Feng Shui
The special design of the apartment according to Feng Shui should bring the chi to flow and ensure that you feel really comfortable at home. We show you how to furnish according to Feng Shui rules and what effect this has.
The teaching of Feng Shui gives suggestions on how rooms, apartments, houses and gardens can be furnished in such a way that there are positive effects on our well-being. Feng Shui is a whole package of different methods that can be used to find out which colors, shapes and materials, placed in the right places, stimulate the flow of the life energy Chi. Feng Shui can be combined with all furnishing styles, whether modern, Mediterranean or country house style .
The life energy Chi in Feng Shui
Feng Shui describes the relationship between humans and nature and explains how the living environment can be positively influenced. The words “Feng” and “Shui” come from Chinese and translate as “wind” and “water”. The driving force in Feng Shui is Chi – the invisible life energy that needs to be kept going.
Feng Shui as a furnishing style is about letting the chi flow unhindered through the living spaces. If the flow of chi is promoted, personal well-being also increases. Rooms that are designed according to Feng Shui should radiate a positive atmosphere and give their residents a feeling of protection, security and strength.
The flow of chi can be imagined as a couple dancing waltzes moving harmoniously through the apartment. It comes through doors into the individual rooms, turns a few laps and leaves again through the same door or a different one. Some of the chi also leaves the rooms through windows or chimneys and thus ensures a steady flow.
The site plan of the Bagua in Feng Shui
If you want to design a room or garden, an apartment or a house according to Feng Shui, you can use the Bagua. This is a schematic tool of Feng Shui, which is used for the ideal division, equipment and use of living spaces. It is divided into eight areas of life, which are grouped in the form of a square or octagon around the central area, the Thai Chi. These areas, called homes, are careers, helpful friends, children, partnership, fame, fortune, family, and knowledge.
And this is how you use it: The bagua is placed over the floor plan and adjusted so that the majority of the floor plan is covered by the scheme. The entrance is in the Knowledge, Career or Helpful Friends houses. The Bagua now assigns parts, rooms and corners of the floor plan to the individual Feng Shui houses. Every house stands for a certain area of life that needs to be designed with colors, materials and shapes. This allows the chi to flow better and has a positive effect on general well-being.
The houses in Feng Shui
The bagua of Feng Shui should help to recognize weaknesses and strengths of the domestic environment and to enhance them through targeted Feng Shui measures. The houses serve as a practical guide for furnishing and designing.
Career: In
Feng Shui, the house symbolizes the life’s work and life’s path . So the area that falls into this zone should be bright and clear. The color blue can have a favorable effect here.
Partnership:
In Feng Shui, the house stands for relationships with other people. The area should be designed in such a way that you enjoy being there. A cozy seating area, soft textiles or a round table at which you can eat and talk together emphasize this. Yellow, white and rose tones can be used for the color scheme.
Family:
Nicely framed pictures, a photo wall, and heirlooms make areas that fall into the family home harmonious. In Feng Shui it stands for ancestors and parents as well as the relationship with them.
Wealth:
The house symbolizes financial prosperity, positive experiences and enriching experiences. What is reminiscent of external and internal wealth is in good hands in this Feng Shui zone. Green and red tones go particularly well here.
Tai Chi:
The center symbolizes health and balance. Since the chi flows together here, this area should be left free. According to Feng Shui, yellow and ocher tones have a harmonizing effect at this point.
Helpful friends:
This house of Feng Shui stands for support and protection. The zone should be designed to be inviting, for example with fresh flowers, precious stones or metal objects. According to Feng Shui, the colors white, black, gray and silver go particularly well.
Children:
In Feng Shui, this house symbolizes the beginning and life that is constantly being recreated. Creativity and imagination are encouraged in this area. Ideal for a bright study with inspiring music, appealing pictures and blooming flowers.
Knowledge:
This house stands for inner knowledge. Feng Shui also combines reliability, constancy and willpower. Hence, it is a good place for a library. Green tones can be spiced up here with red accents.
Fame: In
Feng Shui, fame symbolizes how one is perceived by others. The color red as well as light and bright furnishings ensure a positive external effect. They stand for clarity and are intended to help residents find the right path.
The five elements in Feng Shui
Each house can also be assigned to an element. Five elements are important in Feng Shui: water, earth, metal, fire and wood. According to Feng Shui, if you coordinate furniture and accessories accordingly, the positive effects of chi can be intensified.
Wood:
The element wood is associated with parents and wealth. It stands for the color green and can be implemented with wooden and wicker furniture, cotton or bamboo. Tall, slim shapes, houseplants and cut flowers also represent the element of wood in Feng Shui.
Fire:
In Feng Shui, fire is associated with the shades of red and orange and the house of fame. This area can be decorated with candles, lights or a fireplacebe reinforced. Pointed and angular shapes are suitable for furniture and accessories.
Earth: shades of
yellow and brown as well as flat shapes go well with the earth element. According to Feng Shui, this is equated with knowledge, partnership and Thai Chi. The natural materials linen, terracotta, ceramics, porcelain, clay and stone underline the balancing character of this element.
Metal:
All metals, glass and crystals represent the element metal. In Feng Shui, the houses Helpful Friends and Children are assigned to him. In terms of color design, white, silver and gold are suitable. Furniture and accessories can have round and dome shapes, and can be glossy or matte.
Water:
Feng Shui assigns the element of water to the house career. Black, purple and blue tones as well as wavy and irregular shapes allow the chi to flow particularly well. There are also accessories such as aquariums, indoor fountains, pictures with rivers or wet plants. Glass and silk can also be used in the decor.
Furnishing tips for Feng Shui
If you don’t want to set up your entire home à la Feng Shui right away, you can also get the chi flow going with little tricks.
Order and a few, selected accessories are typical for Feng Shui. You can also use the healing powers of nature by adapting your decoration to the respective season. In Feng Shui, flowers, leaves, woods, stones, shells or a bowl of water are suitable for this. Healthy plants on the windowsill prevent the chi from being lost through the window area. Fluttering plants on the floor slow down the chi and keep it in the room longer.
Rooms that are well lit with different light sources have a harmonious effect. Especially dark and inanimate corners get an extra portion of chi. Glasses, mirrors and shiny surfaces also stimulate the flow of chi. Candlesticks, crystal bowls, colored glasses or wind chimes are suitable for this. Mirrors have a special meaning in Feng Shui. They can reflect beautiful things, bring width into a room and enable a view to the rear, which has a calming effect.
A desk is ideal if you neither have the door behind you nor can you look directly out of the window. The same applies to seating and sofa corners. According to Feng Shui, the bedroom should radiate calm and offer little distraction, such as electrical appliances or mirrors. The bed should be placed so that the headboard is against a wall and not between the window and door. If that is not possible, a greyhound steers the chi back into the right direction and lets the residents sleep peacefully.
