A Feng Shui Home

Ever wonder when you first enter an office or home why some places feel comfortable right away, while others make you want to turn around and run for the hills? Some people say it’s all about the feng shui. Feng shui is the art of placement and spatial arrangement in relation to energy flow or ‘chi.’ According to feng shui principles, when we live in “Pay close harmony with our surroundings, attention to good fortune follows. To experience a sense of well-being and comfort, first it is necessary That’s the place to consider the bagua or ‘energy with the best map’ of the room in question.

When it comes to the overall design of a home, avoid having the front door directly opposite the rear door. The good energy coming in the front door needs to have a chance to nourish the interior space. Like water, with its natural flow, energy should move freely around your house and not rush in the door and out again. To slow the chi down, use plants and furniture groupings to create comfortable areas for conversation and reflection. Stairs that directly face the front door will push the energy back out the door. Create a nice interior entrance that invites your guests to pause before coming into your home. A mirror helps, as long as it doesn’t face your guests when they enter. Other things you can do to create a welcoming foyer are to include fresh flowers, artwork and even a water feature. Just make sure the water flows towards the interior of the house.

If your bathroom is above the front door, have a strong separation between the two spaces by paying attention to the colour and material of the bathroom floor, or even by adding a good quality rug in a colour that is complementary to the bagua.  If your master bedroom is above the fireplace or stove, that’s not good feng shui. Too much fire energy is disturbing to a restful sleep.  What can you do? Move the bed! Or if that’s not possible, place a small round mirror facing down underneath the bed to cool the energy.

Everyone wants to attract wealth and abundance.  Simple – place a fish tank in the southeast part of your home.  Not only is it good feng shui, but studies show that staring at a fish tank will lower your blood pressure and reduce your heart rate. (1) Not bad for the price of nine fish – eight gold ones plus a black fish to absorb any negative energy.

What about a lucky number for your house or apartment? The Chinese consider the number four bad feng shui but every culture has a different idea of what brings good fortune.  In Cantonese, the number four sounds like the word for death so it’s definitely off the list, but there’re still lots of people who consider the number four a grounding number that represents balance and stability. There are 4 corners to a square, the foundation for many buildings, 4 directions, 4 seasons, 4 is below the $ sign on a computer keyboard, and multi-billionaire Lee Shau-kee, one of the wealthiest men in Hong Kong, is known as “Uncle Four.”  But, if you’re still worried about the number 4 in your address, circle it in red, a traditional feng shui cure.  The number 8 on the other hand is considered very lucky. Eight represents infinity, abundance and business success. In Chinese, the word sounds like ‘prosperous growth.’ Sounds good to me!

Just remember that an important first step to creating an optimum living environment is to remove any clutter from the home, a principle that applies to architectural design as well.  Clean lines, balance and form are the basis for a pleasing composition. And finally, as a feng shui master once told me – “Pay close attention to where the dog likes to sleep. That’s the place with the best feng shui.”

Categorized in: Helpful Resources, Lorne Rose Architect