Using Feng Shui Interior Decorating in Your Home

Feng Shui is known as the ancient art of placement, and as such it can be greatly utilized in interior decorating in any home. By adding certain elements, clearing the air and simply relocating some furniture you can invite the good energy in and force that bad energy out. You will be left with a beautiful home that also gives off a sense of peace and harmony that even guests will appreciate. We've all been in homes that give off the illusion of cleanliness and properness but have been left feeling cold. This is likely because the colors have been chosen and furniture has been placed with little regard to how they affect the chi, or good energy, from flowing through their home. It's pretty, sure. But does it make the home peaceful? Or does it feel like a cold museum?

The first thing you see when you enter a home is the foyer, and this room sets the tone for the rest of the house. It doesn't matter how clean your kitchen is if your guests have to trip over shoes and jackets on their way there. Any good Feng Shui makeover designed to invite good energy begins with de-cluttering. Chi cannot flow through clutter to get to the rest of the house and if you foyer is filled with it the chi will never get as far as the living room. If you're used to leaving shoes at the front door as you enter invest in a decorative storage device so they can be hidden away. The entrance of a house is in the career or life path area of the ba-gua map, and as such a water elements makes a wonderful addition to any foyer. It can be a simple Feng Shui fountain or as elaborate as an aquarium. The key is to make sure the water flows towards the house because that is the way you want the chi and good Feng Shui to flow.

Living areas of your home should give off a feeling of harmony and peace. Sharp-edged furniture or architectural elements are not advisable in spaces that are designed to be restful and welcoming. As with anything else in the world of Feng Shui there should be no clutter. There should be no dark corners in living areas. Any random corner that does not have enough light is not receiving good energy and that will cause the rest of the room to become stale. To add light you can, of course, put a lamp in; however adding a plant or a mirror are other choices that can add beauty while opening the room up to good energy.

If you have a fireplace in a living space it should be the main element in the room. Televisions should come second as a main focus in a room, as the electromagnetic field will throw off the good energy and stagnate the room. Furniture should ideally be placed in a circular shape facing the door leading to the room. Sometimes this placement isn't always ideal in every room. In this case just make sure there is no piece of furniture with it's back directly facing the door. Artwork in living areas should reflect scenes of happiness. Paintings of rocky beaches with an approaching storm are definitely beautiful but give off a feeling of impending doom - not something you want in your harmonious living space!

Color elements for living spaces rely on it's position on the ba-gua map. Living rooms in the rear right of the house fall under the relationship category and thus elements of pink should be used. Rooms in the front to the left are in the skills and wisdom area and should have elements of blue. Each area of the ba-gua map pertains to a different area of your life and it is important to choose the right colors for each room based on this map to get the most of the good energy flowing through your house. Consult a ba-gua map to find the location of your living area and it's corresponding color.

Bedrooms are another area that need special consideration. If you believe that humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping, assuming most of that time is in your bedroom and not with your head on your keyboard at work, you'll want to make sure that space is optimized for maximum harmony. De-cluttering is an obvious first when doing a Feng Shui bedroom makeover, and like the living spaces you want to avoid sharp-edged furniture. The next step is placing your furniture, starting with the most important piece in any bedroom - the bed. Your bed should not be facing any doors, mirrors or televisions - in fact for proper Feng Shui you may want to ditch the television in the bedroom altogether. The bed should never be placed under a window but ideally it should be placed on an exterior wall. If you have a king-size bed with two separate box springs you will need a piece of red cloth or a red sheet on them. The thought is that the line, or break, between the two box springs can cause problems in your marriage and the red cloth can mend the gap.

If possible it is advisable to open the windows once a day to let the stale air out and let the good air in. This promotes healthy sleep and harmony in your marriage or relationships. Artwork in the bedroom should be of calm, serene scenes and those that express love and warmth. Portraits of a sad, lonely woman sitting in her rocking chair may be pretty but can wreck havoc on your love life. Photos of children and other family members should not be placed in bedrooms. For those in a relationship the bedroom is their place. Put photos of you and your loved one in your bedroom but save the kids sitting with Santa for another room. Since the bedroom is the heart of marriage area it should have elements of pink and light pink in it regardless of it's position on the ba-gua map.

Each room of your house has it's own special set of Feng Shui rules. Most rooms can follow the ba-gua map to achieve harmony but bedrooms and living areas are special. The are often the areas that you spend most of your time while in your house and need the most care in promoting harmony. Simply de-cluttering and airing out your home can go a long way in letting the good energy flow. Utilizing proper Feng Shui elements can help you achieve optimum harmony in your home and in your life.