Home and Living

Feng Shui, the ancient art of placement, offers guidelines to balance furniture, decorations and colors to achieve calm, happiness and harmony in the home, office and community. Since each room of the house has a different purpose, the rules of home feng shui differ from room to room. Of course, all rooms must be free of clutter because a mess, whether seen or not, is very bad for energy.

Bedrooms

The energy of the bedroom determines whether or not the occupants will rest well. If you are having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, try some simple home feng shui before heading to the pharmacy. Electronics like televisions or computers should not be kept in the bedroom but if there is such appliance in there, cover it up at night in a cabinet or with a pleasing drape. Colors should be neutral and calming, and any books or letters about negative topics should be removed.

Children’s Rooms

Home feng shui can help a child relax and rest in his or her bedroom, too. A pleasant picture of the parents helps establish their authority over the household. Water, pictures of water, aquariums or even the sound of water can interfere with the energy that protects the child’s health. The child’s bed should be on the wide wall where he or she can see the door. There should be no view of a bathroom from the bed, nor should the headboard wall be shared with a bathroom, because of the water element.

Boys should have a bedroom on the east or north side of the house. Girls’ bedrooms should be on the South, Southeast or West. Violence should be avoided in a child’s room. This includes pictures of dangerous animals, war elements – even King Arthur and his knights – and violent music.

A place for studying should be separate from the sleeping area. If there is a need to improve study habits, home feng shui dictates that the desk be placed on the Northeast wall of the room. Make sure there is sufficient light, especially natural light. The South wall is the best place for awards and certificates of achievement to be displayed.

Dormitory Rooms

When a member of the family goes off to college, home feng shui can go along. There are some things that can be done to enhance the flow of good energy even in a furnished room far away from home. If the mirror overlooks the bed, cover it with a picture or screen. Cover the bed with a spread and comforter during the day for visitors to sit on, and then at night strip off the cover to remove the energy of those who visited. Easy-to-care-for plants like ivy or herbs add a life force and some scent to the room. During the day, freshen the air with lemon or orange candles or oil to increase energy, and then at night, use lavender to invite sleep.