The layout of living environments impacts people’s lives. For this reason, creating balanced and uplifting rooms is crucial. The ancient practice of feng shui helps achieve just that. In this article, readers will find five expert-approved tips for creating harmonious living spaces. Embracing these practices can help bring peace and balance to one’s life. Designing the interior in a balanced way will improve your sense of tranquility. Isn’t that neat?
About the Ancient Feng Shui Practice
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice. It focuses on Qi, which is positive energy believed to correlate with how things are arranged in a given space. While it’s a whole philosophy, there are some things one can follow to ensure their living environments are designed per this Chinese geomancy.
Feng shui expert designers Anjie Cho and Amanda Amato, from Reiko Design and AMA Designs & Interiors, respectively, give their opinion on creating uplifting spaces. Below are five tips to follow to achieve balance in the living room.
Determine the Living Room’s Intention
Feng shui expert Anjie Cho says its colors and layout should reflect the room’s “publicity” as it’s usually the place where guests are entertained. Amato opts for bold hues if you welcome guests regularly or more natural tones if you wish to unwind at the end of the day.
Incorporate the Five Elements
Chinese geomancy follows the five elements to determine the physical and spiritual world. Those are, of course, fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. Amato believes that, in order to achieve a balanced living room, individuals should create harmony between these elements.
In contrast to using the red color to represent fire in your living room, you can consider using more subtle representations. Those could include triangular shapes or animal prints.
Shapes, Colors, and Textures
Amanda Amato says one should keep their mind on the following things to achieve feng shui balance in your living room.
- Earth can be displayed with rectangular furniture and warm tones line brown, pottery, and porcelain materials.
- Wood is expressed with tall and vertical lines, botanical patterns, living plants, and green shades.
- To represent fire, opt for leather materials, animal prints, triangular shapes, candles, spiky objects, etc.
- Metal can be displayed using metallic colors, shimmery fabrics, circle patterns, and more.
- To incorporate the water element in your living room, opt for blue tones, reflective materials, and curvy shapes.
The Couch Takes Charge
Experts recommend placing the sofa in such a way that it “greets” you when you enter to welcome a sense of embracement. Otherwise, the room’s energy flow is disturbed if the couch is turned with its backside at the door. Either way, try to put it at the center of attention and surround it with decorative lamps, bookshelves, etc.
Create a Coherent Sense of Flow
Arguably the most crucial thing in feng shui is creating a seamless flow. It can be represented simply as being able to walk around a room without effort or keeping a clutter-free space. Cho believes too much twisting and turning to get around furniture can disturb your sense of coherence and means you’ve arranged items too tightly. Things must be “open” to increase the Qi flow.
Now that the five expert-approved tips for a balanced living space have been revealed, it’s time to start forming your own layout.