Feng Shui Principles and Tips for Beginners - The Spruce
Here's the perfect guide for you with feng shui tips for beginners. Get the rundown on the five elements—earth, metal, water, wood, and fire—and how they ...
feng shui
If you’re new to feng shui, here’s the perfect guide for you with <anchor>feng shui</anchor> tips for beginners. Get the rundown on the five elements—earth, metal, water, wood, and fire—and how they translate to home design and decor choices. Also, consider a few tips for decorating, keeping feng shui in mind.
How to Create Good Feng Shui in Your Home
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# How to Create Good Feng Shui in Your Home

Create Balance With These Basic Rules

By

Anjie Cho is a certified feng shui consultant, professional architect, and author with over 20 years of experience designing spaces. She co-founded the Mindful Design Feng Shui School and wrote "Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home."

Updated on 03/01/24

It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start when cultivating good feng shui in your home. What rooms should you begin with? How do you start fresh, or what do you do if a room is already decorated? What should you not do in feng shui?

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Thankfully, it doesn't need to be challenging. Here are a few ideas, including basic feng shui rules, to kickstart your journey to a happier and more energizing home. Feng shui is not design or decorating; its principles and ideals can inspire you to decorate your space in a feng shui way to bring more balance to your life.

So whether you're new to feng shui room design or an expert, here are nine essential steps to create good feng shui to apply in every room of your home.

### What Is Feng Shui?

Feng shui is a metaphysical practice of understanding your place in the world as inspired by five principles or elements in Taoism. The five principles of feng shui are based on the cycles of nature: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. The desired result is creating harmony in your life and spaces.

- 01 of 09

## Brighten Up Your Entry

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Scovad/Getty Images

In feng shui, your entry represents how energy enters your home and your life. The front door is the "mouth of qi." The entrance is the first place to start when you want to create good feng shui in your home.

Start with decluttering and removing any debris. A lot of objects tend to accumulate at the front door. It doesn't need to be empty but relatively uncluttered. Make it work for you.

Next, sweep and clean up the area. The front entry (interior and exterior) is often overlooked. Wipe down the door and shake out the door mat. Take a good look around.

Can you make this space more inviting and spacious by removing or adding anything? Clearing out a space creates a place for the energy that enters your home to collect and gather. Blocking energy is one of the essential things you should not do in feng shui.

Finally, make sure this space is well-lit and bright. Add lighting or change the bulbs.

- 02 of 09

## Clean Your Windows

Hutomo Abrianto / Unsplash

Windows symbolize the eyes of the adults in the home; for children, it's their voice. To create good feng shui in your home, clean your windows regularly. Clear, clean windows let in more sunlight.

Sunlight naturally energizes and wakes you up. Sunlight also vibrantly renders all of the colors and objects that you see. Light makes the home more expansive, vibrant, and energetic when you let in more light. Clean windows metaphorically help you see the world around you with the most color, clarity, and precision.

As a bonus, use all-natural or homemade cleaners, like a simple solution of white vinegar, water, and a few drops of essential oil.

- 03 of 09

## Give Your Doors Some Attention

Classen Rafael / EyeEm /Getty Images

In feng shui, doors represent your voice and communication. Doors are also portals through which opportunities can come into your life. Your doors deserve a bit of your attention.

There are two things to look out for. First, be sure that all your doors can open to at least 90 degrees. When there is a bunch of clutter behind a door, it can't open all the way. This blockage means you can only receive a portion of life's opportunities. There are parts that you're closing yourself off to.

Second, check that all your doors are working correctly. Ensure that the hardware functions effortlessly and that the hinges are not squeaking. Look to see that the door can close well and with ease. All these details affect how the energy finds its way to you. You want the flow to be as smooth as possible.

- 04 of 09

## Commanding Position

KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

The bed represents you. The desk represents your career. And the stove represents your wealth. When you are in these spaces, be sure that you can see the door without being directly in line with it. For example, when you are lying in bed, sitting at your desk, or cooking at the stove, you want to see the door. You might end up diagonal or "kitty-corner" from the door.

### Tip

In feng shui, house direction is important. Since light, in essence, represents energy, south-facing is the most advantageous house direction for light, chi (energy) absorption, and family harmony.

Continue to 5 of 9 below

- 05 of 09

## Remove Obstacles in Your Path

Westend61/Getty Images

Take a good look at your daily path through your home; this is your feng shui space layout. Look at the physical path you walk as you move through your home, from when you wake up and arise from bed, then to the bathroom, and so on as you head out the door. Do the same when you get home, make dinner, and end up in bed.

You become desensitized to all the blocks and physical obstacles you have in your daily path. Maybe it’s that light fixture that flickers or the door that always sticks, and you have to slam it closed. It’s an obstacle when you have to squeeze through a cluttered hallway. When you hopelessly peer into a closet jammed with clothes that don’t fit you anymore—all of this affects you. Over time these obstacles can accumulate and create problems for you; this can be considered bad feng shui for a house.

The first step is to notice the obstacles, adjust with kindness, and be gentle—one thing at a time.

- 06 of 09

## Be Spacious

Plush Design Studio / Unsplash

Clutter is often in the same sentence as feng shui, but feng shui is less about de-cluttering and more about creating space.

How do you make your life more spacious? Start with your home. Find a physical spot: a drawer, room, corner of the refrigerator, desk—the size doesn’t matter—and let go of what’s no longer necessary. When you let something go, you create an open space to invite a new, fresh opportunity.

And don’t beat yourself up if the space gets filled up. It’s how the universe works. Life is not static or solid; there is impermanence. Joyfully dance with the waxing and waning of humanity. Open spaces get filled up, then emptied, then filled again. Always be willing to make a fresh start. Find a new (or the same) corner to release and create some space over and over again.

- 07 of 09

## Space Clearing

Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

You can use a few techniques: smudging with palo santo wood or diffusing sweet orange essential oil. In need of a simple space clearing technique that requires no materials? Visualize bright white sunlight filling and cleansing your entire home.

When you space-clear your home, try associating it with positive thoughts. Develop an intention of what you want to cultivate and create in your life.

- 08 of 09

## Plants Bring Life Energy

Per Magnus Persson / Getty Images

In feng shui, plants embody life energy. What does that mean? Living greenhouse plants connect to nature, bringing vibrancy into your home. Green plants are like a fresh-pressed organic green juice for your home—they introduce freshness and vitality. Green, vibrant plants are one of the key feng shui items for the home.

The most important thing to remember is to find plants that you can care for and that are appropriate for the space. For example, consider your lighting conditions. If you’re new to plants, try some easy ones, like the golden pothos.

Continue to 9 of 9 below

- 09 of 09

## Offer Gratitude

Caiaimage/Charlie Dean / Getty Images

Offer thanks to your home. Feng shui is a shamanic tradition that derives from the belief that everything is alive, including your space. The same life energy (qi) that animates you also flows through your home.

Your home is your shelter. Your home gives you a place to rest, nourish, celebrate, and so much more. Offering gratitude to your home is simple. Speak to your home with a humble heart and say, "Thank you."

FAQ

- How do I get good feng shui in my home?

Some easy ways to get good feng shui are by clearing out spaces to welcome a flow of energy, adding bright lighting, bringing new plants, and thoroughly cleaning windows.

- What is the best feng shui design for a house?

Making sure your layout is well thought out and spaced out is very important because you want to avoid running into physical objects when you're trying to maneuver around. All pieces of furniture should have its own purpose, if not, remove it to bring a better flow.

- What is the best feng shui decor for a living room?

Depending on what kind of energy you want to welcome, choose colors that stand out to you and bring them through artwork, decor accents, or paint color. If you're planning on hanging artwork, make sure to display it so it fits proportional to your wall size.

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