{"id":101191,"date":"2019-12-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=101191"},"modified":"2019-12-23T20:23:14","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T01:23:14","slug":"feng-shui-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/feng-shui-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Place Mismatched Furniture to Feng Shui your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands\nof years ago, Taoism developed a set of spiritualistic practices around the\nbelief that two fluid energies\u2014wind and water (feng and shui<\/a>)\u2014flowed through homes, buildings,\nor exterior spaces, contributing to the users\u2019 harmony and success. If you\u2019re\nwondering how to feng shui your own home, start by designing free flowing\nenergy paths through the careful \narrangement of your buildings, interiors, furnishings, and possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combat Clutter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Clutter\nis feng shui\u2019s mortal enemy because it means the natural flow paths of chi\nenergy are blocked by tchotchkes and other obstructions. Therefore,\ndecluttering is the first  step in\ncreating feng shui. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many\nthings contribute to clutter, but not keeping up with maintenance is the most\ncommon cause: for example, simple unattended things like burned-out lightbulbs,\nmalfunctioning appliances, or leaky faucets are all part of household clutter,\nsince they pull your attention away from harmonious thoughts and pursuits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simplify\nyour home\u2019s spaces before delving into cabinets, drawers, and closets and\nreorganizing them to free them from obstructions. This is a really useful\nexercise to do first. As you do it, you can physically feel a burden of care\nlifting as clutter disappears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\ncan also accomplish a spiritual cleansing of inappropriately obstructed chi\nenergy by opening your windows and blowing out your living space for nine\nminutes (nine) is an auspicious number in feng shui.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rearrange Living Spaces<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After\ncleansing and\ndecluttering<\/a>, you should begin to rearrange your living space according to the\nfive Taoist elements that underlie the philosophy. For Taoists, the world is\ndivided into five materials which possess definitive qualities of color and\nshape: earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. The easiest way to introduce good\nfeng shui to your home is by including something to represent each of the five\nelements in your space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth,\nfor example is brown, orange, and yellow and comes in flat or square shapes. A\ndark rug in the middle of the room should provide sufficient earth element for\nyour space. Metal is represented by white, gray, or metallic colors with\nspherical, round shapes, like a large circular porcelain bowl. Water,\ninterestingly, is represented as black, or very dark blues, with curvy, wavy\nshapes like furled or blowing dark blue curtains in front of a patio door.\nFire, of course, is represented by red colors, in triangular shapes like stems\nof red Japanese maple leaves on the mantel or in a vase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since\nyour home is a shared space, you need to take careful consideration with the\nplacement of your furniture. A large living room encourages chi energy to pass\nfreely in and around the room. The room should be large enough to accommodate\nthe entire family and guests comfortably. There must be a comfortable seat for\neach member of the household, and for this reason the furniture arranged in a\nspace with good feng shui is often mismatched. Each person in the home should\nfeel welcome and accommodated, and his or her tastes should be reflected in the\npiece of furniture best suited for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furniture\nPlacement is Essential<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Where\nyou place furniture impacts the way the chi energy enters and moves around the\nroom. Never place furniture in natural pathways through the room. This type of\nplacement will block chi energy, cause it to become stagnant, and create\nnegative energy.  The furniture should be\narranged to invite conversation and interaction with your chairs and couches\nfacing each other and no one sitting with their back to the door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmost significant piece of furniture in any living room is the couch. It should\nrest against a solid wall. Nonetheless, a popular western furniture arrangement\nis to place a sectional couch in the middle of the room without wall support.\nThis floating should be avoided since it permits and encourages instability in\nyour family\u2019s life, work, wealth, health, and relationships. You can easily\ntest the intuitive truth of this design principle by sitting on a couch against\nthe wall before sitting on one set in the middle of the room. With each\narrangement come different feelings. Chances are you feel safe and secure when\nsitting on the couch against the wall, while the one set in the middle of the\nroom leaves you feeling vulnerable and uneasy, as though you need (constantly)\nto look behind you.\n\nGeomancy or feng shui\nis an ancient design system that produces unified pleasing interiors with\nreduced clutter and obstructions. Use these design ideas to provide unity and\nintegrity to your living space. Creating good feng shui might not connect you\nto universal chi, but it leads to health and happiness. It\u2019s only a short\nstretch from there to good fortune.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"