Everyman’s Feng Shui

July 2009

Feng shui is the philosophy of arranging our surroundings to maximize positive energy—an essential component for good health, a positive attitude, strong relationships, and lasting success. It takes lifelong study to become a feng shui expert, but anyone can learn some basic home design principles to start the energy flowing in the right direction.

Using feng shui to arrange your home will match each room to the energy level required for activities in that room. No-one performs well while distracted, agitated, or nervous. We cannot sleep well with distractions around us and we cannot think creatively when we face a blank white wall. We want our home to energize us, not drain us.

The main entrance, the bedroom, and the home office are good starting points. Your main entry should be open, uncluttered, light, and airy. This allows positive energy to come into the home when the door is opened. A warm, cheerful entrance will set the proper mood upon entry into the home. Walking into a dark, confined, cluttered, stuffy entrance would stifle anyone’s mood. Pathways through the house should also be inviting and uncluttered to allow positive energy to flow freely through the home.

Your bedroom should be in a far corner of the home away from the main entrance. Good bed position is paramount. While sleeping, your feet should not be pointed toward the door (the death position), your head should not be in direct line of the door, and your headboard should not be on the other side of the wall from a toilet. Windows or large paintings should not be above the headboard, nor should stacks of books be placed near the headboard. Avoid storage under the bed and do not leave clutter and clothing strewn on the floor. Beds should be against a wall, not in the center of the room. Dressers should not be right next to the bed and a corner of the dresser should not be pointed toward the bed. Computers and electronic devices should be kept to an absolute minimum in the bedroom. These create electromagnetic fields that impair sleep.

To maximize creativity in the home office, limit furniture to take up between 10% and 50% of the floor space. Of course, plenty of light and fresh air are essential. The room should be uncluttered and secluded from the high-activity areas of the house. Wood furniture is better than metal furniture. Carpet or rugs are preferable to cold, hard floors. Green is an ideal color; avoid distracting reds, oranges, and golds. Artwork featuring fierce animals, such as tigers or bears, should not be placed behind your desk chair.

Compromise is inevitable, but even small changes go a long way to get that positive energy flowing.