Feng Shui Tips for an East-Facing House
Many feng shui practitioners believe that an east-facing house is the ideal direction for nourishing and healthful energy. Having an east-facing house means that the entrance to your house faces the rising sun. Sunshine is one of the most powerful forces of positive energy, which feng shui experts associate with good luck. Houses that face east are also believed to support harmonious family relationships, good health, and prosperity.
You should especially consider an east-facing house if you are looking to start a new enterprise or need a fresh beginning. The east-facing home direction is particularly supportive of these endeavors.
How to Determine if Yours is an East-Facing Home
Some feng shui traditions, particularly the Compass School and the Classic School, believe that the direction of your house is significant. An east-facing house is one of the easiest to determine if you know the direction of the rising sun. Stand outside your front door and face out. Your home is east-facing if you are facing the direction of the rising sun.
You can also use a compass or a compass app on your smartphone to determine your house-facing direction. Again, stand at your front door and face out. Use the compass to help you determine the direction you are facing.
The Bagua Map and an East-Facing House
The bagua map is a tool that feng shui designers use to map the energy of a particular space. Depending on the type of bagua map you use, each area of the map also corresponds with a cardinal direction. The area most associated with the east is the Zhen section on the map. This is the area that represents family and new beginnings.
East-Facing Houses and the Elements
The five elements of wood, water, fire, earth, and metal are foundational elements of the world and have an essential role in feng shui belief. The Zhen area of the bagua map represents family and new beginnings but also represents the wood element. The wood element represents growth, vitality, and new beginning. Various symbols and colors represent the wood element. Some of these include vertical shapes such as columns and stripes, shades of brown and green, and plants.
In the constructive cycle of elements, the water element helps to support and feed wood energy. Use symbols such as wavy lines, water features, and deep blue and black colors to help stimulate the wood energy of an east-facing home.
Tips to Optimize an East-Facing House
Use decorating tools from the bagua map and the elements of wood and water to help you energize your east-facing house.
Colors Paint Your House
Consider the cool and soothing shades of the wood or water element if you are considering painting your house a new color. Choosing auspicious colors like sage, navy, black, and forest green can bring the powerful energy of the wood and water element to work on your east-facing house.
Front Door Options
The front door is one of the most vital aspects of a feng shui house as this is the place where energy enters and exits your home. Having both a protective and auspicious front door is ideal for preserving the positive energy in your home. Choose front door colors that represent the wood and water element. Some of the shades that represent wood might include olive, evergreen, sage, emerald, mint, jade, taupe, beige, mocha, and teal. Colors that represent water include deep blue and black tones like navy, midnight, charcoal, and anthracite.
Vertical Columns
Vertical columns represent the wood element with their vital upward movement. Columns or pediments are a stunning way to represent the wood element, but they also give your home an elegant style.
Water Features
Water features like small fountains or ponds bring a calming presence to your home. These also represent the water element that feeds the wood energy for your east-facing house. Placement is key for the water element. Stand facing outside at your front door threshold. Any water feature you use should be located on the left-hand side. You should not place any water feature on the right side of the door as this brings negative energy into your home.
Other than a water feature, you can use other water symbols to help activate the wood energy in your home. These might include a placemat that is black or navy or wall art near the front door that features blue and black or a body of water.
Plants
Use plants to symbolize the wood element and to help create a welcoming front door area. Choose plants that have a strong and vertical growth pattern to symbolize wood. These might include palms or umbrella trees. Or, consider wispy and soft plants like ferns or creeping jenny. Any of these options will create vital energy for your front door space.
Enhance Natural Light
Natural light is the most health-giving of all light sources. With an east-facing house, there is often an abundance of early morning sunshine. Make the most of this vital light by keeping your window covering to a minimum in the front of the house. While you should be able to maintain your privacy, be sure to fashion window curtains or shades that pull back when you want to bring in the sunshine.
Use mirrors to help magnify the effects of the sun. Make sure that an interior mirror never faces the front door directly to avoid positive energy being reflected out of the house. Instead, position mirrors so that they reflect the sunshine from the front windows to heighten the light in the house.
Colors to Avoid
Just as the water element strengthens the wood element, fire and metal weaken it. Therefore, you should avoid colors and symbols that activate these elements. Avoid bright and vibrant colors like red and orange on your east-facing front door. Also, avoid symbols like triangles and fire near the front of your house. This can even include plants with red or orange leaves or flowers.
The metal element is represented by light gray and white. It is also symbolized by metal objects such as chimes, sculptures, and round and spherical objects.
Pros and Cons of an East-Facing House
There are practical reasons why east-facing houses might be better or worse in some environments. These often underlie the feng shui ideology associated with an eastern-facing house orientation.
Pros:
- Morning Sunlight – Homes that are east-facing are exposed to the morning sunshine. This is ideal for people who want to create good sleep patterns that mirror natural circadian rhythms and for those that love to get up early and begin their day.
- Positive Energy – Feng shui designers believe that homes that face east are linked with energy that promotes growth and new beginnings. This is one of the best orientations for people beginning new endeavors.
Cons:
- Bright Mornings – Eastern facing rooms are not ideal for people who because of preference or work need to sleep later in the morning. Equip your room with blackout curtains or shades to ensure that you can sleep peacefully without being affected by the bright morning glare.
- Limited Gardening Options – Because of the limited light, you will have fewer options for plants and flowers that thrive in your outdoor spaces.