Feng Shui furnishings are becoming more and more popular: they are supposed to bring harmony and peace into the home and thus create a valuable balance to the hectic everyday life. Feng Shui takes colors, elements and points of the compass into account and harmonises them with the different areas of life. Furnishing according to Feng Shui is not very uncomplicated – but our tips are a good start.
What is feng shui anyway?
Feng Shui is more than a facility: it is part of the Chinese philosophy of Taoism. Feng Shui divides the world into the five elements of water, earth, wood, fire and metal and strives for balance and harmony between people and their living environment. Different properties are attributed to each element, and for the optimal flow of energy all elements must be in harmony with each other.
Wood, for example, is the symbol for growth and life in Feng Shui, is assigned to the cardinal point east and goes well with the colors green and blue. For Feng Shui furnishings, this means: Wood is best positioned to the east and has an energy movement that, like a tree, goes upwards and outwards. In children ‘s rooms, in dining rooms and shared rooms, wood is in particularly good hands – wherever something is created and there is a lot of life.
If you want to furnish your living room according to Feng Shui or want to know where your bed should be according to Feng Shui, then follow these tips:
The basics of feng shui decor
First of all, it is important to know that according to Feng Shui, the areas of life are assigned to the different cardinal points. For example, the areas for friends and creativity are in the west/northwest direction, while partnership and relationships are in the south-west. The family is housed in the east, and one can turn north for a career. Both the apartment and individual rooms can be planned according to this principle.
Incidentally, furnishing according to Feng Shui is compatible with different living styles: whether country house or white living style – the Feng Shui guidelines ideally complement personal preferences.
How to set up your bedroom
The bedroom is intended for rest, relaxation and retreat, and that is exactly what a feng shui facility should support. The wood element and the colors brown and beige as well as various shades of green stand for peace and security. Wooden cupboards and chests of drawers are therefore a good choice, as are natural-colored walls and decorative accents in mint green or petrol. Metal should be kept out, as metal “destroys” wood and upsets the calming energy.
The bed also has a specific place in Feng Shui: In order to create a feeling of security, the bed should stand with the head end to the wall, in such a way that you can see windows and doors from the bed. In order not to disturb the flow of energy, the bed should not be between the door and the window, and you should also do without electrical appliances and mirrors in a bedroom furnished according to Feng Shui – so put the television in the living room.
Tips to furnish your living room according to Feng Shui
If you want to set up your living room with the help of Feng Shui, light colors are your first choice: white and cream go wonderfully, and light pastel tones also create a relaxed atmosphere. To bring a bit of liveliness and energy into the living room, you can set accents with yellow, orange and red and thus bring creative, powerful energy into the flow.
Like the bed in the bedroom, the sofa in the living room should also be placed with its backrest against the wall and provide an overview of the whole room. For more conviviality, the sofa and armchair can form a semicircular shape, or you can opt for a U-shaped sofa straight away. So that there are not too many corners that inhibit the flow of energy, Feng Shui furnishings recommend “rounding off” them – for example by placing plants or other decorative objects in front of them.
An overview of the colors in feng shui
The knowledge of colors in Feng Shui is very complex: each color is linked to a cardinal point, an element and an area of life. In addition, the colors can be combined in different ways.
For example, the element of fire, the area of fame and the direction south are related, and the associated colors are red, orange and yellow – not the worst combination for your living room, by the way. In the bedroom, on the other hand, shades of blue and green come together because the element of water predominates here and is combined with rather calm wood. This is only a first introduction to the world of feng shui colors, because there is actually a lot to consider and coordinate here.
So as you can see: Furnishing according to Feng Shui is not that easy. However, improved energy flow and more harmony in your home are worth the effort.