Introduction to Feng Shui Art
Feng shui, which means “wind water” in Chinese, is an ancient practice that aims to harmonize individuals with their surroundings. One of the main principles of feng shui is that energy, or “chi”, flows through a space and can be optimized for health, wealth, and happiness by careful arrangement and design choices.
Art is one of the key tools for enhancing the flow of positive chi in a home or office. Carefully selected artwork can attract beneficial energy connected to specific aspirations like career success, abundance, or relationships. Art also serves as a visual representation of our inner landscape, hopes, and desires. The images we choose to surround ourselves with shape our experience and reinforce the energy patterns in our environment.
The main purpose of feng shui artwork is to activate positive chi and direct it towards certain life goals or areas. For example, art depicting water features and flowers can enhance wealth energy in the prosperity corner of a room. Art selections are also used to establish balance within a space by countering or complementing the existing energy flow. The thoughtful placement of art throughout a home or office allows you to take control of your environment and consciously fill it with imagery that inspires, uplifts, and promotes your intentions.
Art for Specific Rooms
Part of designing a balanced and harmonious home with feng shui principles is selecting artwork that enhances the energy of each room. Here are some tips on choosing art for specific rooms in your home:
The foyer is the first impression guests have when entering your home, so the art here should make them feel warmly welcomed. Choose a bright, uplifting piece that makes people smile.
The living room is the heart of the home where family gathers. Select art that reflects shared happy memories and family activities like travel photos or fun cartoons.
Since the kitchen is where food is prepared, choose art featuring appetizing fruits, vegetables, or other food images. It could be a classic still life, whimsical food cartoon, or painting of bountiful farm produce.
As the dining room is where meals are enjoyed, artwork here should convey the abundant joy of sharing food with loved ones. Art with grapes, bread, and other food symbolizing plenitude is ideal.
To encourage career success, adorn your home office with motivational art representing your work or aspirations. Photographs of business icons or landscapes denoting progress work well.
For good relationships, place affectionate, romantic prints or paintings showing pairs in the bedroom. Avoid art with solitary figures.
To counter negative energy, pick uplifting bathroom art depicting waterfalls, oceans, or bright flowers. Stay away from lonely, melancholy art here.
Doing laundry symbolizes cleansing and renewal. Laundry room art featuring prosperity symbols like coins, cash, or wealthy imagery attracts wealth energy.
The Bagua Map
In feng shui, the bagua (also called the bagua map or bagua diagram) is an octagonal grid that is overlaid on the floor plan of a home or office. The bagua is divided into nine areas that correspond to important aspects of life: wealth, reputation, relationships, wisdom, health, family, career, creativity, and helpful people/travel.
Each area of the home or office represents an area of life energy. By decorating these areas according to feng shui principles, you can enhance the energy flow and attract desirable qualities into your life.
Feng shui artwork is a key way to activate the energy in each bagua area. Here’s an overview of the art and symbols used in each section:
Wealth Area: The wealth area is located in the back left corner of the bagua. Use art related to prosperity like water features, bamboo, fruit, koi fish, coins, and symbols of luxury.
Reputation Area: The fame and reputation area is the back center. Display art depicting butterflies, peacocks, and dragons. Avoid artwork with negative faces or scenes.
Relationships Area: The love and relationships area is the back right corner. Opt for pairs of images, wedding photos, or art with couples. Also use symbols like mandarins or double happiness signs.
Health Area: The health area is center left. Choose art related to healing like flowers, healthy foods, nature scenes, cranes, and peaches.
Creativity Area: The creativity area is in the center. Display artwork or objects that represent your interests to inspire you. Use images of chrysanthemums, fountains, or dolphins.
Knowledge Area: For the knowledge and wisdom area in the center right, select art related to learning and growth like books, scrolls, globes, or pagodas.
Career Area: The career area is front center. Use art that inspires career success like sailboats, bridges, airplanes, and elephants.
Family Area: The family area is front left. Show photos of family and decorative objects that align with your values.
Helpful People Area: The travel and helpful people section is the front right. Use art or gifts from trips and mentors, or angels/guiding lights.
By decorating the bagua areas with intentional art, you can enhance the feng shui of your space. Select symbols and scenes that speak to you and support your goals.
Wealth Area Art
The wealth area of your home corresponds to the southeast corner of rooms and houses. This area represents prosperity, abundance, and financial resources. Displaying art that features certain symbols and imagery can help activate the energy of wealth according to principles of feng shui.
Koi Fish
Koi fish are a classic symbol of wealth, prosperity, and good fortune in feng shui. In nature, these fish swim determinedly against currents, representing strength and perseverance. Placing artwork or figures of koi fish in the wealth corner can bring positive energy and flow. The fish are depicted in bright colors, especially gold, which symbolize money and vitality. Images of koi fish swimming upward signify achievement and overcoming life’s obstacles.
Bamboo
In feng shui, bamboo represents growth, flexibility, and resilience. As bamboo bends and sways without breaking, it demonstrates adaptability. Having bamboo art or live plants in the wealth area encourages financial stability and steady resources. Bamboo grows vigorously, symbolizing prosperity. Tall bamboo stalks evoke positive upward movement, reaching higher and fulfilling financial goals.
Deer
Deer art placed in the wealth area represents longevity, harmony, and abundance in feng shui. Deer have been revered in Asian cultures as gentle, peaceful creatures that live long lives. Antlers symbolize growing prosperity as they branch upward and outward. Images of stags with lush foliage convey fertility and natural bounty. Gentle deer convey the calmness and wisdom to manage wealth and investments.
Lotus Blossoms
Feng shui lotus blossoms represent purity and beauty emerging from the mud, symbolizing the emergence of abundance. Lotus flowers open to reveal jeweled cores, reflecting untapped human potential and growth. Placing lotus artwork in the southeast energizes new financial opportunities to flourish. The rounded petals and open shape signify expansion and receiving. Vibrant pink lotuses especially invoke the nourishing energies of wealth and luxury for your environment.
Reputation Area Art
The reputation life area corresponds to the fire element in feng shui. This area is located in the south section of any home or office space. Art for the reputation area should enhance your public image, status, and fame.
Specific art subjects that boost the reputation area are:
Butterflies – Represent transformation, longevity, and personal growth. Butterfly art can signify developing talents, social connections, and public influence. Images of vividly colored butterflies emerging symbolize a time of positive change and elevating reputation.
Dragons – Symbol of high achievement, ambition, strength, and spiritual wisdom in Eastern cultures. Dragon art conveys majesty and can activate career luck. Placing carved jade dragons or a painting of a soaring celestial dragon in this area inspires reaching your highest potential.
Horses – Represent speed, victory, and rising to challenges. Energetic horse paintings or statues galloping freely embody unfettered movement through life. Horses depicted racing convey swiftly seizing opportunities to excel.
Peacocks – Known for their radiant plumage, peacocks represent nobility, integrity, vision, and confidence. Peacock feathers specifically indicate awakening to your inner brilliance and displaying your talents. Paintings or decor showcasing peacocks can magnify charisma.
Positioning art with these auspicious creatures in the southern reputation zone harnesses their symbolic power to boost your public persona and success. Let them inspire you to spread your wings and fly high.
Relationship Area Art
The relationship area in the bagua map governs marriage, partnerships, and other relationships. To nourish this area with feng shui, place art representing the relationship between dragon and phoenix, the double happiness symbol, pairs of mandarin ducks, or images depicting couples.
The dragon and phoenix pairing represents the perfect couple or soulmates in Chinese culture. Together, they symbolize yin (dragon) and yang (phoenix), forming a balanced and blissful union. Display a dragon and phoenix to attract a loving partner or strengthen your existing relationship.
The double happiness symbol combines two joy characters to represent the joining of two families and happiness in marriage. This auspicious icon can be displayed prominently in the relationship corner to manifest lasting marriage and family harmony.
Artwork showing pairs of mandarin ducks is another classic choice, as these ducks mate for life and symbolize wedded bliss. Images of any happily paired figures, such as doves, lovebirds, or couples can activate the area’s energy. Avoid lone subjects who appear isolated or disconnected.
Health Area Art
In feng shui, the health area of your home is associated with the colors green and wood. Displaying art depicting certain symbols in this area can help promote wellness, healing, and vitality for you and your family.
Some classic feng shui health art themes include:
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Cranes – In many Asian cultures, the crane symbolizes longevity, health, and wisdom. Paintings or statues of these elegant birds can nurture your wellbeing. Opt for renditions with outstretched wings soaring upward to inspire vital energy.
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Peaches – Peaches represent good health and longevity in feng shui. Display an image of a peach or peach blossoms to invoke nurturing energy. Peaches are also tied to marriage and fertility.
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Fruit – Baskets of fruit or fruit still lifes represent the nourishment, abundance, and vitality we seek to cultivate in life. Citrus fruits, in particular, are prized in feng shui for promoting health.
The color palettes in feng shui health art tend to feature rejuvenating greens, peaches, and oranges. Compositionally, uplifting upward movement and circular shapes help to keep energy flowing. Images should be positive and lively.
When positioning feng shui art, aim to activate the health zone of your home. Refer to a bagua map to properly orient images in an optimal location to benefit wellbeing for the entire family. Radiant health is within reach with a thoughtful art display.
Creativity Area Art
The creativity area represents inspiration, imagination, and personal growth. Positioned on the left side of the bagua map, the creativity area governs artistic expression, wisdom, and new ideas.
To stimulate the energy of creativity, choose artwork with symbolism and imagery related to inspiration. Some suitable artistic themes and motifs for the creativity area include:
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Chrysanthemums – In Chinese culture, chrysanthemums represent longevity, rejuvenation, and happiness. Their lively blooms symbolize joy and a solid future.
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Dolphins – Playful dolphins represent free-spiritedness, intelligence, and creative thinking. Their image fosters an open mind and playful imagination.
Look for artwork that features chrysanthemums intertwined with other flowers or plants. Stylized dolphin motifs also make great choices. Avoid stiff, literal depictions. Instead, choose art with a sense of fluid, graceful movement. The artwork’s imagery should feel uplifting, lively, and imaginative.
Art for the creativity area helps stimulate original thinking and self-expression. Let the artwork spark wonder and set your imagination free.
Knowledge Area Art
The knowledge and self-cultivation area of the bagua map is located in the front center of your home. This area governs lifelong learning, spirituality, contemplation and personal growth.
Placing art that represents growth, wisdom and spirituality in this area can enhance knowledge, intellect and self-awareness. Some suitable art themes for the knowledge area include:
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Dragons – In feng shui, the dragon symbolizes wisdom, growth, flexibility and spiritual awakening. Paintings or statues depicting celestial dragons can stimulate learning and expansion.
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Pagodas – Pagodas represent education, contemplation and stillness. Their stacked, tapering tiers evokeascending levels of understanding. Pagoda artwork inspires the quest for knowledge.
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Crystal globes – Clear crystal symbolizes clarity of mind and insight. Globes depict an infinite universe waiting to be explored. Pairing crystals and globes elicits curiosity and mental acuity.
The symbolic themes in knowledge area art prompt self-examination, steady development and engaging with the greater world. They can catalyze your intellectual journey, studies or business savvy. Art that stirs your mind, imagination and spirit belongs in this significant section of your home.
Career Area Art
The career area of your home or office is connected to the symbolism of elephants, sailboats, and wind chimes in feng shui artwork. Elephants represent strength and wisdom in navigating your career path. The sailboat evokes a sense of adventure, smooth sailing, and reaching new horizons in your work. Wind chimes symbolically call in helpful influences and fresh opportunities in your profession.
When selecting career area art, opt for images that inspire you to achieve your goals, move confidently forward, and attract mentors or open doors in your field. Avoid stagnant scenes or lone objects. Instead, choose vibrant colors and active images to energize this space. Consider framing motivational phrases or depicting wise animals to encourage wisdom. Sailboats on the open ocean, a pair of elephants walking together, or chimes blowing in the wind are excellent feng shui art choices for your career area. With thoughtful selection, you can enhance success, satisfaction, and advancement in your vocation.
