Fêng Shui Living Room: Tips for Creating Balance
Everything you need to know.
Fêng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that uses energy to create harmony. It is often applied to home layouts in order to support your interaction with the environment inside your home. In Chinese, “fêng'' means “wind” and “shui” means “water.” Together they symbolize how energy and life flow through a room.
The living room is one of the first rooms guests see when entering your home. It sets the vibe of your home, and the wrong type of energy can throw off feelings and emotions. Keep reading to learn how to create a perfectly balanced fêng shui living room.
Before You Begin: The 5 Elements of Fêng Shui
Fêng shui is made up of five different elements: fire, wood, earth, water, and metal. Add in all five to establish balance in your home, allowing you to live in harmony. When creating a fêng shui living room, be sure to incorporate at least one or more of these elements through materials, colors, art, or decor.
Fire: Fire represents passion and leadership. It warms your home and can instill boldness within your family. It is believed that without fire, you can have a lack of direction, resulting in low self-esteem. Try adding in candles, lighting your fireplace often, or displaying books that inspire you. Opt for pillows and throw blankets in shades of orange or red to represent the soft sides of fire.
Wood: Wood represents creativity, strength, and growth. Wooden bookshelves, frames, or tables will help create a calming effect. House plants are an easy way to add in the wood element and also improve air quality.
Earth: Earth is all about strength and stability. Try adding in earth-tone colors such as tan and brown to your rugs, tapestries, and decor. Add landscape artwork to your walls and prioritize natural light as much as you can.
Water: Water represents peace, spirituality, and emotion. Opt for decor in shades of blues or sea greens. Add paintings of water scenes to your wall or add in a small fountain to your living room. Be sure to avoid paintings of rough seas, and if your painting includes a boat, be sure the boat is always sailing into the room – it represents opportunities sailing in.
Metal: Metal represents focus, clarity, and logic. It is known for uniting all five elements, creating order in your home. Adding too much metal can come off as cold or emotionless, so opt for items with metal accents like metallic bowls, frames, or vases.
How to Create a Fêng Shui Living Room
A fêng shui-esque living room can be achieved by establishing balance between the elements. Before you start adding in elements of fêng shui, consider what the main function of your living room will be. Whether it is for leisure, entertainment, dining, or working, the furniture and decor should be centered around the functionality of the room.
Declutter
When creating a fêng shui living room, clutter is the number one thing to look out for. Clutter can overwhelm the room and can create stress in your everyday life, especially in your home. Go through your living room and decide what is necessary for you to keep, what can be allocated to other rooms, and what can be donated. Be sure to keep up with your decluttering routine, it will help to create space for new energy.
Air It Out
Air out your living room from time to time. Open your windows for nine minutes – nine is the most favorable number in fêng shui. Leaving your windows open allows for old, stale energy to leave, making room for new energy.
Find Your Command Position
When trying to decide on a fêng shui living room layout, always start by positioning your sofa/sectional in the commanding position, meaning you should be able to have a clear view of the doorway at all times. This will let you see who is entering the room at any given moment. Although it can be popular, placing your seating in the middle of the room gives off instability within your homelife, work-life, and personal life. It can leave you feeling uneasy and vulnerable. For strong, stable support, place your sofa against a solid wall. It helps create the feeling of safety.
If you have an L-shaped sectional, try placing a plant at the end of the sofa on an end table or opt for a large planter that can sit on the floor. This will balance the uneven form and get rid of any negative energy.
Tip!
If you are not able to place your sofa against a solid wall, opt for placing strong pieces of furniture behind it, like a cabinet or bookcase, creating strong support. They should be the same height as your sofa.
The living room is a room in your home that everyone shares. When arranging your furniture, consider your family size. Be sure that there is a seat for each family member, making it possible for the household to gather together in a welcome and comfortable space. Face your furniture inward to invite conversation and engagement. Remember, having your back to the door gives off bad energy, so try to avoid that if you can.
When choosing art, opt for something that brings in the colors of the five elements or the colors of the elements that are most meaningful to you. When hanging your art, be sure that it is placed approximately at eye level. This will keep the energy from getting too low, which can lead to flat energy or depression.
Tip!
If you decide to display family photographs instead of art, be sure to select photographs that are lively and include every member that lives in your home. This will bring cheerful and happy energy into your living room.
Go Green
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to fêng shui a living room, you can't go wrong with plants. Bringing living plants into your space adds life and refreshing greenery to the room. Greenery and plants work with the earth's element energy. If you opt for living plants, be sure that you are providing and giving the plants enough light, water, and space to thrive. Living plants help improve the air quality of the space and absorb any negative energy. To encourage stimulating conversation, try adding plants or greenery to the right side of your sofa. This will boost the active energy in the room.
Be sure to add in pieces that show off your personality. Good fêng shui is meaningful, but it’s important that you love your space and feel comfortable in it. Consider a hammered metal side table, an industrial-esque floor lamp, and a decorative throw with a subtle woven pattern – or anything that speaks to you. Just make sure to stick to three to four statement pieces or fewer to keep the room open and uncluttered.
Tip!
When in doubt, if a decor piece or color doesn’t work well for you or just doesn’t feel right for the space, don’t include it! Listen to your gut instincts and add in colors and elements that you love
Light It Up
Natural light promotes health and vitality. Windows brighten up the space, making it feel more open. If you don’t have many windows in your living room, try adding in mirrors to reflect the natural light. It will make the room feel larger and more open. Place your mirrors in spaces that can reflect outdoor views and be sure to keep your mirrors clean.
Opt for different lighting options in your living room by adding in accent lights, sconces, or overhead lighting. You can layer your lighting by adding in different varieties, creating light sources on different levels.
Tip!
Review Glow Up Your Space With These 18 Living Room Lighting Ideas for more inspiration on incorporating lighting into your living space.
Let Energy Flow
One of the biggest fêng shui living room rules is ensuring the space flows well. This includes the layout of the furniture and furniture shapes, and how they influence an ease of movement throughout the room. To start, be sure that the energy can move around the room without being obstructed by furniture. Opt for a round coffee table to reduce harsh angles in the space. Try walking around your living room and ensure that you can safely get to each piece of furniture. This will help you create enough space for energy to flow.
Start designing your zen living room space now.
