In honor of Chinese New Year, which begins this Saturday, we’re looking at ways to bring health, wealth and happiness into your home during this year of the rat. One way is with feng shui — the Chinese practice of orienting the items in your home in a way that creates a positive flow of energy and attracts joy, love, pleasure and abundance. While the principles of feng shui can be fairly complex and unique to each home, we have a few, fairly simple, ideas that you can put into practice yourself.

The feng shui bagua 

The root of feng shui is the bagua, a grid map of nine sections that represent wealth and prosperity, fame and reputation, relationships, family, health, creativity and children, knowledge, career, and helpful people and travel. You lay the bagua over the floor plan of your home to find the corresponding areas. Each section has colors and elements that can strengthen the energy of that area of your life. As an example, if career is your priority and that area of the map falls over your living room, you can focus on strengthening the energy by incorporating the element of water, the colors black and dark blue, and the number one into your decor. If you’re interested in learning more about using the feng shui bagua to map the rooms in your home, we suggest this great article by The Spruce. 

Open your space

For good energy to be able to flow freely around your home, it needs to be free of all obstacles. Make it a priority to create space around your home by decluttering and opening the paths that you walk. Because doors are considered portals that allow in opportunity, they need to be able to open more than 90 degrees. Windows, which represent the eyes of your home, should be clean to allow in as much light as possible. And fix or throw away all broken items. By doing so, it’s good practice for finding a way to fix the problems in your life.

Entryway

The front door is considered the mouth of your home — the place where “chi” or good energy enters — so it should be open and welcoming. Trim plants that are impeding the walkway and make sure your doorbell is working correctly. You’ll want to figure out the compass direction of your front door and choose a color that is harmonious for that direction. Click here to learn more about choosing the right door color. There should be a place for the good energy to land as it enters the home, so place a table near the entrance. And avoid having a large mirror facing the door as it can push away the good energy from entering. 

Bedroom

The most important thing to note in the bedroom is the position of the bed. The commanding position in any room — the place that allows you to keep command of things coming into your life — is opposite or diagonal to the door, but not in direct line with it, which is considered to be a coffin position. So you should be able to see the door while laying in bed. You want the bed as close to the center of the room as possible. Ideally, there would be two matching night tables and lamps, with enough space on both sides to walk around. It’s believed the space under your bed affects the underbelly of your life, so avoid using it as a storage space. A strong bed is important, as it gives you a sense of being supported, so a wood bed frame and headboard is ideal.

Living room

For proper feng shui, the ideal living room would have two exterior walls with windows that allow in natural light and energy. No matter the size of the room, the layout of the furniture should be in a way that makes it feel spacious. Place the sofa on the farthest solid wall from the door and leave space between it and the wall. Avoid placing it against a window or floating it in the middle of the room because it’s believed it makes guests seated on it feel insecure. Because televisions are believed to contain active energy, use the feng shui bagua and place it in the area of the room you’d like to activate — north for career, south for fame, etc.

Kitchen

Lighting is very important in the kitchen. The ideal setup would have a layer of natural light — either from windows or a skylight — along with bright bulbs. Fluorescent lighting should be avoided. The stove should be placed across from the door in the commanding position and all other appliances should be in proper working order. Because the kitchen represents fire, and too much fire energy can make people feel irritable, the room should be balanced with the element of water. Avoid the color red and instead choose white, blue or green for your decor. And keep a bowl of fruit or a piece of artwork on display as they signify wealth and abundance.

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Whether strictly following the principles of feng shui or just wanting to better the energy in your home, it’s believed that when you feel comfortable and in harmony within your home, you’ll feel balanced and in peace with your life. That sounds great to us! Need help fixing things that are broken or making sure all your appliances are in working order? Schedule a visit from  your House Manager today.