A feng shui home is one that is at complete and utter harmony. If you’re like most Americans, you could use a little peace and harmony in the house.
What is feng shui, you may ask? This ancient Chinese art of harmony dates back nearly 3,000 years. The idea behind feng shui is to use energy forces in an environment to harmonize an individual.
Most feng shui tips today focus on colors, accent pieces and items you can use to achieve harmony in your home. Other tips suggest using specific entrances and implementing a set of habits to achieve feng shui.
If you are looking to clear your space, find inner peace and harmonize your home, consider feng shui. Learn more about achieving feng shui by reading the topics discussed below.
What is feng shui?
A feng shui home was once the pinnacle of aesthetics and charm. The idea behind this ancient Chinese set of laws is for individuals to achieve harmony using their surrounding environment.
The answer to “What is feng shui?” is more complicated than one might think. Many believe it to be the art of placement, not just with objects but with oneself. The placement of oneself in relation to objects in the environment can affect one’s life in more ways than one.
Feng shui tips aim to help individuals achieve balance in their lives and align themselves with the harmonies in their environments. This can be in a bedroom, an office building or even outside in a garden.
Creating a feng shui home does not have to break the bank. In fact, most tips suggest reorganizing and redesigning a space using objects that a homeowner already has. Some call for complete clearing of certain spaces, which means decluttering the home and getting rid of objects with bad energy.
Feng shui decorating is a related branch of this ancient art that suggests the way a home is decorated can have positive or negative effects. Colors, patterns and materials can either help or hurt the harmony of an individual. Finding feng shui through decorating is a learned process.
Basics of a Feng Shui Home
A feng shui home has a few trademark characteristics that help homeowners achieve complete peace and harmony. The first sign of a feng shui home is a lack of clutter. According to the laws of feng shui, a cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind, which stands in the way of harmony.
Other feng shui principles include that every room features the five basic elements of the ancient art. These include:
- Water.
- Wood.
- Metal.
- Earth.
- Fire.
For example, each room can have a candle to represent fire. If you cannot represent each element with objects, you can choose to use colors that symbolize the five elements. Red objects symbolize fire and are great substitutes if you cannot have actual fire in each room.
A feng shui home also incorporates many elements of the outdoors, like plants, flowers and natural light. This includes opening windows and doors, decorating with numerous plants and incorporating natural elements like wood, wicker and stones.
One of the most important feng shui principles states that the bedroom is the most important room of the house. As such, you must take great care when organizing and decorating the bedroom. It must be a place of rest and should be free from distractions.
How to Implement Feng Shui Principles
Creating a feng shui home requires some insight into its principles. The ancient practice has many different approaches, but the basic goal of it is to promote harmony using the objects in one’s environment.
You can implement feng shui principles into one or more rooms of your home by following a few simple processes. Because the practice relies heavily on the organization of only the most important belongings, it’s important to declutter your home.
Spend a weekend sorting through your possessions before implementing feng shui. Create a pile for things you will keep, things you will donate and things you will throw away. This acts as a type of “spiritual cleansing” that allows you to feel more connected to important objects.
Before you start your feng shui decorating, decide which rooms you plan to make over. Most feng shui tips suggest implementing the practices throughout your home to gain true harmony. However, you can choose to organize just one or two spaces that hold importance.
These are some of the easiest ways to implement feng shui principles:
- Always keep the bathroom door closed.
- Keep the toilet seat and lid closed.
- Do not place chairs with the backs to the doors.
Feng Shui Decorating
Many feng shui tips suggest decorating your house with a few things in mind. The flow of chi, or energy, is an important principle of feng shui. Chi must be able to flow easily throughout the house, from room to room.
Feng shui decorating tips harp on the importance of keeping an open flow of chi. However, it is important to prevent chi from escaping the house. If you open your front door and there is a direct line to the back door, how can you stop the energy from escaping?
Feng shui principles state that there are certain objects that block and redistribute energy throughout the house. For example, placing a rug on the floor will impede energy flow while placing a plant near the pathway helps block it from escaping.
Other feng shui home tips suggest that placing living plants throughout the home has positive chi effects. Plants create and absorb their own energy. To create balance, place plants in between hot and cold appliances (like the stove and the fridge). Place them in the living room to promote health and life.
Use mirrors in rooms that need a boost of energy. Make sure they reflect positive things, like paintings or plants. You can also decorate with red around the house, which attracts fortune and good luck.
