What is the connection between a person's sign and how his/her environment should look/feel?
I think a person’s astrological chart/sign reflects their entire personality and we, in turn, reflect our personalities in our home. Is it size, color, and arrangement? Absolutely. Some people have quicker and/or cluttered ways of thinking or emoting (oftentimes with some planetary association in Sagittarius and/or Gemini), and as we found on the show, it can reflect itself in a cluttered environment. Ego-dominated signs like Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio tend to dominate their environments unless a person is self-aware to contain that tendency. Bolder personality types like Leo and Aries could go with bolder color choices while mutable signs like Pisces and Virgo would tend to want more ethereal colors.
How did you get interested in design?
To a certain extent, I’ve always been surrounded by creative people. Aside from being an astrologer, my father works in the fashion industry. I’m a pianist, trombonist, composer/lyricist and classically trained singer. My sister-in-law is an architect. Aside from all of that, I’d say my wife has been my biggest influence. She has impeccable taste and, as it happens, works with Martha Stewart, so she’s always had an interest in matters of the home.
How do an astrologer and designer work together on the show?
On What’s Your Sign? Design, the designer Nicole Facciuto and I will sit down and I’ll lay out a personality profile of each member of the couple we’re visiting. Nine times out of 10, there is one person who has dominated the space (and that dominant tendency is reflected astrologically) and somebody else who has barely managed to influence the design. That 1 out of 10 time when that’s not the case, we typically have a couple that, astrologically speaking, can’t make their minds up on how to design a room at all!
That’s where we come in. I believe that my Pisces rising quality allows me to easily feel/step into other people’s shoes and understand inherently where they’re coming from. (Dr. Phil happens to be a Pisces rising as well.) Anyway, Nicole and I will go back and forth as to how we can balance things out for the couple and reflect their personalities into the room.
Do you have any tips?
Good design is really all about balance and understanding astrology helps with that. Everybody needs the opportunity to express him or herself. Each astrological sign is associated with an element—earth, water, fire and air, which affects the design:
Fire: Aries/Leo/Sagittarius
Fire signs need something flashy, cool and fun. They like being the central focus— usually the one who dominates the room. Design tip: for balance: tone it down a bit.
Earth: Capricorn/Virgo/Taurus
Earth signs/rising signs need design to be more concrete... solid furniture, usually traditional design mentalities. A typical Taurus/Capricorn/Virgo living room is that room in the house that is beautiful to look at but that most people wouldn't enter. To mix it up: If you're an earth sign, think outside the box.
Air: Aquarius/Libra/Gemini
Air signs are thought-driven, which is why they have more modern sensibilities. They are about socializing, so their designs should reflect welcoming conversation into a room. To balance an air sign: think a little more traditionally.
Water: Pisces/Scorpio/Cancer
Water signs usually are the warmest of all because they like to soak in other people's presence and take care of them. They typically have the most relaxing settings. Design tip: it's nice to reflect other people in a room and make everybody else comfortable, but water signs need to be careful not to drown themselves in other people's feelings and stuff.
12 design horoscopes for your home>
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