What is Feng Shui?

Published by: Elizabeth Gormley
Published on: 2010-01-10 15:26:13

Feng Shui is the name for the Chinese philosophy that it is possible to incorporate harmony and balance into the spaces around us. In reference to interior design, it means taking rooms, furniture and objects, and arranging them according to the Feng Shui principles. The harmonizing energy is called “chi.” It can be channeled and maintained by adhering to the many rules of this 3,000-year-old Eastern way of thought.

A Feng Shui interior designer in Connecticut will use the five elements, known as Wu Xing. They are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are often used to represent color. Wood is associated with green, Fire with red, Earth with yellow, Metal with white, and Water with blue or black. Besides color, direction is an important aspect of Feng Shui. There are eight directions represented by the elements: South is Fire, Southeast and East are Wood, Northeast and Southwest are Earth, West and Northwest are Metal, and North is Water. Using these associations, Feng Shui designers will shape and arrange rooms using compasses, and an eight-sided device called a Pa Kua.

Feng Shui is based on the idea that everything is connected. Simply moving a dresser or purchasing a new bedspread can affect your “chi”—positively or negatively. Feng Shui enthusiasts believe the uniquely uncluttered appearance of the properly aligned and decorated room can be most beneficial to its function. For example, a bed should be against a wall that has no doors or windows, and should face the door. This is so that when you are in bed, you can see anyone enter the room. The bed should be easily approachable from both sides. In an office, your desk should be furthest from the entrance, so you will feel in command of the entire space. In a kitchen, the door should not face the stove because if you are cooking, you might want to look back to see anyone entering the room, creating a burn hazard.

These are some of the easier-to-grasp, functional reasons to employ Feng Shui. It gets quite complex when a designer utilizes the elements and colors because the possibilities are endless, the use of an aquarium as Water, the proper color of the fish. Another way for the designer to get creative is in artwork. Think of the color and shape of a painting or sculpture, in regards to its placement, and the specific function of the room. Often the Chinese Zodiac is consulted in Feng Shui. The philosophy is so old and practiced that there are scores of maps, charts, definitions, and theories, to find the right “chi.”

Feng Shui is utilizing sets of rules to create the proper energy in your home space. The rules are there for function and harmony, executed and effective in corporate environments as well as private homes.

For a Connecticut Feng Shui interior designer near you, contact us today!

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