The ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui is often repurposed as a home decorating style in the west. When someone uses its principles, they do so to create a harmonious atmosphere in their home.
Along with making your apartment look and feel harmonious, Feng Shui also promotes positive energy flow. What does that mean exactly? That you can design your apartment to attract better health, wealth, and love into your personal life.
So how do you bring these unique principles into your apartment? Read on to learn five tips to harmonize your interiors using Feng Shui.
1. Plan According to Your Bagua
The Bagua is the Feng Shui energy map, with labeled sections that match your apartment’s layout. Following the Bagua should be your first step to creating a harmonious home.
There are two schools of Bagua interpretation, the traditional and the western. The western is easiest for Feng Shui beginners to learn and practice.
Picture a grid composed of nine squares, with each square identifying an area of your home. These identities inform you how to use each space to achieve harmony. Along with connecting to an aspect of your life, each area also has an element, which we’ll detail later. From top left and heading clockwise, these squares are:
1. Wealth
Design this area of your apartment to reflect the wealth you want to create. This is the perfect spot for your home office, where you work and where you pay your bills.
Wealth’s element is wood, so try to incorporate this into the design scheme.
2. Fame
Fame may sound strange at first. How do you decorate an area of your apartment to inspire fame? It’s not so much about achieving fame as about celebrating your accomplishments and what you bring to the world.
In this part of your apartment, hang your diplomas, certifications, medals, and trophies.
Fame’s element is fire. But again, more on this next.
3. Marriage
You don’t have to actually be married to inspire harmony in this region of your home. This is the space to celebrate love. Hang artwork that reflects your ideal love and choose warm, inviting lighting options.
Marriage’s element is earth.
4. Children
Like marriage, you don’t have to have children to improve your harmony in this section of your home. If you do, this is the perfect spot for your kids’ bedrooms.
And if you have fur children, you may wish to keep their bedding and toys here.
No kids or pets right now? No problem! Keep mementos from your childhood here.
The element for children is metal.
5. Helpful People
This area is all about gratitude. It contributes to your home’s harmony by paying tribute to important people and other blessings in your life.
Consider art, figurines, and other decorative pieces that capture your sense of gratitude.
Its element is metal.
6. Career
This is the area dedicated to celebrating your professionalism and career path. Black and white photos of those you admire in your field are perfect here.
Career’s element is water, so a water feature would work well in this area.
7. Knowledge
Your knowledge sector should emphasize your quest for insights. Here, you can place a bookcase and use the space to meditate.
Its element is earth.
8. Family
Make this area where you gather with loved ones, be it a living room or a dining room. Display photos of loved ones on shelves and walls.
The family element is wood.
9. Health
This area aligns with the center of the Bagua map and is the heart of your apartment. Maybe this is where your kitchen is, where you cook wholesome meals to nourish yourself and friends and family.
Health’s element is wood.
Remember that the Bagua map’s bottom row (Helpful People, Career, and Knowledge) should align with your front door. Use each section to define the energy spaces in your home and how they correspond to areas of your life.
Once you have your apartment’s energy spaces set, you can decorate using the following Feng Shui tips.
2. Use Feng Shui Decor
Now it’s time to kit out your apartment using the five elements that correspond with the Bagua map. Decorations play a vital part to harmonize your interiors and bring positive energy your way.
Wood
Wood is the element in the wealth, health, and family sectors. Add wooden furniture, live plants and trees, and natural fabrics to these areas.
Fire
Fire is the element in the fame sector. You may not have a built-in fireplace in your apartment, but you can add an electric space heater that looks like the real deal.
It’s a beautiful feature that brings warmth and harmony to your home.
Earth
For the marriage and knowledge areas of your apartment, decorate with landscape artwork and items in earth tones.
Metal
Metal is the element for the children and helpful people sectors. Think sleek metal handles and doorknobs, decorative rocks and stones, and shiny metal frames for photos and artwork.
Water
Career’s element, this is the area to add a water feature, such as a miniature waterfall or an aquarium.
To keep the harmony flowing through your apartment, remember not to overdo any of these elements. It’s about having a delicate touch that reflects your life and personal style.
3. Let in Air and Light
Light and air are necessary components for harmony.
Be sure to have access to sunlight and fresh air by keeping windows uncovered and open during the day. Place live plants around your apartment to help clean the air.
Experiment with different lighting to enable a sense of calm.
4. Make Doorways Inviting
The doorway to your apartment can attract chi, or positive energy, by using Feng Shui principles in its styling and upkeep.
Make sure your door is clean, oil any rusty hinges, and clear any obstacles near it to ensure positive energy can flow unfettered.
5. Keep Rooms Clutter-Free
Any clutter that collects in your apartment can undo the other Feng Shui elements you’ve been implementing.
In fact, higher amounts of clutter can attract negative energy.
Clutter blocks the flow of chi, which can then prevent harmony from entering your health, career, and wealth sectors. So keep your apartment tidy and let the chi do its thing!
Conclusion
Using these five Feng Shui tips can ensure your interiors are harmonious. They may also invite good health, wealth, and love into your life.
What else can you ask for when decorating your apartment?
[Author bio:]
Caitlin Sinclair is the property manager at Verandas at Timberglen, an apartment community in Dallas.
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