Focus on the Chi: Feng Shui For Beginners!

Discover how small changes in your living space can invite harmony, relaxation and positive energy. Samantha Wong reports

Formalised as an art and science over 3,000 years ago in China, feng shui’s aim is to improve quality of life. Feng means ‘wind’ and shui means ‘water,’ and both are associated with good health, so if you get the feng shui in your home right, you can expect good things to follow.

Feng shui contains elements of various branches of study, including physics, philosophy, astronomy and astrology. It’s a complex body of knowledge that takes years to master but you don’t have to be an expert or own a luopan (a feng-shui compass with 24 directions marked on it) to start working it into your home and reaping the benefits.

The first thing you need to know is that according to feng shui everyone and everything is interconnected, and everything is filled with chi (energy). The way you arrange objects within a room influences how that energy flows, and how you feel. One basic tip is that your bed, desk and stove need to be placed in the ‘command position’ – this is important because the bed represents you, the desk represents your career and the stove represents your wealth. When you are in these spaces, be sure that you can see the door without being directly in line with it – this puts you in the command position, meaning you are in control of your life and receptive to positive outcomes.

Feng shui is all about mindfulness too: slowing down and noticing the details in your life and living space so that you can create harmony. Dusty corners represent areas of your life that are stagnant and ignored, so clean them up. Get rid of or fix any broken objects because they are obstacles in your life, causing stress that holds you back. And create space in your wardrobe. If it’s overstuffed, you’re giving out the message that your life is complete and you don’t need anything else.

We often intuitively know when something is not quite right in our homes, so work out where you feel uneasy and sit there, quieting the mind. You may be able to energise the space simply by moving things around, for instance placing an armchair in front of a window, but if that doesn’t do the trick, you’ll need to look to a core feng-shui principle – the theory of the five elements.

Wood, fire, earth, metal and water – the five elements – are a big deal in feng shui. Simply put, feng shui works to balance these five natural elements in your home, and by extension in your life. You need to ensure that all five elements are present in each room and working harmoniously together. To achieve this in a living area, you might combine wood and metal furniture, light some candles (fire), install an aquarium (water) and place a clay pot (earth) in a corner. But you don’t have to think so literally – each element is represented by a specific colour (see the sidebar below), so colour use is an easy and effective way to harmonise the five elements within your home. For instance, if the wood element is lacking in a bedroom, paint a feature wall green or brown; if you need more of the earth element, pick up some yellow-toned soft furnishings.

By using colour to include all the elements in your decor, you can improve your quality of life, but there’s more to it than that. Each element is also associated with a specific life attribute – wood with vitality; fire with passion and recognition; earth with stability; metal with clarity and self-discipline; and water with tranquillity and wisdom – so upping the presence of a particular element in your home can bring you more of the attribute it represents. To go at it another way, if something is lacking in your life, you will likely see that the element it corresponds to is lacking in your decor.

Let’s say you lack stability and don’t take good enough care of yourself. Chances are you need more of the earth element (sand, yellow and light brown) in your home. If you’re looking for more clarity, self-discipline or structure, look to the metal element: add grey, silver or white to your colour scheme.

By calling on the element of water, you can invite tranquillity and wisdom into your life. Try sitting on a blue or black cushion when you’re at your computer. Wood energy, associated with the colour green, can help kickstart new beginnings and increase your vitality. Alternatively, if you’re looking for passion or recognition, play around with red fire energy. Light some candles – fire is symbolised by real flames – or place red flowers in a favourite vase

When reworking your home to improve the feng shui, good lighting is another must. Si chi (bad energy) breeds in spaces that are harshly or dimly lit, so don’t limit a room to a single ceiling lamp. Layered lighting works best, meaning you rely on a number of fixtures – ceiling, standing and table – to illuminate each living space.

Mirrors are a great way to bounce light around but be a little bit cautious with them. Mirrors literally and metaphorically double what they reflect, which means they need to reflect something positive, like a beautiful view or favourite piece of furniture. A mirror above the sofa might look stylish but if it’s reflecting a neglected corner, that feeling is likely being doubled in your life. Mirrors are also linked to self-esteem, so stick to full-length ones in which you can see yourself completely. If your body is ‘cut’ in your reflection, your energy is cut, and you’re telling yourself that you don’t measure up.

Last but not least, get minimal: a pared-back, clutter-free room is harmonious and well-balanced; it’s calming without being dull and it has a sense of flow – all essentials for good feng shui. So throw out what you can (that pile of old magazines on the coffee table) and find storage solutions for things you use on a regular basis. It’s worth investing in a few simple pieces that will free up space – perhaps you need a fitted wardrobe in the bedroom and a couple of bedside tables. One of the reasons minimalist design schemes appeal to so many of us is that they radiate sheng chi (beneficial energy).

You’re aiming to fill your home with only the (attractive) necessities, and this goes for larger pieces too – get rid of the chair you never sit in and the painting you no longer look at.

Paring down will immediately up the feng shui of any home, as will giving some further thought to furniture placement. Group chairs to promote conversation and togetherness, and put the TV in a cabinet so that you can really switch off from it every now and then. Work with scale and proportion to create harmony between pieces of furniture, and make sure the chi can flow.