feels easier — focus, creativity, confidence, and flow.

And that’s when your next level begins.

Listen to this podcast episode for more:

10 stunning home offices to inspire you

01 | Black and gold

02 | Bright natural light

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03 | Cozy neutrals

04 | Bohemian textures

Audrey Martinez

05 | Monochromatic white

@allchloehome

06 | Chic and architectural

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07 | Modern and Minimal

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08 | Quiet and moody

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09 | Elegant Cloffice

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10 | Modern Parisian

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Putting It All Together: Create a Space That Inspires the Life You’re Building

At the end of the day, creating a beautiful home office isn’t about copying someone else’s aesthetic — it’s about crafting a space that supports your clarity, creativity, and confidence. When your office feels open, light-filled, and intentional, it invites you to show up differently. You think more clearly. You work with more ease. You trust yourself more deeply.

The most inspiring spaces are the ones that feel calm yet expansive, minimal yet warm — spaces that give your ideas room to breathe. As you look through these office spaces, let them spark possibility rather than pressure. Notice what feels grounding, what feels elevating, and what feels like the next version of you. When your environment reflects the life you’re building, inspiration stops being something you chase — it becomes something you live inside of every day.

If this post stirred something in you — a desire for more clarity, ease, or alignment in the way you work — know that it’s not just about your office. It’s about your nervous system, your sense of safety, and the way you allow yourself to be supported as you grow.

This is exactly what I teach inside Shine Online. We don’t just talk about strategy or visibility — we focus on building a life and business that feels grounded, regulated, and sustainable. When your environment supports you and your nervous system feels safe, showing up online, creating consistently, and receiving abundance becomes so much easier.

Your home, your body, and your work are deeply connected. When they’re in alignment, you stop forcing — and start flowing.

If you’re ready to build your next level from a place of calm, clarity, and self-trust, I’d love to support you inside Shine Online.

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You may also like:

💛 How to prioritize joy while building a business

💛 23+ cozy & chic desk decorating ideas

💛 11 simple ways to regulate your nervous system

Download my FREE Manifestation Mindset Makeover workbook here.

Please feel free to email me at ashlina@thedecorista.com if you have any questions!  I’m always happy to help with decorating, life advice or even picking out a specific perfume!  Have an amazing day!!

Also, check out my Amazon shop HERE to shop all my favorite things, tips and tricks. You can also download the free LIKETOKNOW.IT app and follow me HERE.

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As always, thank you so much for stopping by today, I truly appreciate all of you! xo, Ashlina

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The top 5 areas you must feng shui in your small apartment or home & why

This post is all about 5 top areas of the home you must feng shui.

Hello. Hello.

After yesterday’s blog post, I got a slew of emails asking for more tips of living a Feng Shui lifestyle. When you begin to see how life changing, simple home adjustments can be, you always end up wanting more. If you’re anything like me, you’ll do whatever you can to ensure you are doing your part for happiness, love, health and financial freedom, am I right? I mean, who doesn’t want to feel good in their life?

So, I just want to remind you, incase you forgot.....The literal translation of Feng Shui is ‘Wind Water’. Feng Shui is the energy exchange between wind & water. 
Wind = moving energy
Water = flowing fortune
The whole purpose of feng shui is to lead you towards your flowing fortune. That’s right, not everybody’s fortune is the same. Some people want more fame, others want deeper relationships, others want to find their purpose. There is a unique life path for each one of us, so to ensure we are on the right track, we need to Feng Shui our environment to help us get there. I am obsessed with Feng Shui and I teach everything I know about it in my online course, High Vibe Home. For now, I’ll just share with you some simple things you should know.

HOW FENG SHUI & ENERGY AT HOME WORKS

Our environments are broken up into sections, according to the Bagua Map. Each section represents a specific part of our life and within that area, there are certain colors, elements and energy that can be used to enhance that energy (For example: the color pink, used in the love & marriage area can enhance your romance).

Here is what the bagua map (energetic layout of your home) looks like:

You’ll notice within each area sits different aspects of your life and below that are the energies you can work with to bring balance and harmony to that area of life. When all are open and flowing, your life will be blissful.

That's why my passion is showing you how you can set up the energy of your home environment for flowing fortune. in all areas of your life. My goal is to make Feng Shui simple and give you practical tools so that it works for you. I’ve even broken down a simple and effective way to feng shui using crystals.

Your home environment needs to flow in order for your life to flow. A cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind. If your home has stuck energy, your life will likely feel “stuck” as well. Whatever is going on in your home, seeps into your life.

I feel like it’s a good idea to share a story with you, to help paint a picture of what I want you to understand. My work with my Feng Shui Flow clients is always so inspiring, I love sharing their experiences. Take a look at the below photos. My client, let’s call her Miss Kay, a young, vibrant, beautiful woman who was experiencing a loss of inspiration, focus and calm in her life. For some reason, things felt off and incomplete in her life, she lives with an underlying feeling like something in her life is “missing”. Can you relate? I think most of us can relate in one way or another. Sometimes, it feels like there is always something we need to “fix”. It wasn’t until learning about Feng Shui that she thought it could quite possibly be her apartment that needed a refresh. It felt uninspired, stuffy, stuck and blocked.

Now here’s where it gets good. Most people in this exact space think to themselves, “oh I need a better/bigger home”, or “I need a whole decorating/design overhaul” or “maybe I should move”? That’s how we get when we feel stuck, like things aren’t fulfilling us or we need some sort of change. I am here to tell you today, don’t fall into the trap or those lies. You probably just need to Feng Shui your living space.

Take a look at the before and after. By the time our 1 hour session was over, we had her entire space shifted and her whole life opened up! She felt incredible, filled with energy, inspired, alive and clear on her direction. With Feng Shui, your life can change instantly.

Here’s the thing about Feng Shui. It’s not just a one time fix all, it’s a lifestyle that you must adopt. I’m always asked about my favorite Feng Shui books or basic tips, I am going to share 5 of my favorites with you in just a moment. But first, I want to address these ideas. Feng Shui is personal, it’s different for everyone. There are a thousand Feng Shui books out there but without guidance, and consistent implementation, they can be misleading and end up letting you down. I’ve seen it dozens of times, people get their hopes up and then disheartened when the Shui doesn’t actually help manifest what you want. Feng Shui wisdom is deep and needs to be really well understood, I highly encourage hiring a Feng Shui coach, just like I did.

For now, I will share with you 5 of my favorite practical things you can do at home that are easy to apply and always a good idea when you want to get started on your Feng Shui journey.

5 mOsT iMPOrTANT AREAS OF YOUR HOME TO FENG SHUI:

1) YOUR ENTRYWAY. The energy that comes into your home, enters through your front door and it is considered to be the area that welcomes in new energy and opportunity. I wrote an entire ebook on 25 super simple ways to attract money in through the front door. This is my go-to guide for anyone wanting to call in new energy to their home and is a MUST for when you first move in.

It is essential to make this area inviting, clean and beautiful.

A few super simple tips:

• Always light a candle for guests coming in to feel warm and welcome.

• Have ample space to put shoes, keys and bags.

• Make entering your home feel easy and feel good. You want it to amplify your blissful vibes, not take away.

• Hint: The crystal to use in the entryway is Tourmaline which protects your home from negative / draining energy. 

• Since this area represents opportunities and flow, bring water elements to the entryway. You could place a photo of a body of water or even place a water fountain by the front door ( this will usher in money making opportunities ). Most places of business will put a fish tank in the entryway to boost success and new customers.

2) YOUR KITCHEN. Clean and clear off all the counters in your kitchen. Flat surfaces speak to the energy in your life, especially your health and happiness. If you have to keep things on those flat surfaces like counters and islands, clean them off. you want everything clean, dust free so that the chi (energy) can flow. 

Hint: Citrus is not only good for your health, its good for your luck. 9 oranges, lemons or any other citrus in a bowl goes very well in this area.

You can always be sure if your kitchen surfaces are clean and smell really good, you are in good shape & promoting optimal health.

3) YOUR BEDROOM. the current status of your intimate relationship with your partner and with yourself lies in how to feng shui your bedroom. Wash your bedding/sheets or get new ones. These carry all of the old energy, so if you are ready for new life and energy in this area get new sheets. Your bedding should look harmonious, you want the feelings of balance and harmony on your bed. Not a bunch of mismatched sheets and pillows, that represents too many different energies in your love life, like other peoples opinions interjecting in your love life or too many distractions from your romantic connections, etc.

 Hint: Pink flowers in the bedroom inspire romance. If you want to learn more about how to manifest love with feng shui, read this.

4) YOUR CLOSET. There is always money hanging in your closet. You can sell old clothes and make money. Always get rid of clothes that are old, don’t fit or no longer look good on you. You want your home to have only things that speak to who you are at your best and the woman you want to be. Things should be well cared for and organized. If its a cluttered mess, your social life and confidence is probably a mess too. A clean, chic closet = complete confidence!  

One of the easiest ways to do this is to get matching hangers. I love the velvet hangers because they really hold the clothes well and keep them unwrinkled. Especially the velvet beige with rose gold hardware. I love them.

5) YOUR OFFICE. Get your office space looking good. De-clutter everything! Organize files and paperwork. Decorate it with some style. You want to feel lit up and inspired where you work, that’s where your inspiration needs to flow. I am a big proponent of using Feng Shui in your home office to create massive success.

The most important thing you want to do is to have your desk in the command position, meaning facing the entryway so you see any opportunities that may come in.

Another super simple thing you can do to Feng Shui your home office is bring in plants. I love an orchid or a snake plant as they are super easy to take care of and bring in vibrant new life energy. Hint: a purple orchid in the upper left hand corner of your desk will call in abundance and divine wisdom energy.

Hope you enjoyed these tips and that they serve and help you. And don’t forget to head over to check out my High Vibe Home course, it will literally change your life!