Want to make your living space calm and happy? Consider practising feng shui, a 3,000-year-old Chinese system based on the idea that our surrounding environments mirror our inner selves.
It may sound a bit wonky at first, but you don’t necessarily need to believe in Eastern philosophy to benefit from good feng shui in your home. For example, simply getting rid of clutter is considered good feng shui, and it’s been scientifically proven that clutter can exacerbate depression and anxiety.
So, how can you bring harmony into your new home? Here are eight tips to help you increase good feng shui in your home and revitalise your surroundings:
Make your front door inviting
The front door is where people and their energies come and go, making it an essential part of feng shui.
To attract positive energy into the home, many feng shui enthusiasts will paint their front doors red or place a red charm on the door.
Red is said to attract fortune, opportunity and positivity. If you’d rather not paint your door or have charms dangling from it, consider placing a red flowering plant near the door.
Clear the entryway
If there is one space that you should try to keep free of clutter, it’s your entryway. According to feng shui teachings, blockages in your entryway can lead to blocked opportunities as well.
Whether you believe in feng shui or not, most people will agree that a spacious and clean entryway is much preferable to a cluttered one.
The most efficient way to keep this area clutter-free is to make it easy for everyone in your household to do so.
For example, you can install hooks on the wall to keep people from tossing their coats on a bench or chair. You can also install an artful key and mail holder to keep daily necessities organised and off the entryway console.
Create balance
Feng shui consists of five elements: earth, fire, water, wood and metal. A balanced home with good feng shui is said to have each of these five elements in every room.
However, many people aim for two or three elements and call it good.
For instance, a bedroom that includes a potted plant (earth), an aquarium (water) and a wooden rocking chair (wood) contains three of the five elements.
To achieve complete balance, consider placing a candle in the room and hanging metal-based art on the wall. If a water feature or fire element is too difficult or hazardous, choose colours that symbolise these elements instead.
in the room and hanging metal-based art on the wall. If a water feature or fire element is too difficult or hazardous, choose colours that symbolise these elements instead.
Learn to downsize
When moving into a new home, many of us are guilty of bringing far too much stuff with us. Do you really need to bring your duplicate coffee tables or the old sofa you have sitting in the garage?
Remember, good feng shui is about reducing clutter. While it’s best to downsize before you move, now is as good a time as any to start tossing out the things you don’t absolutely need.
You can always sell your old belongings and use the money to find new pieces that fit your home’s calmer, more positive vibes. This will be helpful if you’re redecorating your home using specific colours to promote wealth, relationships or better health.
Choose low-maintenance plants
Plants are an easy way to bring nature into your home and add positive energy to a specific room.
However, dead plants do the opposite and are believed to weaken the energy in your home.
If you don’t have a green thumb, opt for low-maintenance plants that won’t die on you so quickly. Aloe Vera is a great house plant because it’s not only hardy, but it’s also a useful plant that can soothe burns and scrapes.
Pay attention to lighting
Well-lit spaces promote good feng shui. Although natural light is best, any well-lit space that appears inviting will promote positive energy in your home.
To boost your natural light, place mirrors in areas where they can reflect the light from windows and make it bounce from various walls. You can also instantly brighten your space by ditching heavier curtains and using sheer roller blinds.
Focus on the bedroom
We spend most of our time in our bedrooms, so it makes sense to focus most of your attention on improving feng shui in this room. Regarding feng shui, one of the biggest mistakes people make is placing their beds in the wrong position.
To promote harmony and sleep, consider placing your bed in a position where it is diagonal to the door. A bed that faces the door directly is said to be in the “death position” and is believed to cause ill health or lead to an untimely death.
You can further improve your feng shui by adding a stylish headboard to your room. Headboards are considered good feng shui, especially if they are made of wood.
Everything in pairs
Another super easy way to add style and good feng shui to any room is by decorating in pairs. For instance, two nightstands on either side of your bed or two love seats separated by a round coffee table.
Paired objects are believed to promote harmony, fortune and happiness. To maximise your good fortune, pair objects in specific colours and figures.
For instance, take two gold dragons — which symbolise wealth and power in Eastern cultures — and place them in your room according to the Bagua Map. This eight-sided map tells you where to place specific objects to enhance your chances of success
Create a well-balanced home
Feng shui may not automatically improve your health or change your life, but it can create a sense of contentment and tranquillity in your home. Whether you’ve recently moved into your new home or you want to revamp your existing living space, practising a little feng shui can help you achieve relaxation and happiness in your home.
This article is contributed by Ross Burgess, Home Improvement Expert.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of RoofandFloor.
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