The Modern Girl's Guide to Feng Shui
Source: @mycitychicapartment
Just like other ancient practices (shout out to Ayurveda), Feng Shui is officially mainstream thanks to the likes of Marie Kondo and Gwyneth Paltrow. To the skeptics, Feng Shui might sound a little obscure or outdated, but the key principles prove that it's actually full of common-sense practices that are easily adaptable for the Modern Girl. Practicing Feng Shui will not only make your home more organized, peaceful, and healthy, but it also demonstrates how our homes can affect our wellbeing, health, and even future.
So what the heck is Feng Shui?
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner, Kate Mackinnon, defines Feng Shui as, "the ancient Chinese art and science of creating balance in one's environment." It's an ancient art that was developed in China over 3,000 years ago (so yeah, there's a lot to it), and provides a system of harmonizing energies in a space with the people who live in it. Refreshingly, the goal is not perfection, but balance. Though we often think of it as just rearranging furniture, it can be much simpler than that. Small changes can have a huge impact on our spaces and lives, and will help your home work for your needs, desires, and dreams.
Essential Tips to Feng Shui Your Home for Better Energy
1. Bring energy from the outdoors inside.
No, this is not just woo-hoo nonsense: there's concrete evidence and endless studies to prove the health benefits that nature has on the health of the body and mind. One of the most important principles of Feng Shui is to have a lot of plants, flowers, and greenery in every space. Live plants are not only great air purifiers, but they're also life force energy. Bring plants into your home to experience everything from more compassion to purpose to inspiration. Besides plants, bring energy from the outdoors in by buying fresh flowers every week, keeping your windows open as much as possible, and hanging up nature scenes on the walls.
2. Prioritize air and light quality.
Air and light are some of the most essential parts of good Feng Shui. For air quality, leave windows open as much as possible and purchase an air purifier. If you live in a drier climate or constantly have the heat going in the colder months, consider purchasing a humidifier to improve the liquid in the air. Also, keep lighting as natural as possible. Leave curtains and blinds open during all hours of the day, and keep off artificial lights as much as possible during daylight hours. When you do need to start turning on lights when the sun goes down, consider a Himalayan salt lamp for warmer energy.
3. Learn the basics of Feng Shui elements.
3,000 years of studying certain elements is not easy to summarize, but in an attempt, there are five core elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal. Each of these elements have a unique energy and purpose in the home, and every environment (and person) requires a different combination of the elements. The goal is to find perfect balance between the elements, but you might need a balance between the energy. For example, if you get more frustrated or angry, stay less away from fire and more towards earth and water to ground you and cool you off. The five elements can be represented physically or symbolically (like with colors).
Water: Traditionally, the best areas for waterflow would be the East, South, or Northeast part of your home. However, that sounds a little too complicated for me, and the important part is adding in a water element. Even a small fountain will help diffuse healthy negative ions in the air for better health. Try an electric fountain or even an oil diffuser/humidifier. Water is also represented as the color black (I know, weird, but energy picks the colors, not us!).
Fire: Light up your fireplace (even in summer) if you're that #blessed, or simply have a candle lit whenever you're home. Fire is also represented in reds, oranges, and pinks, so consider adding extra fire colors if you need an energy boost in your space.
Earth: Earth is incredibly grounding and peaceful, so get creative about where you can add materials directly from the earth into your space. Fill a decorative bowl (or bathroom sink) with rocks, place crystals around each room, or even use clay or terracotta pottery as decoration. Earth is also represented as any shade of brown, so get the benefits with beige throw pillows on the bed or a tan accent wall.
Wood: Wood is one of the easiest and most organic elements to incorporate into your home because it's traditionally used in most furniture. Because it comes easily in dressers, bed frames, chests, chairs, etc., focus on the rooms that likely have less wood like the bathroom and kitchen. Add bamboo accents or a wooden stool to the bathroom, and keep wooden cutting boards and kitchen utensils on the countertops (just make it intentional and organized). Wood is also symbolized as the color green.
Metal: Metal can represent determination, strength, and persistence, so it's especially important to add in metal elements when you're going through a difficult time or if you have a more sensitive personality. Use metal frames to hang photographs and art, incorporate metal light fixtures, and add in metal accents like doorknobs. Metal is also represented as the color white or metallics so be mindful of balancing the energy if your home has a lot of white.
4. Find out what you need to change in your home.
According to Mackinnon, the most common reasons people use Feng Shui is to boost love, money, and health (all would be nice, right?). Symbolism shows up a lot in our homes without us realizing it, so be mindful of what could be affecting you negatively. For example, if you always feel frazzled, remove all clutter from surfaces. If you're swiping right on Tinder to no avail, avoid any singular items in your home (like every chair should be paired with a couch or another chair, don't have a singular vase by itself, etc.). Want to keep the spark alive in your relationship? Keep fresh roses in a vase next to the bed for love energy. If you want to increase wealth and money, water is extremely important, so get a fountain or humidifier and keep your toilet lid shut (don't ask me why, but when the toilet lid is open, it represents money energy escaping).
Small changes can have a huge impact on our spaces and our lives, and will help your home work for your needs, desires, and dreams.
6. Focus on "the trinity."
Sadly, not all of us are stylists for ELLE Decor and have the luxury of continually cleaning, rearranging, and changing our homes. Luckily for the Modern Girl, Feng Shui refers to the "trinity" when defining the most important areas of your home. The trinity consists of the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, and is considered especially connected to your health and wellbeing. If you don't have time for a total home renovation or deep clean every night, focus on these three areas for the greatest effect. And if you live in a tiny studio apartment like I do and your whole space is just the trinity? Well, I guess we're lucky, Feng-Shui speaking...
7. Be choosey where you put mirrors.
When I moved into my current apartment, I bought a super glam all-mirrored coffee table. Eventually, I had to get rid of it because it was just too much energy. Turns out, my interior decor intuition is not far off from Feng Shui. Mirrors actually reflect energy, so for one, you don't want to put them in "negative spaces" (like a cluttered corner or behind your "dirty laundry chair"–everyone has one!), but they also energize the room in general. So they can be great in spaces like an office or living space, but they might be harming your sleep if they're in the bedroom. To simplify, be mindful of what the mirror is reflecting. Is it a window, pretty art on another wall, or clutter?
8. Think about slowing the energy.
When there is a long hall or direct line-of-sight between two opposite windows or doors, the energy moves through the space too quickly, meaning a more frantic and rushed energy in your home. Break up open spaces so that the energy can move around with a gallery wall or a patterned rug. Your home should be your oasis, which means everything has a slow, calming, relaxing energy. Company should feel energy that makes them want to stay awhile, and you want your home to de-stress you when you spend time there (which is 24/7 right now, so it's extra crucial).
Feng Shui By Room:
The Bathroom:
Even if it's the grossest room in your home right now (that clogged drain...), it's also the easiest room to Feng Shui. For energy flow, always keep the door, shower door/curtain, and the toilet lid closed. Add in more natural elements like a wood stool, a tropical plant (so it can survive in humid air), wooden diffuser sticks, or a candle to light while in the space.
The Bedroom:
Your bed frame is extremely important in Feng Shui, as is every piece of furniture meant to support you. Opt for a wooden bed frame without slats instead of metal (bad energy that can affect sleep), and make sure to have a sturdy, strong headboard. Bring subtle pink, nude, and red accents if you want a relationship or are living with your significant other. Rid the space of a work desk (or your laptop/career self-help books) and any exercise equipment (including weights, sneakers, etc.). While keeping clutter out of every room is important, it's the most crucial in the bedroom, so get rid of your laundry chair once and for all for better sleep. The most important thing to remember is that this space is only for sleep and sex, so every single item inside of it should reflect that.
The Office:
Position the desk on the furthest wall away from the door and never in line with it. Your back should never face the door, so position your chair in a way that you're facing the entrance when sitting at the desk. Also, remember how water means money and abundance? It's extra important to add a water element into this space, and also consider gold or purple details (which also represent wealth).
The Living Room:
Whoever is sitting on the couch should see people entering and leaving the room at all times, so position the couch against the opposite wall of the door. If possible, mount the TV on the wall instead of on a stand (so it's less of a focal point). Also, be especially conscious of style. Decor styles should be balanced too, so if the feel is more masculine or modern, add in feminine elements and glam accents, and vice versa.
The Kitchen:
Because of the stove, you've already got big fire energy in this room (or BFE, if you will). Focus on adding more cooling colors and grounding elements like wood. If possible, glass cabinet doors are the best option since not only will they force you to keep everything organized, but it will help energy flow better. Keep knives, trash cans, and plastic out of site, and consider keeping an indoor herb garden or a fruit bowl to add natural elements.
Have you tried Feng Shui in your home? Which of these principles are you most likely to try?
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