Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Create Balance in the Home with Feng Shui Design

By Sue Krippner

Feng shui design means incorporating certain ancient beliefs into the design of your home. Originating over 3,500 years ago in ancient China, feng shui started being noticed in the home interior design industry several decades ago.

Wood, fire, earth, metal and water are the five elements of the universe's energy. Feng shui design revolves around them. These energies, when brought into your home properly, are believed to promote wealth, health and inner peace.

When determining a feng shui design, the key is finding your chi, or energy. In home interior design, certain things can affect the flow of chi, such as the placement of furniture or the positioning of an object. The placement of items should encourage a flow from room to room, not stifle or block it.

The elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water should be kept in mind when establishing positive chi in your home. Some easy feng shui design steps to take are adding fresh flowers, live plants, mirrors, water fountains, an aquarium, or artwork. A room's color scheme should have a Yin and Yang balance. Yin colors are blue, black, purple, white, pink and green, while Yang colors are yellow, orange, tan, brown, beige, red, mauve, maroon, lavender and gold.

Because every object in your home has a purpose under feng shui design, organization is a must. Check online with the Frugal Home Design for numerous storage items and decorative organizers that offer helpful ways to organize items to improve your home's positive energy. Clutter hinders the flow of chi, so removing it is paramount. Other things that can drain your home's energy and should be thrown out are chipped dishes, worn items, or burned out lightbulbs.

Feng shui involves several tools to help determine what items need to be in which rooms to achieve balance and good energy. One such tool is a bagua and its use in feng shui design helps to determine placement. Some basic rules to follow that apply to all homes are to place mirrors in small foyers or hallways to create better energy flow, remove mirrors from bedrooms to encourage restful sleep, angle sofas and chairs so they're not directly facing the television, and enclose televisions and computers in cabinets to minimize their influence on what is natural in our lives. Furthermore, chairs and sofas should be arranged in groups to promote conversation, instead of isolation.

Feng shui design should also focus on certain points in the home that impact energy flow. For long, narrow hallways, place plants or large pictures at the end of them so energy flows naturally and not in a straight line. For dark and empty corners, use plants, candles, or small lamps to bring in energy.

Creating an effective feng shui design involves balanced colors, less clutter and items that are fresh and vibrant. There should be a good balance of things that reflect the elements of the universe and enhance energy. With feng shui design, a house becomes a healthy, lively home. - 15252

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