Living Room Decoration

Feng Shui is the philosophy of arranging and coloring your living or working environment in ways that will contribute to your health, peace, and success. The practice of Feng Shui (meaning “wind” and “water”) is believed to have begun in Tibet over 10,000 years ago. It has been practiced in China for over 3,000 years and is a comparatively recent consideration in the western culture. Feng Shui as a part of western life style has developed rapidly in recent years. Its concepts have been applied in the construction of many notable office buildings, art museums, shopping centers, and city parks, not to mention, personal office spaces, and the exterior and interior of homes.

The main concept of Feng Shui revolves around the belief that there is a constant flow of energy in nature. This energy can be either good or bad or a combination of both. In order to deflect the bad energy and receive the good, we must take into consideration the arrangements and contents of rooms in order to maximize this energy flow on our lives. This concept is especially important for rooms that are focal points in our homes, such as the living room.

Before the direct application of Feng Shui in living room arrangement can be discussed, there needs to be an understanding about the basic concepts of this practice which consists of part science, part intuition, and part spirituality. The natural earth elements of fire, wood, water, and metal are the basis for the decisions made for arranging within environments. In some practices of Feng Shui, these elements are put on a “map” called a “bagua”. Practitioners of Feng Shui can use this tool to determine the weak spots within a home and make recommendations about how to overcome the bad qi (pronounced “chi”) that is part of the environment’s layout.

The bagua is sort of like an eight-sided map. In order to understand what this “map” looks like, pretend you are looking at a clock. At approximately “12:00” on the bagua is the element of “fire”. It represents “fame” and the color red is associated with it. At “1:00” on your imaginary clock face, would be the element of “earth”. Earth represents marriage and relationships and the colors, pink and orange. In about the “3:00” area is the element of metal. It is called the “lake” area and it represents children and the color white. At “4:00” is the area called “heaven” and that represents helpful people and the color gray. At “6:00” is the element of water. It represents “career” and the color black. At “7:00” is the area called “mountain”. It represents knowledge and self-cultivation and the color blue. At “9:00” is the element of wood. It is the area of thunder, and represents family, elders, and the color green. At about “10:00”, is the element of wind. It represents fortune, wealth, and the color purple.

To get a better understanding of how the bagua works in helping determine room arrangement, for example, imagine you are entering a room with the bagua in hand. Standing in the door way while holding this “map” with the water side of the bagua facing toward the door, you can get an idea of where the weak spots of the room may be and where they correlate to your life. For example, if the right side of the room is blocked with furniture and does not have balance, it is probably having an effect on your marriage and your children. If the left side of the room does not have the correct balance and connection with the energy flow, it can affect your life’s area of wealth and extended family relationships.