At the start of the new year many people become introspective and consider different ways of improving their lives. While weight loss or relationships often top the list, feng shui might just be the easiest way to motivate you to achieve those goals. Literally translated as “wind” and “water”, feng shui is a way to affect the energy (chi) in a space to open it up and allow your family and visitors to feel more positive and comfortable. It isn’t going to require a complete redecoration of your house but there are some things you can do on a smaller scale to improve the feng shui of your house. 

Arranging furniture to minimize clutter 

Any obstacle that prevents easy movement anywhere in the house, either within a room or between rooms creates a barrier to block the flow of energy. You should not have to walk around furniture, boxes or other clutter. That also applies to closets and any other items that aren’t used or broken. 

When arranging furniture you should take advantage of the “command position.” Items such as couches, desks, beds and stoves should be arranged so you can see the door when using them. Place the items at a diagonal position to the door to allow maximum energy. 

Integrating the five elements 

An integral part of feng shui are the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. All five should be part of your home. There are many ways to accomplish this. You can introduce color to walls, fabrics, and furnishings. That includes the use of accent colors to highlight primary colors. Picture frames can be wood or metal. Wood furniture is not 

only beautiful but energizing. 

Natural light and ventilation 

Wash all your windows. Then keep them clean. Natural light is important to your well-being and feng shui accommodates this as a primary element of the practice. Next, make sure your lightbulbs all work and provide illumination to any potentially dark areas. If you have anything that could block the light, then consider ways to work around that. Maybe move some furniture or add an additional lamp or two. 

Add some plants 

The easiest way to integrate nature into your home is to add some plants. The lovely green and textures of the leaves, stems and flowers are one of the primary focuses of feng shui as life energy flows from them into the room and throughout the house.

Integrating technology 

To focus on the feng shui elements of the room it is good practice to ensure that any technology is not the first thing you see when entering. The idea is that when first stepping into the room you will feel the energy from the elements first and want to interact with them as opposed to switching on the TV. Feng shui is a vital force to improving the well-being of your home and your family. Integrating all five elements into your daily life is a time-proven pick-me-up for any design.

Author: Hannah

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