Everything
in its
Place
Ancient art of feng shui strives to bring living
spaces into balance and harmony with nature
If you spend much time watching home decorating shows
on television or reading magazines about home décor, you’ve
probably come across the concept of feng shui.
Feng shui (pronounced fong schway) is an ancient Chinese
tradition of arranging your surroundings to create balance and
harmony with the natural world around you.
The words feng shui mean wind and water, and refer to the
gentle flow of balance and harmony we all want in our homes.
It strives to capture the feeling of sitting beside a clear stream
on a beautiful spring day and bringing that to your inside environment.
At the center of feng shui is the concept of Qi (pronounced
chee), which according to tradition is the life force in each person and in nature. Feng shui strives to align your personal Qi
with the Qi around you in the best possible way.
Practitioners of feng shui believe that the correct alignment
of your Qi with your surroundings creates good health and
good fortune; misalignment brings bad luck and ill health.
There are several different types of feng shui. Those who
practice it undergo years of studying to master all the intricacies of their art.
Key elements in feng shui are the compass points of your
home or office, creating an eight-part grid of your home and
determining your lucky directions. These will determine how
to best arrange your furniture and even what color schemes to
use to bring about a balance in the Qi.
Some people are strong adherents to feng shui; others think
it makes as much sense as believing the moon is made of green
cheese.
Most modern feng shui, though, leaves behind the superstitious or religious aspects of it and looks at the practical art or
science of arranging your indoor surroundings in a pleasing
way. This usually simply means placing the right objects in the
right locations to achieve harmony.
Whether you want to call it feng shui or just common sense,
putting some thought into how a home is decorated is a good
idea.
According to feng shui, you should remove any distractions
from your bedroom, like a TV, computer or other work-related
items. Doctors who study sleep disorders agree that removing
these objects is the best way to achieve a good night’s sleep.
Colors also play a key role in decorating, whether through
feng shui or any other interior decorating concept. Some colors
are considered soothing, while others are stimulating.
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Putting the right colors in the right rooms can create a pleasing environment.
Proper placement of art and other objects further adds to the
feeling of balance and harmony.
Landscape paintings, decorations made of natural objects
like wood or stone, potted plants and battery-operated miniature waterfalls can all bring the soothing environment of nature inside your home.
Whether you believe in feng shui and Qi or not, people want
a home that is a pleasant place to live, where they can relax and
re-energize after a hard day’s work. It often just takes a little
thought and effort to make that possible.
A Chinese compass is used in traditional feng shui in conjuction with a floor plan to determine the best alignment of home
furnishings.
Heartland Directory of Wholesale Furniture Manufacturers 2013