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Feng Shui
Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) is an ancient Chinese practice that aims to promote harmonious, tranquil living by directing energy flow within a space such as a home or an office. The term means “wind water” and represents balance.
One of the central concepts of feng shui is chi, which adherents believe is the invisible, vital energy of the universe that flows through all living things. Feng shui practitioners
believe that this energy can have positive or negative effects for health and vitality, depending upon the way it moves through your home.
The goal of feng shui is to promote a gentle, harmonious flow of energy, which means avoiding cluttered paths, sharp or angled objects and other disturbances to the equilibrium of your home or office.
Why Feng Shui Works
Whether or not you personally believe in the concept of chi, feng shui offers objectively helpful guidelines for designing living and work spaces that encourage calm and relaxation. It promotes clean, bright, well-kept, and vivacious spaces and discourages untidy, dark, and confining ones.
How to Incorporate Feng Shui Design Principles into Your Home
In feng shui, good design in one room may not be good design in another—each space’s purpose means that a different energy is required to support it. Still, some general principles related to lighting, warmth, cleanliness, and order apply throughout the home.
- Natural sunlight is preferable to artificial light, and rooms with windows on two sides are ideal. Full-spectrum light bulbs (sometimes called white light bulbs) produce the most flattering artificial light.
- Fire, whether through a fireplace, candles, or a gas stove, attracts energy to your home.
- Eliminate clutter to allow chi to flow unobstructed through your home.
- Pay attention to the colors you use to adorn your space. Each carries its own energy and represents an element: fire (red); earth (brown, orange, yellow); metal (white, silver, gold); water (black, blue); and wood (green).
- Make cleanliness a priority.
- Crack the windows occasionally to encourage air to flow through your home.
- Keep your home in working order by checking appliances, drains, pipes, foundations, roofs, and ventilation systems regularly.
For more detailed information about feng shui, as well as room-by-room advice on implementing feng shui in your home or office, see the Quamut guide to Feng Shui.
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