Feng Shui Decorating Tips for Modern Spaces

Feng Shui decorating is all about decorating your home to be at peace with the flow of energy inside you and inside your home. Central to Feng Shui are:

• chi (energy)
• yin (negative)
• yang (positive)

Feng Shui Decorating for Your Living Room

When decorating your living room with Feng Shui in mind, it is key that you do not have clutter. Clutter is anything from a dirty room to too much furniture to too many knick-knacks. The first step to Feng Shui decorating in your living room is cleaning up stuff, tossing out stuff and moving around stuff. Clutter gets in the way of energy and change, and accordingly, blocks you in. By ridding yourself of clutter, you are allowing the energy of the room and your life to run free.

Also, the focal point of your living room should not be your television. According to Feng Shui, the energy produced by the television gets in the way of your chi. So, as with the clutter, it must be cleared out. That does not mean that you must get rid of the television all together, but move your living room furniture so that it is not the main focal point of the room.

In Feng Shui, bad odors are also thought to block the flow of chi. Keep a scented candle lit when you are home to make your living room smell nice. Do not use potpourri, however, because it contains dead flowers, which are thought to be very negative. Burning candles themselves are also positive for Feng Shui.

Finally, make sure that your living room furniture is arranged in such a way that it is easy to move around. In other words, if you are bumping into things (or having to turn your body to pass by), this furniture is also a barrier for your chi. Your furniture should be moved so that both you and the chi can freely move throughout the room.

Feng Shui Decorating for Your Bedroom

The same rules apply for Feng Shui decorating in your bedroom as they do in your living room. There are additional things to consider, however. The bedroom is where you sleep, so your body needs to be at peace. In positioning your bed, it should not be between any windows, and your bed should be facing the door. The thought behind this is that chi moves through the windows, and your body’s energy will escape through the windows. This will leave you feeling tired, drained, and not at peace. By having your bed face the door, it helps you to you have inner peace. Also, if you have a mirror in your bedroom, it is important that you are not able to see your reflection while you sleep.

Your bedroom should be decorated in pastels and more feminine colors and patters (such as florals). Yang is feminine, and it will be promoted in the room through the use of these colors.

If you are a couple, make sure that your bed is centered on the wall and that your bedside tables match. This sameness helps to ensure a solid relationship and harmony.

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Emily Gojko: I am a writer, marketer, and manager with a strong background in real estate development and management. I am also a native New Yorker with an obsession for home design shows, so I have personal and professional experience making the most of small spaces, and dealing with good and bad living situations.