So you want to promote prosperity, good health, and general wellbeing in your home. Try the ancient Chinese art of feng shui
Feng shui can best be described as ancient wisdom for the modern home. Developed in China more than 5000 years ago, it is now used all over the world.
Whether you have property for sale in Mayfair or are seeking to promote harmony in your home life in Maidenhead, feng shui – which translates as wind and water – promotes prosperity, good health, and general wellbeing by examining how chi, or energy, flows through a living space.
It involves adapting your home to create a peaceful, harmonious setting that’s balanced correctly. Estate agents in central London, for example, advise that a sense of wellbeing will give homeowners the ability to become healthier, happier and more prosperous.
How does it Work?
By placing furniture in certain positions or introducing specific objects into your rooms, feng shui can help release negative energy and replace it with a positive force.
The first step to achieving good feng shui is to give your home a good spring clean. Most importantly, get rid of superfluous possessions. By decluttering your home, you’re decluttering your mind, making way for a positive energy flow. Decluttering and tidying up your home will also create more space, enabling positive energy to circulate more effectively.
Take time to call in a professional or get things fixed yourself. Leaking taps, broken tiles, mouldy grouting and squeaky floorboards should all be adjusted so your mind is free to think about more important things. Minor, daily irritations may not seem that serious, but they build up and are constantly at the back of your mind, creating a negative block.
Throw away anything that’s broken, even if it has sentimental value, otherwise you’re clinging onto the past and not looking forward to the future.
Front Door
In feng shui, a house gets its energy nourishment through the front door, so the stronger, healthier and more balanced the front door is, the stronger the quality of energy available for those who live in the house.
Here are five ways to give your front door a head start when it comes to feng shui…
- Make sure the flow of energy to the front door is unobstructed and open. This means ditching the recycling bins, old plant pots and other items blocking the flow of energy.
- Keep your front door clean and well cared for.
- Paint your front door a colour that is in harmony with the feng shui element of the door direction. If your door faces east, for example, then it’s best to paint it green, brown, blue and black.
- On the other hand, if your door faces south then warm colours such as red, orange or a warm yellow are the best paint shades to choose. And doors that face west or north should be covered in metal element colours, such as white or grey.
Mirrors
Mirrors have been called the “aspirin of feng shui” because they can be used to cure so many problems in a space. The golden rules of using mirrors to increase the flow of positive energy in a home include…
- Use full-height mirrors to give a sense of completeness whenever you see yourself. Tiny or tiled mirrors or fragments will cause you to feel “broken up” into pieces over time.
- Hang mirrors to bring in views of nature from the outdoors, amplifying them and activating healthy chi energy indoors.
- Use mirrors where they’ll add light and movement to your space. A large mirror in a long dark hallway, for instance, will draw in positive energy, helping it circulate throughout your home.
- Hang a mirror near the front door to give you a positive glimpse of yourself on your way out the home.
The Bedroom
A good feng shui bedroom is one that invites you, lures you in, excites and calms at the same time. Here are five basic feng shui tips for the bedroom…
- Ditch the TV, computer and exercise equipment
- Open the windows often to keep the air in your bedroom fresh and full of oxygen.
- Avoid having the bed directly in line with the door and make sure it is easily approachable from both sides
- Place a bedside table on each side of your bed
- Use soothing skin colours, from pale white to chocolate brown, to achieve a good feng shui balance in your bedroom.