One ancient Chinese philosophy that many people follow is Feng shui. This is a practice that allows you to bring peace and balance into your home or workplace, even in your life. This is something that goes beyond decorating and it helps you to put an emphasis on making your place healthy, successful and to bring in positive energy to your areas.
The way that you position things around you are thought to help to increase or decrease the power of your chi. This is energy and feng means wind and shui means water and these are two of the basic elements that help people to live their life and to make things flow.
There are different feng shui principles that you can use in your life and there are ways that you can decorate and move things around so that you can have a healthy environment to be in.
Elements of Feng Shui
There are five important elements of feng shui including wood, earth, metal, water, and fire. Here is what they mean:
Wood
Wood is one that means growth. You can put wood in a place where you need to grow in your life by using furniture or plants.
Metal
Metal means to be smart and to be logical. This is where you can know new things and be strong. Use this with frames or with sculptures.
Earth
The earth is one that means balance and to be stable. You can use the earth element by using crystals and plants.
Water
Water means to be wise and to have peace. You can use this to help you relax. Put mirrors or aquariums in your home.
Fire
Fire helps you to be passionate and to have better energies. You can use this by having candles in your area.
Bagua Map
This isa common design in the feng shui home. This helps you to see the energy in the areas of your home or office and helps you to know what element you need to make positive energies flow.
There are different spaces or quadrants on the map, and they include wealth, fame, love, family, health, children, wisdom, career, and helpful people in your life.
There is a western interpretation and a traditional map of this, and it can give you directions to help you to know what you should do to make your home or office stronger.
Using the Map
You can use the Bagua map by putting it on the floor plan of your home. You can top it off with different quadrants like the map has and you can use it with the doorway facing south and align it with the squares.
It is common for people to use this in their home or apartments, but it can be used in a big or small space so that you can get rid of bad energies.
Decorating Ideas
The map will help you to make the energy flow better in your home or your office. Here are some ideas:
Wealth
Use wood and make sure you are thankful for what you have. Use artwork or live plants and do not use toilets or trash cans.
Fame
Use this with fire and make sure that you use diplomas or red objects on the wall and do not use black, water items or objects that are too heavy.
Love
Use the earth element by using candles or pictures of you and your partner. Always put objects in pairs. Avoid using broken things, sharp objects, or family photos.
Family
This is a place of happiness in your home and growth. Use the wood to make this better by using floral prints, lights, family items. Avoid metal or objects that come in singles.
Health
This is the earth element and should be a balanced area that is clean and organized. Use items that are square and earth ware and colors of gold or yellow. Avoid using green or cluttering the area.
Children
Use the metal element and make sure that you use your inner child awakening to help you to decorate. Use games or toys and earth things but avoid sharp things or blocking the walk ways.
Wisdom
This is an earth element, and you can make sure the place allows you to make good decisions. Use picture of mountains and things that you can meditate with. Avoid things that are moving.
Career
This is a water element, and you can make sure that your career is flowing by using mirrors, dark colors, black things, or crystals but avoid bright colors and paper being piled up.
Helpful People
This is a metal element and needs to be valued and a place where people support you. You can decorate with round things and blacks and whites abut avoid clutter.
Feng Shui Decorating Ideas
Here are some decorating ideas for Feng shui areas:
- Make sure that the front door is welcoming into your home.
- Get rid of things that are cluttered because it causes too much energy to form.
- Use crystals to help clear out negative thoughts and feelings and to bring you wealth.
- Use air and lights when you can so open up the window and let the sun and the wind come in.
- Put the desk facing the doorway because it gives you more power and takes away vulnerability.
- Use natural elements when you decorate to make the energy stronger.
Room Decorating Tips
Here are some other tips to help you to make your home stronger:
Living Room
Make sure that the biggest piece of your furniture is facing the door and is against a wall. Keep it as far from the entrance as you can and make sure that you have breathing room between the furniture pieces.
If you have too many pieces of seating, you need to move some out so that you do not stop the flow of energy.
If you choose a coffee table, get one that doesn’t have big angles or sharp edges. Use circles to make sure that you contrast your furniture.
Use window coverings made out of sheer material so that the light can come in and the positive energy stays in the room. If the windows have no coverings, put a plant close to them.
Add red to the room to bring in energies.
Bedroom
Your bed should be far from the doorway and facing it but avoid too many electrical items in the room. This is a place to sleep, and you should not even have a television if you can avoid it.
Use feminine and masculine decorating things so that there is a balance. Use green and blue to make sure you get rid of negative energy.
Office
If you have an office in your home, get rid of the clutter. Make sure that at least half of your desk is uncovered so that you can avoid the clutter.
Position the desk facing the door because this gives you power and helps you to show off how important your work is.
Make sure you use personal objects to decorate with and use plants to help you stay focused. You can add red details to keep the energy strong.
Use yellows and greens if you need to have a calm area and you can use flowers if you need to have different colors added.