Wind and Water: 5 Feng Shui Interior Design Elements that actually work!
For those uninitiated with the ancient Chinese practice of Feng Shui; its origins focus on creating a balance of energy in your surroundings which is believed to bring good health, happiness, and even wealth. Its name literally translates into “Wind and Water,” which are the two elements Feng Shui helps to control that ultimately affect your “chi” or flow of energy. Now that we got that out of the way, here’s what we’re covering if you want to skip ahead.
1)Colors and Balance
2)Ditch the Clutter
3)Rooms and Spaces
4)Door and Windows
5)Natural Elements
Colors and Balance
Infinitely confusing to get right, choosing the right color for your living spaces makes a world of difference for interior design goals. However, the principles of Feng Shui suggest that by using natural colors such as blues, greens, and browns, it will bring peace and serenity to your surroundings by bringing good energy into the room. Adding different accent colors can also change the energy depending on what you want to accomplish. For instance, if you need a more calming effect, consider using lavenders. Do you need more warmth and emotional energy? Try adding orange to your room. Another thing worth mentioning is that the color white is said to increase clarity of mind and peacefulness — Just be careful not to use too much because it can also bring a cold atmosphere with it.
Ditch the Clutter
This should be a no-brainer. Clutter, as we all know is never acceptable when it comes to interior design, yet all too often designers and homeowners make the mistake of adding too many elements to a room, turning it into a confusing playground of useless decorations. Feng Shui purports that excess clutter invites negative energy to your living space and can actually harm your health. The best way to declutter your room is to get rid of those things that serve no purpose, such as decorative items that simply take space and collect dust — Feng Shui takes it one step further by removing the all slanted structures, you’ll be removing hazards that block positive energy flowing freely into a room.
Rooms and Spaces
Let’s look at the typical western style home. You’ll have a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and living room. Most homes have more than just the basic, but you get the point. In Feng Shui it’s not about the rooms themselves, but how each room connects to each other and transfers energy. The kitchen for instance, should always be located far from the front entrance and should never face any room. If you find yourself in a situation where the kitchen is open to your living area, you can put up a partition between the two to isolate the flow of energy to a single room.
Do you have a long hallway? Consider laying down a rug to slow the flow of energy through the house and create a balance.
In bedrooms and living rooms, you should never place seating areas and beds near windows and doors, try to place them near the center of the room where energy can flow around. Also, mirrors should never face the bed because it invites vanity and negative energy. Instead, try to keep them in the bathroom where negative energy already exists, and keep those bathroom doors closed at all times.
Doors and Windows
The main entrance to your home is the focal point of Feng Shui energy, where it’s believed to be the gateway to the rest of your home. Like the main entrance, every entrance into your home should be kept clean and free of needless decorations and clutter that would keep positive energy from flowing in. Windows, like entrances also contribute to the flow of energy around the home and it’s essential to keep these areas clean and unobstructed. When choosing window treatments, shades and shutters are the most inline with Feng Shui principles and can be used in any room to help control the flow of energy and light.
Natural Elements
Introducing light into your home is a great way to help create a relaxing environment, and Feng Shui reinforces this by making sure rooms receive an abundance of light in all corners and spaces. You can also bring plants and natural wooden furnishings into your home and place them strategically in living spaces to balance the energy among synthetic structures and materials. The location of plants are especially helpful because they will encourage the flow of positive energy into areas that are otherwise dry and lifeless.
Keep in mind that blending some of your personal and unique preferences with the art of Feng Shui is completely acceptable. Many of the best interior designs often incorporate several facets from various schools of art, which leads to a unique personal style you can live with.
