What an East-Facing House Means in Feng Shui

Introduction to Feng Shui and East Direction

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy and practice that focuses on balancing energies in a space to promote harmony, health, prosperity and overall well-being. An important tool in feng shui is the bagua map, which acts as a blueprint for different life areas. The bagua map has 8 sectors corresponding to the directions – North, South, East, West, and the 4 diagonals. Each direction represents specific aspects of life.

The East direction is associated with the wood element and represents new beginnings and family. The energy in the East is all about fresh starts, growth, creativity and having supportive relationships. Positioning your front doors, windows or bed so they face East is considered auspicious in feng shui. An East-facing home allows this vibrant, regenerative vibe to flow through your space. This direction energizes family connections and activates new opportunities, bringing an optimistic, expansive quality to all areas of life.

Benefits of an East-Facing Home

The East direction represents new beginnings, rebirth, and growth in feng shui. It is associated with the element of wood and is connected to family and health. There are many benefits to living in or owning an East-facing home or property.

An East-facing home supports fresh starts, growth and family harmony. The wood energy of the East activates vitality and a sense of renewal. It promotes starting new projects, expanding your knowledge, finding new opportunities, and nurturing your health and wellbeing.

Living in an East-facing home can enhance prosperity, success and wealth. Since the East relates to money and abundance, activating this area brings in positive financial energy. An East-facing entrance allows money qi to flow smoothly into your home.

The East also nourishes family relationships. It reduces family conflicts and discord, promoting closeness and understanding between family members. An East-facing home encourages family growth and unity. The stability and harmony of family life may be enhanced.

Overall, an East-facing home aligns with new beginnings for family, relationships, career, and finances. It activates luck and prosperity while reducing turmoil and obstacles. The fresh energy from the East direction supports growth and revitalization in all areas of life.

Feng Shui Elements to Incorporate

To activate the energy of your East-facing home, incorporate the wood and water elements. The wood element is connected to growth, health, family, and new beginnings in feng shui. Bring in wood energy through the use of greens, blues, teals, and columnar shapes. Paint walls or add pillows in these colors. Hang artwork depicting trees, forests, or leaves. Add tall bookshelves, floor lamps, pillars, or columns to represent the vertical wood energy.

Water represents flow, abundance, and renewal in the feng shui bagua. Incorporate the water element by adding a tabletop fountain, wall art or sculptures with wavy, fluid shapes, or a small indoor pond. The sound and movement of flowing water activates this area’s potential for fresh starts, improving family connections, and smooth-flowing chi through your home. Avoid sharp edges or overly angular designs. Instead, embrace curved lines, arches, and natural shapes. A few simple additions can harmonize your home’s energy flow.

Wood Element Decor

The Wood element is connected to the East direction in feng shui. To bring in this energy, incorporate greens, blues and teals through paint colors, furniture, decor items, textiles and artwork.

Some ideas for bringing in wood colors:

Paint bedroom walls a soft blue-green color like seafoam. Blue-green is both calming and energizing.
Buy pillows, throws or accent chairs in shades of emerald, teal and aqua. A bright throw blanket can add an instant pop of color.
Choose bedding or window treatments in leafy patterns and green/blue hues. Florals and organic prints represent the wood element.
Add jade green accents through vases, candles, trays or decorative bowls. Jade is a classic feng shui color.
Choose a hand-knotted wool rug in deep blue or jewel-toned teal for the living room.
Select art, ceramics or glassware in these cool, watery tones. Blues and greens promote harmony.

Keep the wood element prominent in an East home or room to fully activate the positive energy flow. Vibrant greens and blues will cultivate a feeling of renewal.

Add the Water Element

The East direction relates to water energy in feng shui. By adding water features and decor, you can fully activate the positive potential of an East-facing home.

Some easy ways to bring in the water element include:

Add a tabletop fountain or wall-mounted water feature. The pleasant trickling sound is said to evoke a sense of tranquility and flow. Opt for a contemporary style fountain for a modern look.
Incorporate wavy and fluid furniture shapes and patterns. Look for couches or accent chairs with curved lines. Add pillows, rugs, or artwork with wave motifs. The flowing shapes represent the water energy.
Choose fabric curtains with watery patterns on them, like waves, raindrops, or abstract watercolor designs. Hang sheer curtains to filter the morning light in an airy way.
Paint a mural of the ocean, a lake, or a river on one of the walls. This watery imagery brings the essence of water into the space. Stick to cool blue and green shades for a relaxing vibe.
Display a vase filled with glass beads, marbles or rocks. The refractive quality represents the shimmer of water. Use blue, green or clear beads for the best effect.

By intentionally integrating water features and decor throughout the home, you can activate, balance, and optimize the East direction energy. This allows you to reap the full benefits of your home’s orientation.

Tall Columnar Shapes

In feng shui, tall vertical shapes represent growth and ascension – perfect for activating the energy of new beginnings in an east-facing home. Consider incorporating columnar decor elements like:

Floor lamps
Tall plants like bamboo or dracaena
Curtains or wallpaper with vertical stripes
Shelving units
Tall vases
Thin console tables
Mirrors or artwork in a portrait orientation

The upward energy of vertical shapes energetically activates growth and momentum. Place tall items like floor lamps or tall plants in the eastern corners or sides of a room. Hang long curtains with vertical stripes over eastern windows. Add artwork, vases, candles or decorative items with a tall, thin silhouette on eastern walls or surfaces. This strengthens the wood energy and brings powerful qi into the space.

Houseplants

An easy way to activate the wood element in an East-facing home is by bringing in healthy houseplants. Greenery represents growth and vitality in feng shui, perfectly suiting the energies of the East direction.

Some of the best houseplants for an East-facing home include:

Snake Plant – With its upright sword-like leaves, the snake plant has a strong columnar shape that energizes the East. Snake plants are also hardy, low maintenance plants that can thrive in most lighting conditions.
Money Plant – Also called pothos, the money plant has trailing vines with heart-shaped leaves. It is excellent for growing wealth and prosperity in an East-facing home. The vines can be trained up a moss pole or allowed to trail from bookshelves or countertops.
Bamboo – Bamboo stalks have a tall, vertical structure that activates the wood element. Bamboo is also beloved in feng shui for its flexibility and fast growth, symbolizing future success. Bamboo can be grown in soil or water. Opt for a type like lucky bamboo that can thrive indoors without much sun.

When choosing houseplants, select varieties that are thriving and vibrant. Avoid sickly plants or those with dying leaves. The goal is to infuse the home with active, fresh energy. Rotate plants seasonally to keep the chi moving. With the right greenery, an East-facing home can thrive and nurture all who live there.

Feng Shui Artwork

Artwork is an easy way to bring in supportive feng shui elements to an east-facing home. Look for artwork depicting wooden elements like trees, plants, and flowers. Landscape paintings of lakes and rivers also represent the water element in the east direction.

Images representing family such as groups of people, young children at play or portraits bring in the energy of family and new beginnings. Avoid stark or angular art in the east. Curvy, organic shapes and images from nature enhance the supportive wood and water energies. Wavy and watery abstract art also activates the east’s natural elements.

Greens, blues, teals, and light earthy tones used in artwork harmonize with the east direction. Dark, fiery colors like black, red and orange can feel jarring. Paintings with prominent greens and blues bring an abundance of wood and water energy.

Place artwork in family gathering areas like living rooms and dining spaces. Having artwork facing the entry brings the energy of family deeply into the home. Clustering 2-3 small paintings provides more potent energy than one large piece. Rotate artwork seasonally to keep the wood and water energies fresh and active.

Other Tips

In addition to bringing in the wood and water elements, here are some other feng shui tips for an east-facing home:

Maintain an open floor plan. Remove any unnecessary interior walls or doors that block the flow of energy from the front door through the home.
Minimize clutter. Too many possessions can feel overwhelming and prevent you from embracing new beginnings. Donate unused items, clear surfaces, and organize closets and storage areas.
Position the front door facing out. The front door is connected to opportunity and new experiences. Make sure it doesn’t open against a wall inside the home. Face it towards the outside to invite those energizing east influences in.
Add a water feature outside. Place a fountain or small pond in the front yard to activate the east’s water element. Opt for a curved or wavy shape.
Display inspiring art. Hang motivational artwork depicting mountains, sunrises, or bodies of water. Place it where it’s visible from the front door or entryway.
Open curtains and blinds. Allow natural sunlight to stream in, especially in the mornings. Darkness and clutter block positive energy.

Conclusion

Living in or designing an East-facing home offers wonderful energy according to feng shui principles. The East direction connects to family, health, and new beginnings. An East-facing home supports these positive aspects in your life.

To fully activate the auspicious energy of your East-facing house, bring in design elements connected to the feng shui elements of Wood and Water. Add wood tones like greens and blues, along with tall vertical shapes. Houseplants and water features also enhance the feng shui. With thoughtful adjustments, you can align your home with the natural flow of energy from the East direction. This creates a supportive environment for family, vitality, self-expression, and starting fresh in all areas of life.