10 Top tips for feng shui home design
Feng Shui – translated as wind water and also known as Chinese geomancy, is an ancient Chinese traditional practice based on the idea that landscapes and bodies of water can be used to direct energy through spaces.
Those who practice Feng Shui use this theory to manipulate a space or building, allowing energy to flow in ways that are thought to enhance different areas of one’s life. Feng Shui specialists do this using a tool called a Bagua map. These consist of nine different sections symbolic of different areas of life, these are: wealth and prosperity, fame and reputation, love and marriage, children and creativity, ancestors and health, knowledge and self-cultivation, career and life path, helpful people and travels and finally health and centre. All these sections are thought to have orientations, elements, materials and colours that - when used correctly and in the right spaces – will strengthen the chosen areas of a person’s life. A Bagua map is usually oriented relating to where a building sits regarding North, East, South and West. However, Bagua maps can also be set using the front entrance as this Northern area. Below are the different sections of a Bagua map and some of the different things they are said to relate to:
1. Wealth and Prosperity
Orientation: Southeast
Element: wood
Colours: blue and green
Features: healthy plants
2. Fame and Reputation
Orientation: South
Element: fire
Colours: red, yellow, orange and burgundy
Features: candles and triangles
3. Love and Marriage
Orientation: Southwest
Element: Earth and Fire
Colours: red, pink, orange, burgundy and yellow
Features: pairs of furniture
4. Children and Creativity
Orientation: West
Element: metal
Colours: pastel colours
Features: playful kid friendly décor
5. Ancestors and Health
Orientation: East
Element: wood
Colours: blue and green
Features: healthy plants
6. Knowledge and Self-cultivation
Orientation: Northeast
Element: earth and water
Colours: dark blue, black, cream, taupe, yellow and beige
Features: calming features, candles, crystals and photos
7. Career and Life Path
Orientation: North
Element: water
Colours: dark colours
Features: mirrors, asymmetrical shapes and water feature
8. Helpful People and Travels
Orientation: Northwest
Element: metal
Colours: silver and grey
Features: round objects, metals and electronics
9. Health and Centre
Orientation: heart of the space
Element: earth
Colours: earth tones
Features: calming decor
Yin and Yang
Yin symbolises the passive side of nature and Yang symbolises the active side of nature, but these two forces do not exist independently but as two parts of a whole.
Top tips
Avoid having your bed directly under beams or under a ceiling fan. The ethos is that lying under beams can disturb the energy around you especially if you spend a lot of time in these areas.
Starting with the front door, repaint it in (feng shui colours), declutter the hallway and create space so that energy can flow freely, add bright lighting, natural is encouraged.
Personalise your space and surround yourself with items that you care about and remove items that you only keep through obligation.
Bring positive wealth and abundance into your life by lighting up dark corners of your house.
The best colours for bedrooms are pink, peach, green or blue shades.
Add red or black to a white kitchen.
Place the bed as far as possible from the en-suite door. Close the door to ensure that none of the positive energy escapes.
Place a mirror behind the bed as this deflects any bad energy, aim for a 9” by 9” mirror only.
Remove the TV from the bedroom and make the bed approachable from both sides.
One shouldn’t have a water feature each side of their front door because this can lead to negative consequences.