Feng Shui - tips for your home:

Home > Feng Shui > Tips for your home > 2

Decorating In Fengshui Way
By Pramila Paul

Main Entrance:

As an essential first step, clear the space to the main entrance of all negative and stagnant "chi" or energy. Placing Singing bowls and tuned wind chimes as well as genuine space clearing incense are effective remedies.

The Main door should be in view so large trees directly in front of the main entrance should be removed and Hedges to be trimmed.

Your door should not be too large as chi will escape from your home. But you can make alternatives by placing wind chimes outside the door. If it is too small will not allow enough Chi to enter the home placing a mirror on either side of the door or on a wall opposite the door will help to fix the problem.

Mirrors can also be used opposite the front door if the door is small This will help to prevent the 'chi' from passing straight thru your home without circulating.

The space outside your front door must be kept clean and orderly as this determines the quality of the 'chi' that enters your home.

	Top
More on Main Entrance
The back door of your home should not be seen from the front i.e. (The front door should not be in direct alignment (Opposite) with the front) as Chi can flow straight through your home without circulating. Place a large potted plant or a screen in between the two will break up the straight lines and help to deflect Chi. Entrance ways off the street or through your garden to the front door will determine the qualities of Chi that flow into your home. Therefore it is important to use curved pathways or garden beds that lead up to your front entrance should be meandering or softly curving. A birdbath, fountain or a small pond along the way will bring balance and improve the qualities of Chi in this area. A pair of male and female Fu dogs placed outside the entrance will serve as protectors of the home and will repel negativity. Mirrors, Lights, wind chimes, crystals can be fixed in the entry way that is dark or narrow. Do not have a stairs leading to lower levels from the front door. Bagua mirrors helps to ward off the chaotic energy that is constantly moving around outside your door. If your front door is below street level or if your doorway opens out onto a hallway, faces a busy street, the corner of a building, or even a neighbor's property.

Doors:	Top
The doors should always open inwards. This will help the positive energies to enter the house instead of outwards from outside any room. North represents `Water'. Since glass represents `Water', glass doors can be installed only for a door facing the North. Doors facing south represents `Fire' element and a glass door is not advisable here as `Fire' element clashes with `Water'.

Lounge Or Hall:

Top

The entrance hall is the heart and auspicious in terms of Feng Shui as it is the place where one might pause upon entering or leaving the home. The flow of Chi will be energized through it. Keep the windows open to let chi pass in. If you have no windows or doors leading from them or are enclosed in some way Chi can get stagnate. Again mirrors or a ceiling fan or maybe a small water fountain can be placed to solve this problem

Your lounge room should be square or rectangular in shape and the furniture should be placed so as to break opposing straight lines. This will allow Chi to flow gently through a room. Alcoves and dead areas can be broken up with the placement of plants, large items of furniture or fish tanks.

The south side is the best place for a hall, lounge room. West is also a good outlook and it should have a pleasant view. If the view from your lounge room has harsh lines or angles such as a neighboring home or a city skyline, try breaking the lines up by placing large plants.

DO not pile shoes or slippers around outside, or front of the main door of your house. There should be enough space at the main door to be free and clear. The smell of your shoes and slippers will cause sickness. Place them in a shoe rack to a side, Chi then travels about in your house. Place a fish tank, or fountains in your house as chi will move around in the house looking for water to stay but if there are no water fountains or fish tanks, then the Chi will be dispersed by wind.

Place an indoor water fountain in your home, position in a favorable area, either in the centre or in the wealth area to attract whatever you want in your life.

Fish tank should be placed in the right place, else they will cause one to have lawsuits, bankruptcy, work pressure, troubles and problems. If you find things like these in 3-4 months after placing the fish tank, immediately shift your fish tank to another location. A fish tank placed correctly can bring about greater fortune.

Many lounge rooms are adjacent to dining rooms or kitchens and in these cases it is best to have a visual barrier placed between them such as a screen or large plants. If you have doors in between, try to keep them close.

More on Lounge or Hall

Top

When it comes to the seating in the hall or Lounge, there should also be an even number of seats in the room. Always leave the comfortable seat for a guest and should never have its back facing a door.

Furniture should be placed in a way that breaks up direct pathways. Avoid placing the back of chairs directly toward a wall. This will break the lines and secret arrows which produce Sha energy. Place the furniture with some space behind.

The lounge room should have an open and inviting feel to it. Avoid overcrowding the room with furniture. If necessary remove the least used items in the room to achieve this feeling.

The lounge room is the place reserved for relaxation, conversation, interaction and relationships. It is therefore considered in Feng Shui terms to be the heart of the home. Placement of furniture, items flowers or potted plants should be perfect for effective enhancers for these areas.

Do not use sofa sets of dark and red colors. Red represents the element of fire. While furniture is wood element it cannot go with fire. Place your sofas in the family corner of wood element. Red color sofa sets gives rise to heavy work pressure, troubles and obstacles.

Furniture in the lounge or hall should be colored wisely. . Do not use harsh colors or colors that oppose the furniture or artwork. Use colors to help create a harmony. Soft pastels are always good. Before making a final decision on color, check the symbolic definition for them. E.g. Yellow = authority, White = purity, Green = longevity, Blue = heavenly blessings, Red = happiness.

Avoid dark colored floor tiles in the living room. If your house has split levels, make the living room at the lowest level

Bedrooms:

Top

Bedrooms or any rooms need fresh chi, Always open your bedroom windows at least once 20 minutes a day to allow fresh chi to come in. Chi inside the house means good fortune and peace.

Adults and children beds will benefit more when their bedroom is facing east towards the invigorating morning rays. For vitality and motivation always good to sleep with your head toward the east.

The bed should not be placed so that the occupants' feet face a doorway. This is the way the deceased are carried from a room. Your bed should not directly face a window as the glare attracts Sha energy. A wind chime can be placed there as a remedy.

To have a good rest make sure your bed should always have a solid wall behind you. You will find yourself will feel fresh and well rested and be able to concentrate on your work better the next day.

Electronic items are not good in your bedroom; they may give you sleepless nights they produces too much yang energy which disturbs sleep patterns IF you need to have one, do not forget to cover it with a plastic table cloth. As computers and televisions also become a mirror when switched off and work as a reflector. Place the TV in the right place.

Remove the computer in your bedroom if you work from home and have a workstation in your bedroom, it is bound to affect your sleep. But if you have no space you can always have a cure for these problems is keep them covered at night with a sheet.

Also do not place dressing tables or mirrors opposite your bed or at the side of your bed. Mirrors where you can see yourself while laying on the bed does not give you peace of mind. Also mirrors opposite the bed, brings troubles among the partners and relationship.