Everyone wants a beautifully decorated home to live in. We spend a lot of time in our homes and in Feng Shui, these homes are a direct reflection of how we think and feel about ourselves. Feng Shui decorating is more involved than just hanging curtains, picking paint colors or moving a decorative loveseat away from a window. Feng shui has quickly evolved from a new age trend to a decorating phenomenon widely practiced by professional decorators and amateurs alike. Decorating and Feng Shui principles work well together. A room does not have to be decorated with flutes and bamboo in order to use Feng Shui. Decorating with Feng Shui principles involves the movement of energy and moving blocked areas so energy moves at a balanced pace around the entire home. Feng Shui practitioners will use all types of tools to move this energy. This could involve decorating with mirrors, water, plants, color, sound, scent, and more.
The influence of color is an important aspect to decorating through Feng Shui eyes. We respond to colors subjectively. In China, decorating with the color red brings good luck. Red is frequently on the front door. Decorating with red is not the only color of good fortune. Yellow and purple are very auspicious to have in the décor. In Feng Shui, yellow has been considered an Imperial color that many Feng Shui masters find it more beneficial than red. Decorating with green is a color of freshness, peace and growth. Darker decorative colors can either be relaxing or depressing, light colors can be uplifting or annoying, and extreme colors can be exhilarating or aggravating. If there is a certain room in the home that an argument always occurs, check out the color and the way it is decorated. Does the room have aggressive decorative objects? Is the color irritating? If you feel good in the home of a friend that is decorated with colors and objects you love, remember that when deciding how to decorating your own home or apartment. For some reason, the decorating scheme works with your sensibilities. Begin to "feel" the room with Feng Shui in mind.
When making decorating decisions, consider Feng Shui and the elements and how they correspond to the bagua. The following colors tied into a decorating scheme work nicely.
• Wealth area and Family area are the elements of wood. In Feng Shui, decorate with plants that have broad healthy leaves. Silk plants are allowed, however, do not use dried plants because they symbolize ill health. Blue wallpaper and carpet or soft furnishings are good because this represents water and water allows wood to grow. Decorating with a mixture of blue and green is great. Decorating with fish, in Feng Shui this is very symbolic of wealth.
• Fame and Reputation area has fire as the element so decorating with red is a good idea. Decorating with red and fire elements brings luck and recognition. The walls may be painted a warm peach or maroon. Decorative furniture could be green as well because this mixes well with red. The colors can be very toned down, they do not need to be bright. Fire is represented by light so many fixtures, floor lamps, ceiling fans and candles are good choices for decorating.
• Health, Relationship and Knowledge areas are earth element in Feng Shui. These areas could be decorated with natural crystals, terracotta and tile. Decorative orange, yellow, and browns are great for this area. In Feng Shui, fire produces earth so bring some red into the mix for extra punch. Harmonize all decorative objects with warm earthy colors.
• Children, Creativity area and Helpful People have metal as the element. Decorating with metallic wind chimes calling in the energy or other metals like wrought iron are a nice choice. In Feng Shui, gold and silver bring about good fortune too. The best colors to decorate these areas with would be white or metallic colors. Earth tones are also good matches when mixed with white. Have music playing and a radio or TV on.
• The Career area is represented by the element of water. Too much water is like a flooding bank and brings negativity. However, decorating with small amounts of water is excellent. A small water fountain or aquarium is good in this area. Bring in a painting with a water scene. Decorating with black and white is excellent and very popular in contemporary homes.
Some basic Feng Shui ideas for decorating and designing rooms and houses include: avoiding floor plans with small cramped rooms, keep the design free flowing. Avoid long hallways because the energy moves too quickly down the hall. Avoid excessive overhead lighting. Choose warm full spectrum lighting instead. While decorating with Feng Shui, keep sharp corners to a minimum. Place healthy plants in a decorative manner throughout the home. Arrange couches and chairs in a way that allows people to see the door and for easy conversation. Be careful of too many knick-knacks. This can mean decorative clutter and it can quickly get out of control. Decorating through Feng Shui principles is not hard, just feel the space and follow a few good Feng Shui ideas to decorate a home that’s great to live in.