The origins of Feng Shui are still an utter mystery, but the Chinese have been using its practices for over four thousand years. If you’re still confused about Feng Shui, it is the ancient Chinese art of arranging objects within a space. Sometimes, even buildings are shifted to create the perfect environment to achieve a specific harmony and balance that will ultimately bring peace and prosperity to the person existing within it.
We interviewed Farris Wu, the Founder, and CEO of DecorMatters, to tell us more about how we can have energy flow through our homes and give us more positivity through Feng Shui and interior design. Keep reading to learn more!
How to Give Your Home Positive Energy Through the Power of Feng Shui
The first sign of Feng Shui shows roots in early ancient Taoism. The Taoists believe very firmly in ‘chi”—the life force that inhabits everything we see, everything we do, and each object that exists. The goal is to bring so much positive chi (energy) into your environment that your life, regardless of external circumstances, you are constantly feeling energized and balanced.
Although this ancient art can take a lifetime to master, you can start familiarizing yourself with simple principles to bring a more positive feeling to your space throughout your overhaul. I’ve been including Feng Shui practices in my Interior Design career for many years, so without further adieu, here are my top tips on bringing more Feng Shui into your home to give it the positive energy you deserve to be completely immersed in.
The Position of Your Furniture Is Always at the Core
First and foremost, remember that energy should constantly flow freely through your space. Blocking energy flows can bring an adverse feeling to your environment, so where you place your objects should be of utmost priority in your Feng Shui overhaul to give energy a chance to flow.
This is most important in your bedroom and office space, as these are the places where you’re more likely to spend most of your time indoors; good positioning is important. So with simplicity in mind—let’s start with these rooms.
The Bed (Representing You, Your Energy, and Your Rest)
In ancient Taoism, it is believed that you are at your most vulnerable in your bedroom, and to avoid bad chi, you should always be able to see your door from where you rest. Therefore, Feng Shui practices recommend placing your bed in the correct position to increase the security of your well-being and build feelings of harmony and stability, which is vital for indulging in sleep and getting a good rest.
Anjie Cho, a New York-based Feng Shui consultant, has some sound advice I like to echo: “If you’re sitting up in bed with your back against the headboard, you would want to be able to see the door without being directly in line with it. Usually, that means you’re looking diagonally toward the door. That’s generally the best position.”
The Office Space (Representing Your Career and Hard Work)
The placing of your desk puts you in the driver’s seat of your career and makes you the commander of your energy within your professional life, regardless of whoever or whatever stress you may be dealing with at work. Just like the bedroom, the main objective here is also ensuring you can visually see the door at all times. The rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t be directly in line with the door but shouldn’t have your back on it either.
While viewing your door, your deck’s power position’ is usually the furthest spot from the room’s entrance. In Feng Shui principles, by facing your office door, you harness the ability to spot opportunities as they come within your professional life. However, facing the wall with your back pointed toward the door can bring an adverse effect.
Minimalism Isn’t a New Trend — It’s Been Around for 4,000 Years
Reducing clutter reduces negativity: The Taoists believed that chaos takes up vulnerable space that incoming positive ‘chi’ needs to inhabit. According to Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., clutter makes it difficult for us to relax, creates feelings of guilt, and constantly signals that our work is never done. So even the Western World has come to understand that clutter substantially affects your physical and psychological health. Tidy space, tidy mind!
Nothing new flows into your life until you make room for it. Feng Shui is about attracting harmony and abundance into your life, but good things can’t reach you if you don’t have the space for them. On top of this, it’s believed that you stifle chi when you hoard objects in your area. All in all, clutter doesn’t just block the good chi from coming in; it can also lead to negative energy.
One way to avoid facing the fear of getting rid of your clutter is to avoid accumulating all these things in the first place. It’s about making choices to design with minimalism in mind.
Go Vertical!
One of the most well-known and popular Feng Shui tips is that consciously adding tall vertical objects harmonizes a room’s energy and makes it look more spacious. Adding vertical shapes and lines in your home represents growth and expansion within your life.
Vertical lines and edges give way to manifestations of Yang energy. Yang translates to ‘Sun’ and naturally brings in a lot of light and positive energy. Plants and vases are great ways to implement more vertical lines. Swapping out plants that droop downward for plants that shoot up is an easy and affordable way of implementing more vertical lines in homes. If you are ready for a bigger change, buy triangular decor. Bookshelves are nothing but straight lines and will make your home beautiful and prosperous.
I strongly believe that if this practice, just like Chinese medicine within itself, did not work, we would not be looking to it for guidance on Feng Shui practices 4,000 years after its initial arrival! It’s a wonderful way to bring positive chi to our personal space. Those looking to prioritize their well-being in their interior overhaul should implement more Feng Shui practices in their home. After all, doesn’t everyone want more positive energy in their life?
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