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FENG SHUI
“Feng Shui can bring order to physical chaos inducing a sense of balance, harmony and achieve inner peace.”
Feng Shui is the art of harmonising the energies of living spaces for greater productivity and wellbeing.
Are you looking to create a harmonious interior design in your home? Have you considered Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese art form designed to promote balance and wellbeing? By understanding the principles behind this age-old practice, it may be possible for you to enjoy the relaxation that comes from feeling integrated into your environment. Read on for our guide on how to use Feng Shui in interior design.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui is an art form dating back over 6,000 years and is thought to bring good fortune and happiness. The concept centres around the idea that humans are in harmony with the physical world when one’s environment promotes balance between yin (the inner, darker energies) and yang (the outer, brighter energies). Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging the environment in a manner that brings balance and harmony. While Feng Shui is traditionally based on principles from Taoism and Buddhism that were popular during the Han dynasty in China over two thousand years ago, it has become increasingly popular throughout the world due to its unique approach to home décor.
In the world of interiors, its main focus is to align the interior space with nature in order to tap into positive energy and promote inner peace. Feng Shui techniques include properly positioning furniture, colours schemes, lighting strategies, and more in order to maximise air flow and increase natural light while minimising clutter. Through these strategies, Feng Shui can provide you with a sense of relaxation. Additionally, it serves as a reminder to think deeply about the idea of creating healthier spaces; spaces that make us feel connected to our environment and provide us with much needed refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“Incorporating Feng Shui principles into the design of a space can be an effective way to create environments that not only feel pleasing but also encourages inner peace and pure relaxation.”
Who adopts this approach
This holistic approach to rooted principles of energy and movement seeks to provide balance and serenity in the home environment. People from all walks of life have begun to adopt Feng Shui in order to cultivate a more peaceful living space that functions with balance and purpose.
Feng Shui principles can be applied in all concepts of interior design – from corporate offices to retail stores to home décor options – and are valued among modern day practitioners due to their effects on productive energy levels and general wellbeing.
“Feng Shui is often thought of as an ancient, mystical philosophy, but it has become increasingly popular in the realm of interiors.”
The Practice
Feng Shui is an ancient practice that seeks to achieve harmony and balance in a given space by utilising the natural elements of the environment such as wind, water, and fire. Its core tenet is to create living, working, and resting environments that generate positive energy. It requires one to assess the relationship to nature, while considering the flow and alignment of objects within a space.
Feng Shui incorporates aspects such as colour, texture, orientation, proportion, furnishing placement, lighting selection, and scent into an interior design scheme. Ultimately, it advocates for spaces that look nice but also encourage relaxation and feelings of peace.
Why adopt the Feng Shui principle
Feng Shui seeks to shape the environment around us to bring spiritual harmony by harnessing energy, or ‘Qi’ that radiates from living space. By incorporating Feng Shui principles into interior design, we can bring greater balance and order to our spaces and welcome positive change. Whether it be striking a healthier work-life balance or increasing focus and productivity in the workplace, Feng Shui provides a unique approach which combines symbolism with practical solutions to create an atmosphere conducive to individual needs.
With its timeless wisdom and teachings rooted in spirituality, this practice continues to gain popularity as people look for ways to find flow in their home life and work life.
The Five Elements of Feng Shui
The Five Elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth – provide the foundation of this ancient practice. Each element corresponds to certain aspects of life like emotion, health and career. Metal helps with clarity and planning; wood stimulates growth and creativity; water brings peace and relaxation; fire provides warmth and enthusiasm; and earth lends strength and stability. When carefully implemented in interior design, these five elements can bring about positive disposition for wellbeing through harmonising the living space.
the principles of Feng Shui
The core principles of Feng Shui focus on cultivating energy (‘Qi’) through mindfulness, positioning of furniture and objects, use of symbols, materials, and shapes.
Ultimately, these elements are strategically arranged to optimise a space’s energetic potential. Everything from colour choices, to layouts of living spaces must flow together in order for the Qi energy to achieve optimal flow.
“Feng Shui is a living skill. There’s an art to it. It’s scientific; it’s mathematical and at times it’s logical - with an element of magic.”
“When we pay attention to all the small details, a huge difference will arise by allowing positive energies to move freely.”
The Power of Intention in Feng Shui
In order to create a space with positive energy, one must also consider the intention behind the design. Feng Shui is not only about placement and arrangement; it’s about intent. Setting intentions for how you want your space to feel and function can be very powerful when utilising this ancient practice. For example, if you want to create a calm and inviting space, focus on the elements that evoke such feelings – soft lighting and muted colours are often associated with relaxation. When setting an intention, think of how you want the space to be used; this will help guide your design decisions in creating a balanced and harmonious environment.
Feng Shui In Interior Design - How To Get Started
Start by learning about the five elements of nature (water, fire, earth, metal, and wood) and how they interact with one another. Then consider where certain furniture should be placed to maximise their potential - for instance, sharp or heavy items like tables should be placed towards the back of a space as opposed to the front which typically bestows a more welcoming energy. Pay attention to colours as well - warm shades represent fire while cooler colours are reflective of water. Make sure to focus on harmonising your environment with light objects while utilising heavier pieces sparingly.
By making simple changes such as dealing with clutter, rearranging furniture, and introducing elements such as water, fire, plants or specific items, one can create a positive flow of energy throughout their home.
Using colours and shapes in Feng Shui has become a popular way to bring good energy flow into any space. Colours have their own special meaning and can be used to represent different parts of our lives. Red, for example, is often used to encourage health, vitality and abundance, while yellow is associated with brighter hope. Cool blues can help create feelings of clarity and serenity, whereas warm beiges provide a sense of comfort. Different shades and combinations of these colours can be used strategically to increase the positive flow of energy in a space.
Shapes also have spiritual meanings – squares represent stability, triangles signify harmony and circles are seen as containing harmonious energy. Interpreting these elements correctly will allow you to create an environment filled with beneficial energy flow that supports your desired outcome. In interior design, understanding the symbolism behind shapes and colours is essential as it allows you to effortlessly direct the energy towards bringing desired results.
Arranging furniture in key locations is important when attempting to enhance the energy flow of a space. Different placements are meant to draw divergent spiritual energies and should be selected with intention and thought. For example, positioning the headboard of a bed against a solid wall can encourage restful sleep and place televisions at comfortable angles so they fit seamlessly into the energy of the space.
When decorating a home using the principles of Feng Shui, it is essential to consider the type of art, sculptures and plants used. Art can bring vibrant energy to a space if chosen carefully. Choosing art with distinct colours and geometric shapes can help create a sense of harmony in the home at first glance. Sculptures should be appropriate to the style of the room, while also evoking powerful emotional reactions from observers.
Incorporating traditional feng shui items into interior design is a simple way to add a subtle yet powerful energy to your space. Some examples of classic feng shui items for the home include wind chimes, crystals, mirrors, and houseplants – all thought to attract positive energy. Wind chimes bring in the flow of chi (energy) and encourage balance and harmony, while crystals have an aura of protection that helps keep negative energies away. Mirrors are alleged to help bounce good energy around throughout the home and amplify its power. Finally, houseplants are said to be purifiers that bring vibrant health and vitality into any room.
Applying these principles to your home can leave it feeling fuller of life energy and make you feel more relaxed and content in the space.
“In this interior design system, your space becomes an oasis of harmony and balance.”
Exploring the ancient practice of Feng Shui proves how diverse knowledge and wisdom can be when utilised for a purpose. Its integration to interior design offers another dimension to the way we view art and decoration with its ability to bring balance through energy flow. With Feng Shui, different hues, shapes, and artefacts gain new vision as tools for creating harmony in our home interior settings.
If you are looking for another route of sculpting your environment outside traditional decoration methods, Feng Shui is an effective alternative you should explore.