Feng Shui --the Myth And The Marvel

It is possibly the most ancient design movement known and yet has made itself an avant-garde design craze. Although, over three thousand years old, the idea of Feng Shui has received much attention in modern day. Surf the net or the local bookstores and you will find numerous resources on the subject. It has taken the Interior Design industry by storm and has found a way into university classrooms all over the world. It has been revered as an art. It has been shunned as superstition. It is controversial, which means it is interesting. So let's take a brief look, shall we?

Feng Shui ("wind-water") is an ancient Chinese practice dealing with the arrangement of a space and its elements to bring balance to the environment and those who dwell within, more basically, living in harmony with your surroundings.

This ancient philosophy says that being in tune with the elements and energy around you will bring you the most balance in life. These elements are Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. The energy is Ch'i (pronounced 'chee').

Ch'i is the life force, and it is present all around us, all of the time. The purpose of incorporating Feng Shui into our homes is to attract Ch'i and to raise positive energy levels. The Chinese have utilized this in the construction of large buildings and homes, aligning the corners of the structures with the corresponding directions of the four cardinal directions--north, south, east, and west. The ancient Chinese tended to build their homes according to the directions and meaning of each.

Astrology is incorporated as well. Depending on the individual?s year of birth, each direction has different meaning. Those dealt with include positive directions (prime, health, longevity, prosperity, etc.) and negative directions (death, disaster, the six shar, and the five ghosts). According to Chinese life principle, there is no getting around the negative directions. Though, it is believed that utilizing Feng Shui in your home can keep the Ch'i in balance, and the positive and negative in harmony.

In this day and age, not many of us have the option of choosing our land so freely, as we have settled down already or dwell in apartment buildings. Unfortunately, we can't very well pick up and turn our homes to suit our individual Ch'i. This is where Feng Shui designers have found their calling. Placement of furniture, certain deco, as well as color use are considered imperative factors in the Feng Shui culture. Here are a few interesting and random examples.

Furniture Placement:

- Move the bed to face your health and longevity direction.
- Always have a bed against one wall, as this gives the individual stability.
- The oven and the sink should have space between them, as they represent opposing elements; water and fire.
- The living room is the central gathering room and where most families spend their time. Try to put the main area of focus (television, sound system) in the corner that represents health. This way, when the family lounges together, they are facing a positive direction.
- The Chinese believed that no matter how big the family, there should always be at least eight chairs at the dining table. If more or less, the number must always be even.
- Face the desk that you work at towards your creative direction.

Decorations and Accessories:

- If one of your positive directions lie in the South, and there is a Southern wall with no window in your home, add a mirror. This gives Ch'i room to flow with no ending point.
- The bathroom of your home is the place for Ch'i to pool--and in its most negative environment. Bathrooms are typically small, and are associated with destruction. Mirrors, and house plants should be abundant in this area.
- The living room or bedroom are good places for oil paintings and art, as these are objects of prosperity.
- The study, or the area where you do so, should be filled with objects of creativity. Fill the area with artwork, pottery, and house plants. If there is no window above your desk, guess? Add a mirror!
- Round objects represent money. So, in the living room, and study, try round rugs, tables, and coasters.
- Wind chimes, wind chimes, wind chimes! Anything associated with wind will help Ch'i flow freely.

Color:

The central colors of importance to Feng Shui include green, red, yellow, white, and black. Although the meaning and directional significance of each differs depending on your source, each color represents one of the five elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood).
- It is important that the color of your bedroom correlate with your element. Mine is water, which seems to be associated with white or blue.
- The kitchen is the one place in the house most susceptible to hazard. Green is the safest color to use here.
- The study is an important area for free air, and open mindedness. Yellow or white will keep the area amicable.

For more information on color use, check out the Quick Guide to Color Effects and Meanings blog.

Whether or not you take the ancient art of Feng Shui on board, it is quite an impressive subject as well as vastly immense--I have only just touched the bare minimum here. Aside from the apparent mysticism, its principles touch upon the chic mannerism of modern design as well. More and more designers and clients are designing with meaning and with spirituality. In my opinion, this is wonderful!

Every type of art has spiritual root and meaning--it's the artist that makes it distinct. As always, my best design advice is to understand what touches you and manifest it into your space. Peace be with you and may your Ch'i flow free!

Breiana Cecil of OverstockArt.com graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor Degree in Interior Design and in Studio Art. Breiana is an avid enthusiast of the art and design world and intends on continuing her contribution to the industry. Talk to Breiana on the ArtCorner Blog today!

Curtains, Windows and Feng Shui

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy. It is the study of living in harmony and prosperity with nature. Feng Shui means literally "wind water". It is a form of geomancy, trying to understand the relationships between nature and ourselves so that we may live in harmony within our environment. It is based upon the simple thought that our lives are deeply affected by our physical and emotional environment.

One of our chief environments is our house, where we spend most of our time. Feng Shui has advice and solutions to offer, in order to let the "chi", the energy, flow smoothly around the house. Curtains and windows are the most prominent features of our homes. Fabrics, color, material, window arrangement, yes, all these may affect your homes chi. Let's see how to improve it.

Pull the curtains back during daytime to allow sunlight to lighten your house and give the area positive energy.

Keep your curtains closed at night. Don't leave your windows exposed into night as it is considered to bring bad luck.

Blinds and curtain rings should be of natural material. The most beneficial is wood. Avoid plastic by all means!

Curtains should be large enough to cover the window and long enough to reach the floor.

Curtains should have curves to them. When drawn together there should be enough fabric hanging to form pleats and folds.

Make sure that curtains open and close easily.

Curtains that hang limply each side of a window are considered bad Feng Shui.

Keep your curtains and windows clean in order to allow the chi to come inside fresh and clean.

Match your curtains with the seasons to freshen up yours and your chis' mood. Use heavy fabrics for winter and lighter fabrics for summer. Utilize warm colours for wintertime and light happy colours for spring and summertime. Choose shades of green at spring, shades of red, orange and pink at summer, white, grey and metallic colours for autumn and shades of blue in winter.

Windows are best when opening outwards. If a window opens inwards make sure it doesn't face the West, which is the direction that signifies death or ending. In that case, block negative chi with an outward facing mirror or a plant with round leaves.

Octagonal and arched windows are considered good Feng Shui.

You can also utilize colours in your curtains to change colours in each room of your house, adjusting it correctly to specific energies each room should have. Have matching pairs in your bedroom and colours that invite love such as pink or green. For the diving room use red to keep guests energized and excited. For kitchens and playrooms orange and yellow is refreshing and revitalizing. Green is a calming colour ideal for living rooms. Purple signifies richness and transformation, which makes it ideal for spiritual rooms.

Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not, the best way to decorate your house and choose your curtain fabrics and colours is your personal taste and instinct. Add some positive Chi energy and you have the perfect house. Yours!

For more information on Curtains, Window Treatments and Using Feng Shui to bring the Positive Healing Powers of Chi to your Home, visit http://www.curtaincart.com today!