Feng Shui Rules for Creating Harmony in Your Home

By Rachel Brown | Published on Mar 10, 2023

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Feng shui rules are foundational guidelines that help you order your space to harmonize the energy flow. Feng shui experts believe that this flow of positive energy throughout your space will help to bring health, happiness, and prosperity. There are overarching feng shui rules that you can put into practice as well as specific guidelines for the arrangement and order of each room in the house. This is a good opportunity to practice intentionality with regard to your home and the atmosphere that you create.

General Feng Shui Rules

This is a broad set of feng shui rules that you can implement throughout your entire home. These comprehensive guidelines are tasks and strategies that will not just provide a better energy flow but will make you feel better about your living space.

Clean and Clutter-Free

The build-up of dirt and clutter can disrupt the easy flow of energy throughout your home. Tackle one room at a time to clean and declutter. Sort the items in each room into keep, donate, and discard piles. Bring in structural pieces like shelves and bookcases or baskets and bins to help you keep the area organized over time.

Ideal Furniture Placement

Furniture placement is vital for either blocking energy or allowing energy to flow through the space. One aspect of ideal furniture placement in each room is to create a commanding position for the most important piece of furniture in the room. This may be a sofa, bed, or desk, depending on the type of room. This means that you should place this piece of furniture at a place in the room that allows you to see the entrances. You should also avoid blocking windows and doors as these are important for energy flow. Using your furniture, work to achieve a balanced design and allow enough space between pieces for the vital flow of energy.

Mindful Use of Color

The use of color is important in feng shui design for animating an area with a particular type of energy. In determining color for an entire space, it is important to create a balance of color energy and also use colors that resonate with those who inhabit the space. Bring in a balance of warm colors like red, yellow, and orange, and combine them with more calming colors like blue, green, and neutrals. Consider the intention of each room before deciding on the color. Rooms that you want to use for peace and relaxation should have muted colors. In spaces where you require energy and activity, you should consider more vibrant color choices.

Incorporate Natural Elements

Nature is a powerful source of energy in feng shui belief as it is the basis of the five elements. Incorporate natural materials, including plants, natural stone, pottery, crystals, wood, and water features to promote good energy and create balance.

Fix Leaks and Broken Items

Leaks and broken items both create negative consequences in feng shui belief. Leaks, whether they come from a faucet, a pipe, or roof, represent the draining of resources and strength. These also cause damage to your home which can bring in negative energy and impact your health and well-being.

Likewise, broken items represent a lack of harmony and balance. Broken items can no longer serve the purpose for which we have them. This can create a sense of disarray and chaos that affects our sense of peace and comfort. Repairing these damaged items can restore the harmony of the home.

Avoid Sharp Corners and Edges

In general, it is most auspicious to use curved lines rather than sharp corners and edges. Not only do sharp corners cause more accidents in the home, but they can cause aggressive and negative energy. Even if you do have sharp corners, you can soften these by using plants, lighting, mirrors, and wall art to soften the look of these corners and create a more peaceful flow.

Appropriate Lighting

It is important in feng shui design, as in all types of design, to have good lighting. This means layered lighting that provides a comfortable and usable environment for the intended purpose, whether that purpose is work or relaxation. Layering your lighting is best for achieving a good environment at all times of the day.

In feng shui design, natural lighting is the most desirable as it provides positive energy and lifts the mood. To this end, maximize the light from your windows by keeping them as unobstructed as is comfortable for your needs. Layer artificial lighting sources by using overhead, lamp, and task lighting. Seek soft lighting over harsh lights like fluorescents. Don’t forget that you can also use candles and firelight, which provide some of the warmest and kindest light sources.

Balance the Five Elements

The five elements in feng shui are wood, metal, earth, fire, and water. These represent the different aspects of nature. In feng shui design, you can use these elements to represent unique qualities and characteristics.

Wood represents vitality and growth. Fire symbolizes passion and energy. Metal represents clarity and focus. Earth symbolizes grounding and stability, and water represents flow and adaptability. Feng shui design seeks to balance symbols and colors that represent these elements throughout a given space.

Use of a Bagua Map

Feng shui designers use a bagua to determine the energy flow throughout a given space. This is an overall plan that you can map over your home layout to show you how each area corresponds with an area of life. Using this map, you can identify which areas of your life need a boost. You can activate the energy in these areas by using colors and symbols in these areas more effectively.

Separate Work and Rest Areas

Setting a specific intention for each room is vital in feng shui design. Having a dual purpose in a room is not beneficial in feng shui design. For example, you should not have a desk in a bedroom where you also sleep. It is better to locate a home office in a room that you associate with similar activity, like a kitchen or, better, a spare room.

Feng Shui Rules for Each Area of the Home

Feng shui practice also has special guidelines for specific room types.

Landscape/Setting

In feng shui design, the setting of the house is just as important as the design of the interior of the house. These are most helpful if you have the opportunity to choose the setting for your house.

Choose a setting that provides a clear view over the surrounding areas.
Avoid house settings that are near landfills, power stations, or cemeteries, as these have negative energy that can seep into your home.
It is helpful to have a hill or mountain behind your house to provide protection.
Remove any dead trees and bushes in your landscaping.
Keep sidewalks and entrances clear of debris to allow a good flow of energy into your home.

Entry/Foyer

The entrance is one of the most vital spaces in your home, as this is where energy enters. This is also the first place that people see, and it sets the tone of the home.

Create a welcoming entrance that is clean and clutter-free.
Provide the entrance with good lighting so that there are no dark spaces.
Position a mirror on a wall perpendicular to the front door so that it is not directly across from the entrance.
Replace worn-out doormats and make sure that your front door is repaired and oiled to open and close smoothly.

Kitchen

A kitchen is a place where families gain nourishment, both physical and mental. This room is where we restore ourselves so that we can present our “best selves” to the world.

It is difficult to keep a busy and active room like the kitchen clean and clutter-free, but this will keep stagnant energy from building up.
The stove is the focal point of this room. Try to position the stove in a commanding position if possible. Keep the stove in good repair.
Use warm but active colors in order to promote an energetic atmosphere.
Clean out the refrigerator on a regular basis so spoiled and expired food does not damage the energy in the room.

Dining Room

The dining room has an essential purpose in feng shui belief. This is the place where people connect over food and conversation.

Round or oval tables are the most propitious shape in feng shui design as this facilitates the best flow of energy.
Use symbols that promote abundance and joy, such as bowls of fruit and fresh flowers.
Position mirrors so that they reflect the table. This can magnify the beneficial effect.
Do not allow clutter to build up on the table. Instead, use your table for regular meals and gatherings.

Living/Family Room

Living and family rooms have many purposes in modern homes. Some of these spaces are for entertaining, while others are for relaxing. Determine the purpose of the room and use colors and symbols accordingly.

Establish a commanding position for a sofa. Ideally, this means that it is against a solid wall that has a direct view of the entrances.
Create a good flow of energy by not crowding the room with too much furniture.
Provide comfortable and adequate seating for your intended needs.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are the place we recharge through sleep and relaxation.

Place the bed in a command position so that it has a view of the entrance without being directly in line with it.
Keep electronics away from the bedroom, as these can interrupt good sleep and create anxiety.
Do not use extra bedroom space for a home office as this creates a split purpose, which can inhibit relaxation.
Try not to position beds in front of windows, as this can cause beneficial energy to escape.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are a place where water flows in and out of the home. This means that feng shui experts believe that you can lose beneficial energy in the bathroom.

Keep the toilet lid closed to keep energy from being drained away.
Avoid mirrors that face the toilet that magnify the negative energy that we associate with them.
Keep bathrooms clean and hygienic to provide the most restful atmosphere.
Add plants in the bathroom to absorb the negative energy in this space.
Make sure that you have good ventilation in this room to avoid stagnant energy from building up.

Home Office

Home offices are a source of creativity and inspiration.

Place a desk in a commanding position where you have a view of the entrance. Use a mirror to provide a view of the door if you need to have your desk and chair facing away from the entrance.
Use artwork to inspire you to greater productivity and creativity.
Make sure to invest in good storage solutions, as clutter can build up in this room and inhibit the flow of energy.