It’s a topic discussed in most major lifestyle magazines and on your favorite home decorating shows — feng shui. I was first introduced to this ancient Chinese philosophy in the early 1980s as it applied to architecture, landscape features, and martial arts.

Meaning “wind” (feng) and “water” (shui), its principles can be applied to almost any decorating style to create a harmonious home environment. In addition, we’ve used feng shui techniques to attract potential buyers to help sell houses that have been stagnant in the market.

Here are our top 10 tips on how to harness the energy and vitality of feng shui within your own home.

1. Reflecting disharmony. Remove or cover large mirrors in the bedroom if you don’t sleep well.
2. Room with a view. Place your bed to give you the widest view of the room. Your bed should not be in direct line with the door. Paint the bedroom walls in a color scheme that is both pleasant and inviting.
3. Calming sounds. Hang wind chimes outside your front door to create a soothing environment for occupants and guests.
4. Writing on the wall. Try to avoid having completely bare walls. Group together non-personal pictures or hang up interesting art pieces in a diagonal or staggered pattern.
5. Go with the flow. Place a blue or black doormat at your front door to encourage good things to flow in like water.
6. The color of love.Include the romance colors - white, pink and red - in your room. Don’t overdose with a red wall because too much red can trigger anger.
7. Plants for energy. Rooms filled with plants will give its inhabitants a feeling of tranquility and lead to improved well-being. Healthy plants generate positive energy. Avoid dried flowers because they have no energy left.
8. Look overhead. Move beds, couches, and desks from any overhead beams to keep energy flowing.
9. Less is more. When arranging furniture, less is more. Too much clutter can restrict the potential of a great room.
10. Create positive impressions. Keep counters clean, closets organized, and clutter concealed. This projects an organized and stress-free environment for you and your guests.

Even if you don’t subscribe to the feng shui philosophy, the basic concept is clear and common-sense. If you home is clean, comfortable, and well-organized, you will find it a more relaxing place to live.

Thanks to Buffini & Company for this top ten list.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 7:31 am and is filed under Architecture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.