Feng Shui tips for your home

Feng Shui has now made its way into mainstream interior decorating and I find it useful to refer to as I am often asked by clients on advice about best furniture layout and arrangement. While architecture and interior design are different professions (requiring equally as grueling, testing and long degrees), many clients blur the lines between the two and I find myself helping on the decorating and styling side of the project (which I love!).

“…the “qi” is what needs to be balanced before you will achieve results, no matter how beautiful your arm chairs are.”

One common mistake is thinking Feng Shui equals interior design, which it does not. The aim of Feng Shui is not to find the prettiest sofa and artwork and arrange it aesthetically. While that does have an emotional impact on us, the aesthetics of the space are only part of the process. The unseen energies that is moving and flowing inside a home is what is the focus, the “qi” is what needs to be balanced before you will achieve results, no matter how beautiful your arm chairs are.

Your home’s fortune is directly influenced by the surrounding environment

Feng Shui was founded on yin and yang and the five elements and is an ancient Chinese knowledge. By observing the unity of the internal and external worlds, we can examine the very real link between these spaces. Your home’s fortune is directly influenced by the surrounding environment – the curvature of the landscape, the formations of water and mountain, and the surrounding structures that shelter and protect it. This is why site selection is of upmost importance in a new build – and when I like to bring in a Feng Shui consultant. Placement of key rooms can be determined in a new build for optimal placement such as the bedroom and kitchen, in order to positively support different areas of your life.

When a profession considers an interior space, they asses not only the objects, but the environment, time and the people first, before they consider the physical objects inside that space. Time might seem like an odd consideration, but it is an important variable in interpreting how qi behaves and affects the spaces in which you live and work. A consultant will establish the facing orientation of your home because this determines how the qi flows in and around it.

Much like in health, it is not a ”one size fits all” approach. Each individual has their differences and Feng shui honors and recognizes that every person will respond differently to the qi in their environments. Here are some simple tips that I have found work for myself and my clients.

The best tips that I have found to reap the most reward for clients in their new or updated spaces are the following:

1. Eliminate clutter

Living in a small one bed in NYC has really taught me the “less is more” approach. Learning to live with only what you need is such a great experience for me and I have tried to pass these lessons onto clients who have a lot more space than I. I have a post on decluttering so I won’t elaborate too much here, but the most basic and important key to good Feng Shui is that a “clear house is a lucky house”. This also applies to your office space, and leads me to my next point.

2. Keep your desk in order

Again, making sure your personal desk space (be it in at home or at the office) is kept in a clear and organized manner. Being the Virgo that I am, this was never an issue for me and never realized how truly disorganized some people can be until I started working in an open studio. As an architect we have a lot of paper and drawings around (damn redlines) but that does not mean you have an excuse to be disorganized and cluttered.

Take a look at your desk and pack away, scan to file, and remove anything that does not need to be on the desk top. Next, take a look at the vertical surfaces. Do they have outdated post-it notes, or notes that can be moved to a digital reminder? Finally, introduce some green if you can. I have a small plant that immediately brightened my space the minute I introduced it.

3.Lighting

This is so important for mood and energy levels. Take a look at the natural light situation in your home and ask yourself if you are maximizing the amount of light entering the room. Natural light controls the levels of melatonin and serotonin the body, critical for the natural circadian rhythm of the body (sleepy, not sleepy).

Move furniture that may be blocking the windows and change out the heavy drapes or extend the rail so they do not hang half way over the windows. I prefer sheer curtains that hang wide of the window frame and in the bedroom a wood venetian blind that I allow some light to pass through, allowing the morning light to wake me naturally.

4. Bedroom

This is the most critical in my opinion and I will do a post on bedroom furniture arrangement in a separate post. The first thing I tell everyone is to GET RID OF THE ELECRTICAL devices. The bedroom is your calm sanctuary for rest. TV’s, computers or any other large electrical devices should be immediately removed from the room. If you have access to the wall on the opposite side of your bedhead, make sure there is no electrical devices here also. TV’s are a big one – if you are in a rental there is not much you can do here other than invest in a heavy, think bedhead to help divert the electrical energy. Always anchor your bed to a wall as it should never be floating in the space or under a window. Also, if you can, try not to align the bed directly with the doorway.

5. Bathroom doors

This is a big one for me as in our apartment we have an ensuite door that opens right into our bedroom space (this is a BIG design no-no and should be avoided at all costs). If you also have a bathroom door in eyesight or aligned with the bed, ensure the door is closed at night to separate the energies and functions of each space.

6. Plumbing

In Feng Shui, drains that are blocked or not functioning correctly block bad energies from leaving the space. Drains are where the bad energies from being unclean are washed away. So make sure you regularly use natural products (do NOT put toxic chemicals into your drains, they end up in the oceans) or a wire catcher to ensure your drains work correctly

7. Office furniture placement

I often get asked about the best way to arrange a home or open plan office. Having an excess of space or too many options for desk direction can leave people feeling a little lost. In Feng Shui the power position for the desk is facing the door or at the very least, having it within eye-line. This allows the user to feel more calm and relaxed.

8.Sharp Angles

Try to arrange your furniture so that sharp angles are not directed towards you – especially not towards your bed. Sharp angles are carriers of negative energies – referred to as “Metal Sha” – if you have pointy angles directed at you like lasers, they funnel negative energy towards you.

If you are looking for a way to declutter your home or arrange your furniture, then full-on Feng Shui might not be for you; but these basic principles will help you at least get a better night's sleep, balance some of the negative qi and feel more relaxed in your space – and that can only be a good thing.

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