8 Ways To Functionally Feng Shui Your Home
January 11, 2018At Bradley Homes, we love learning about new cultures and trends in home design. Interested in the art of Chinese Feng Shui, we’ve researched some very interesting and promising changes anyone can make to their new home – in attempts to increase the positive energy, serenity, and luck in their living spaces.
BELOW ARE OUR FAVOURITE EIGHT TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU TO FUNCTIONALLY FENG SHUI YOUR HOME:
1. INCREASE LIGHT & OPEN SPACE
One of the easiest and most effective feng shui solutions you can incorporate into your home is the process of increasing light and opening up space.
To open up space, get rid of the clutter and things you don’t need to make room for breathing, moving, and living. Donate or sell furniture you never sit on, ensure that you aren’t piling papers on your countertop, and clean each room of any items that are out of place.
To increase light, open up the blinds during the day to allow for natural sunlight to fill your home. Also consider adding additional lighting in darker areas of your home, like the kitchen or your office. More light will increase your energy and brighten your mood.
2. FREE YOUR FRONT DOOR
Your front door is one of the most active places in your home. Therefore, one of the most important feng shui elements in any home is to ensure that the front door is well maintained and clean away any obstructions. This means that you should put away all shoes, any coats, and any bags that are tossed inside the door. Having a clean and clear entry way will allow for more positive energy to enter your home, and it will make your home feel less cluttered as guest arrive.
According to Know Feng Shui, door colour also plays a role in achieving balance in your home. Here are some suggestions based on the direction your door faces.
3. NURTURE PLANT LIFE
To bring serenity to your space, increase the number of live plants in your home. Nature not only brings more and greenery life into any room, but it will bring calmness to those who work to care for and nurture the plant as it grows.
4. INCREASE WATER FLOW
To add fluidity to your home, incorporate running water elements, and no, we don’t mean that you should leave the tap running. Instead, consider adding a water fountain to any main living or sleeping space. The sound of running water will transport your home into a spa-like venue. Running water will also help to encourage the flow of ideas, creativity, and it will help all who visit your home to feel comfortable and relaxed.
According to The Spruce, the best place to put a fountain in your home is in the east – health and family area, the southeast – wealth and money area, or the north – career and path in life area.
5. ADD MIRRORS
A mirror not only provides residents with a surface to view themselves, but it also mirrors the surrounding room, making a space seem larger than it is. Acting as a room extension, mirrors will increase light and a sense of free space – especially in small rooms.
However, by feng shui rules, it is important to hang only full mirrors in which you can view yourself in one piece – avoiding “broken” or “chopped up” decorative mirrors. It is also key that you hang mirrors in areas where views of nature and light will be enhanced, or by your front door.
Feng shui warns against ever hanging mirrors in your bedroom, mirrors that are distorted in any way, and to not hang mirrors to high or too low. Mirrors should always be hung at a height in which you can view your head and shoulders.
6. BRING FENG SHUI ELEMENTS INTO YOUR HOME
The five main feng shui elements include wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Below are just a few examples of how each element can transform the energy in various parts of your home.
Wood: Power, Creativity, Expansion, Growth, Birth, Intuition
Fire: Leadership, Inspiration, Boldness
Earth: Strength, Balance, Stability
Metal: Mental clarity, Organization, Focus
Water: Inspiration, Wisdom, Insightfulness, Emotion
However, it’s important to note that too much of any one element can give off negative effects. For example, too much fire can instead evoke anger, irritability, low self-esteem, and aggression.
To determine your ‘birth element’, find your year of birth in this chart. If your birth date falls after the date listed, you have found your correct element. However, if your birthday falls before the date listed, you will need to locate the year prior for your birth element. This is due to date differences in the Chinese Calendar.
7. MAP ENERGY IN YOUR HOME
Find a blank piece of paper and divide the blueprint of your home into nine rectangles or squares. Depending on the position of your door, draw a door as if the bottom of the grid were the front of your home. See this example…
Next, draw out the areas of your home – your kitchen, your bathroom, your living room, etc. Once you’ve mapped out your home on the grid, consult the chart below to match each section to the outline of your home. Do not worry if a room covers more than two squares or part of square.
© kenlauher.com
For example, if your front door is located to the right of your home, you would enter into the travel and helpful people space, where whites, greys, blacks, and metal elements should be incorporated. The above map will help you to understand which areas of your home need to become more balanced.
8. UNLOCK LUCK
To find your lucky Kua number, visit Know Feng Shui. Once you have located your lucky number based on your year of birth and your gender, you’ll be able to identify your lucky directions here.
Once you are aware of your lucky directions, you can choose to position your bed, desk, favourite chair, etc. towards a certain direction, or position that piece of furniture in a particular location in your home. This is said to boost your luck and improve your personal energy.
Happy Feng Shui-ing!