Feng Shui continues to play an important role for plenty of homeowners and their elderly parents! Besides, it also preaches decluttering, organization and introducing natural elements to your home – all the good things for your new nest!
Whether you are getting your first BTO home or planning a shift to a new house, this guide aims to help you get started and bring some good Feng Shui to your home. Let’s get started!
Disclaimer: Feng Shui is a highly subjective topic and there may be varying views. This guide is meant to serve as an introductory guide for new homeowners. Ultimately, do what you are comfortable with.
1. Clear The Entryway
In Feng Shui, the entryway which is also known as “the mouth of qi”, represents how ‘Qi’ energy enters your home and life. As this is the first place your guests notice upon setting foot into your home, it’s important to keep this space clean and organized.
Tip: A front door that swings inwards is favourable over a door that swings outwards as it invites ‘Qi’ energy into your home.
Items like shoes, keys and umbrellas tend to clutter up the entryway if left unorganized. Give them home by adding a shoe rack, umbrella stand and key holder. Don’t forget to sweep the floors or shake the doormat too!
Otherwise, a floor-to-ceiling cabinet will do wonders for your entryway as you’ll gain plenty of storage space for various home essentials. It’s also a way to incorporate a vertical element into your home – in Feng Shui, this element represents growth and expansion.
With a spotless and tidy home, ‘Qi’ energy can flow through the house easily.
2. Furniture Placements
The way you arrange your furniture is also highly important when it comes to Feng Shui! And to do so, you just need to remember two words: ‘commanding position’.
So what does a ‘commanding position’ mean? It means that the main piece of furniture (e.g desk, bed, sofa) in the room is located at a position where it allows a homeowner to have a good view of anyone or anything that could be coming in through the door. Let’s get to the specifics:
Living Room
Good Feng Shui ensures that ‘Qi’ energy can spread slowly and calmly throughout the house. Start by placing the largest furniture in the room in its command position – the sofa should be backed against a wall to provide sturdy and safe support to your family members. Place the sofa in a position where you can see the front door without being in direct line with it.
Tip: If you aren’t able to place your sofa against a wall, place another piece of furniture of the same size behind your sofa.
To improve the flow of ‘Qi’ energy, avoid furniture with sharp corners. Sharp edges give out negative energy known as poison arrows, which weakens your energy and demotes good health. Instead, go for round-cornered furniture as it helps to soften the sharp energy and improve the flow of ‘Qi’ energy.
Considering adding a painting of a waterfall in your living room – water represents affluence and wealth, so the addition of this painting would invite wealth into your home. However, make sure the water is flowing into your house, not out; the wrong direction could lead to your losing money.
Bedroom
The bedroom plays a large part in Feng Shui as it is the home area where one relaxes, unwinds, and has intimate moments.
For a start, be sure to position your bed such that:
- It is approachable from both sides
- Have 2 bedside tables on both sides
- Is not directly facing the door
The rationale behind this is that you want the bed to be accessible and yet not overly exposed to the outside.
Next, as hard as it is, avoid electronics in the bedroom. This includes TVs, computers and even mobile phones! The reason behind this is that these devices act as distractions that could affect your sleep and rest. Research has shown that we should avoid using electronic devices before we sleep – what a coincidence!
When it comes to colours, be sure to have plenty of neutral and skin tone colours such as beige, white and coffee. These colours are generally warmer, thus having a lovely soothing effect when you are trying to unwind. To help you out when designing your bedroom, be sure to catch our guide on creating an interior design mood board!
Last but not least, be sure to have happy and empowering images in your bedroom. If you are married, hanging your marriage photographs is a great idea!
Home Office / Study Room
If you are working from home or have children in school, you may use Feng Shui to decide on the position of the study or work table! Generally, be sure to:
- Ensure that the work/study table is tidied up at the end of the day
- When seated, try to have a wall behind the chair
- Position the table such that you can view your surroundings and the entrance easily
Going back to the “Commanding Position” theme mentioned earlier on, having a wall behind the chair symbolises that you will always have “good support” in your endeavours. On the other hand, positioning your table facing the entrance helps to ensure that you have good visibility too!
Kitchen
Surprisingly, the kitchen is one of the most important aspects of Feng Shui. This is because the kitchen represents the source of wealth in the house as it is a place where food is stored and produced.
Here are some guidelines:
- Have your stove beside a wall
- Ensure that your fridge and cabinets are well-organized
- Avoid having the kitchen facing towards the front door
- Avoid having a toilet beside the kitchen
Similar to our bedroom example, having a wall beside your stove symbolises that your wealth is well-supported. On the other hand, avoid having the kitchen facing towards the front door as it may represent the leakage of wealth.
Also check out on StyleMag: 11 Clever Ways On How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets
Dining Room
Unlike the aforementioned furniture, the dining table shouldn’t be placed against a wall as it implies that guests are unwelcomed.
Additionally, hang a mirror in the dining room – this is an age-old remedy when it comes to finances. A dining table represents a family’s abundance as their meals are served here. By adding a mirror, it is believed that your wealth will double.
However, do keep in mind that the mirror shouldn’t be perpendicular to any exterior doors/windows as it’ll cause your money to bounce back out of the house!
3. Create Good Feng Shui Energy In Bathroom
Bathrooms tend to have a bad reputation in Feng Shui as water flows out of your home from here. Water represents family wealth and finances, so many people believe that flowing water may drain your money away. To prevent this from happening, close the bathroom doors and toilet seat cover.
It’s advisable to keep your bathroom clean too. A dirty and unorganized bathroom will double or even triple the negative energy that’s present in the bathroom. If your bathroom is in dire need of a deep clean, check out our StyleMag article on The Ultimate Bathroom Cleaning Checklist.
Additionally, you may want to add plants in the bathroom as it converts the downward energy of draining water into vital life energy. Some plants to consider are pothos, aloe vera, snake plant and ferns.
Note: If you have pets at home, keep these plants away from their reach as some of them are poisonous.
4. Clean The Windows
Windows at home play an important role in maintaining a connection between ourselves and the outside world – essentially, they are the eyes of the adults in the house. As for the little ones, a window symbolises their voice.
Open up the windows and allow sunlight and fresh air to seep into your home which instantly rejuvenates us. These 2 elements are essential for ‘Qi’ energy. Simply let sufficient natural light in and ensure that your home is well-ventilated.
If your windows look a little dirty and cloudy, mix 1:1 water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Working your way from top to bottom, spritz this mixture on a glass cleaning cloth for a streak-free finish.
Also check out on StyleMag: Effective Cleaning Tips For 15 Areas Of Your Home
5. Decluttering For Feng Shui
Marie Kondo did not mention that clearing out unwanted items is beneficial for Feng Shui – but it is! By clearing out old items that take up space, you are removing negative energy from your home while making room for positive ones.
Thus, always ensure that your home is free from unwanted clutter. We have written a useful StyleMag guide on 5 home decluttering methods to help you get started!
Also read on StyleMag: 10 Best Decluttering & Tidying Lessons From Marie Kondo’s Netflix Series
Organizing your items prevents clutter from building up again. Always have a home for everything and be sure to place things back into their rightful position after use!
Browse our range of home organizers and essentials here!
6. Introduce Natural Elements
Ask any Feng Shui master and they will say that there are 5 nature elements that you will have to pay attention to. They are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.
For good health, be sure to have a couple of plants in the house as they symbolise the wood element. Besides, they add a touch of freshness to your surroundings. Be sure to choose plants that help purify the air!
Caution: If you don’t have time to maintain your houseplants, it’s better to go without them – dead or withering plants signify death and brings negative energy to your home!
For prosperity, introduce water and wood elements using a simple water fountain or wooden furniture and flooring.
On the other hand, the metal element is said to bring about a clarity of mind and vibrant energy, As such, it is a good idea to add a touch of metal using grey furniture or a metal bookshelf in study rooms or home offices.
Most importantly, the key here is balance. Be sure to have a good mix of the elements – they bring about good Feng Shui and look great too!
7. Having Positive Emotions
We have saved the best for last and this section is truly important! As new homeowners, you may not have full control over the house layout to suit your Feng Shui needs. This especially true if you are getting an HDB BTO unit. (Unless you are willing to fork out money for a major make-over renovation).
“However, what we have control over are the emotions and attitudes we bring back to our homes”
In its purest form, Feng Shui is about creating positive ‘Qi’ energy and a harmonious environment. What better way to do this than to bring home plenty of smiles and celebrating small milestones with your family!
As such, leave your work or school stresses at the door (yes, we know it’s hard!) and do not bear grudges overnight – you will realise how such small steps lead to a happier home.
So there you have – A easy-to-follow guide to help improve the Feng Shui of your home! Once again, being a subjective topic with a rich history, the key here is to do what you are comfortable with.
We love point 7 the most as it is one that we can truly work on. Let us know which Feng Shui tip is your favourite in the comments below!
Let us help you organize your home with our range of home-essentials – see you there!
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Article updated as of 10 May 2021
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