Decorating With Feng Shui Can Harmonize Your Home
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Whenever we enter an unfamiliar new room or home our subconscious reacts to the energy of that room even before we can verbalize an opinion of the decor. Sometimes there is something jarring and out of place, but hard to describe. Other times it seems like a room not only is beautiful, but bursts with good feelings of peace and harmony. Each room could have exactly the same decor, but the arrangements of furniture and belongings are different. This is because the rooms we inhabit are not simply static collections of things, but areas that can amplify both good and bad energy. To help work with this issue the Chinese developed building and decorating with Feng Shui.
This artistic philosophy is used to create more harmonious interiors. Even before modern physics existed, the Chinese recognized that all things, both living and inanimate, are constantly in motion. While this idea seems a little hard to swallow for some people, the truth is that all objects are composed of atoms and molecules which are in constant, never-ending activity. The energy produced by this motion affects all of us both emotionally and behaviorally. Every working and living space has some kind of energy flow, and this flow can be directed positively or negatively.
When an interior is organized in a random, cluttered way it can negatively affect human emotions. Things may feel “not quite right, ” and create a sense of unease or confusion simply because the elements are not in balance. Decorating with the principles of Feng Shui begins with understanding why those factors are central to the creation of harmony. Traditionally this philosophy or art recognizes five elements, including fire, water, wood, earth, and metal. They are an integral part of the overall flow of life energy, known as Chi.
Each of these elements has a particular property. Flowing water in a fountain, for example, can be central to communications or opportunities, as opposed to a running toilet or dripping faucet, which simply means waste or poverty. An earth element should exude stability and solidarity, or permanence. Metal conducts and transmits energy, and fire represents passion and high energy. The element of wood inspires motivation and creativity. The aspects of elements are important alone, but the more important concept is the potential positive and negative influences they have on each other.
How are these elements of design incorporated into interior decorating? The arrangements of these five elements can affect human emotions and reactions, and amount to a great deal more than simply showing good taste. A beautiful room filled with expensive heirloom furniture can feel intimidating and cold if not correctly displayed. To illustrate how this works Feng Shui decorators create a diagram called a Bagua Map. This is an actual drawing which can point out the elements that should exist in any particular room. It is drawn in the shape of a square, and divided into the nine areas of living.
Each of these areas of the Bagua Map corresponds to one of the nine parts, including wealth, family and health, knowledge and wisdom, and career. In addition, there are areas of love and marriage, creativity and children, reputation and fame, helpful people, and the overall center of energy called Chi. Each of these areas of energy have colors assigned to them, and each color creates and sustains the flow of overall Chi through that space.
Wealth, for example, is associated with purple, red and blue. The color red means warmth, attraction, and strength, and is a very strong and energetic color best used in moderation. Health and family, on the other hand, are associated with greens and blues. Black, brown or blue elements are symbols of the career section. Each area on that map is tied to a color. To eliminate the uncomfortable feelings associated with bad energy interaction and flow, symbols and objects can be added in the colors that match each area.
To some more comfortable with traditional Western ideas these may seem a little far-fetched, a kind of outgrowth of the flower child new-age area, with terms like energy, flow and the accompanying symbolism. The fact is that Feng Shui is not immediately measurable on some kind of meter, but it does work. There are many professional designers who have studied this philosophy and incorporate it into their own work, with very positive results. The truth is that nearly anyone can utilize these principles of harmonious design. Decorating with Feng Shui in mind can be a liberating feeling, a process which opens up your rooms and lets the good energy flow throughout the home.
Find out more about chinese feng shui and feng shui living at the author’s website www.101fengshuitips.com . Copyright 2010 101FengShuiTips.com . This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.
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