The Feng Shui Rules You Need to Know For Each Room in Your Home
Looking for a way to improve the positive energy in your home? Here are the feng shui rules from an expert
We all want our homes to be welcoming and full of positive energy. The ancient tradition of feng shui is one tool you can use to create the right amount of positive qi energy and improve your everyday life.
In order to help you get the basics right, we reached out to feng shui consultant, Dato’ Joey Yap, who has over 20 years of experience in the art.
Feng shui tips you should know for your interior
Feng shui tips you should know for your interior
To help you work out how to to get the positive energy flowing in your home, Dato’ Yap has created create a set of simple rules for each room.
Misconceptions about feng shui
According to him, there are many ideas floating around on what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ luck in the home and many aren’t true.
“Feng shui is not about superstitions or old wives’ tales like painting your house a certain colour or placing an ornament in a particular corner of your home to bring in good fortune.
“Real feng shui is a traditional Chinese philosophy that helps humans to live in harmony with their natural surroundings by harnessing the qi – universal life energy – from the environment in the most optimal way to support various activities,” he explains.
According to him, there are many ideas floating around on what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ luck in the home and many aren’t true.
“Feng shui is not about superstitions or old wives’ tales like painting your house a certain colour or placing an ornament in a particular corner of your home to bring in good fortune.
“Real feng shui is a traditional Chinese philosophy that helps humans to live in harmony with their natural surroundings by harnessing the qi – universal life energy – from the environment in the most optimal way to support various activities,” he explains.
There is either positive (sheng qi) or negative (sha qi), says Dato’ Yap, and these two are the core of feng shui.
“The basic objective of interior feng shui is to draw in and circulate positive qi within the home to benefit the activities of the occupants of the home,” says Dato’ Yap.
There are three key features that should be prioritised: the main door, the kitchen and the bedroom.
“The basic objective of interior feng shui is to draw in and circulate positive qi within the home to benefit the activities of the occupants of the home,” says Dato’ Yap.
There are three key features that should be prioritised: the main door, the kitchen and the bedroom.
The main door
Where your main entrance is sited is very important for positive interior qi says Dato’ Yap.
“For example, a property that faces a curved ‘knife’ road usually leads to a lot of accidents and mishaps for the occupants.”
Where your main entrance is sited is very important for positive interior qi says Dato’ Yap.
“For example, a property that faces a curved ‘knife’ road usually leads to a lot of accidents and mishaps for the occupants.”
He also advises against homes with the main door facing a T-junction, especially if the traffic is intense.
If this describes your home, he suggests the use of fencing, walls or strategically-planted trees to help dissipate some of the forceful qi.
If this describes your home, he suggests the use of fencing, walls or strategically-planted trees to help dissipate some of the forceful qi.
Look out too for lamp posts, trees or poles in front of the main door, blocking the flow.
“These indicate a possible case of Piercing Heart sha which not only affects the health of the occupants, but also represents career obstacles. The problem can be fixed by relocating the main door to another sector or placing a screen in front of the structure to redirect the qi,” explains Dato’ Yap.
“These indicate a possible case of Piercing Heart sha which not only affects the health of the occupants, but also represents career obstacles. The problem can be fixed by relocating the main door to another sector or placing a screen in front of the structure to redirect the qi,” explains Dato’ Yap.
The best thing to have in front of your main door is a Bright Hall, a large unobstructed area.
“The main door should not be shaded by dense foliage or trees as that creates yin sha which is hazardous to mental health. The foyer area just inside the main door should also be spacious and lit by natural sunlight, and not narrow, dark or cluttered,” says Dato’ Yap.
“The main door should not be shaded by dense foliage or trees as that creates yin sha which is hazardous to mental health. The foyer area just inside the main door should also be spacious and lit by natural sunlight, and not narrow, dark or cluttered,” says Dato’ Yap.
The kitchen
This is very important for positive qi as this is where food is prepared and where the family gathers.
“What does matter is the placement of certain kitchen items,” he explains.
This is very important for positive qi as this is where food is prepared and where the family gathers.
“What does matter is the placement of certain kitchen items,” he explains.
“We do not want to have Fire and Water elements clashing which is associated with health problems such as high or low blood pressure and heart-related conditions. Therefore, it is preferable not to have the stove right next to the sink.
He recommends a gap of at least 30 centimetres between the stove and the sink. “Alternatively, you can put some herbs or a small potted plant in between the two, as Wood (the plant) will moderate the clash between Fire and Water.”
Simple kitchen herb gardening, indoors!
He recommends a gap of at least 30 centimetres between the stove and the sink. “Alternatively, you can put some herbs or a small potted plant in between the two, as Wood (the plant) will moderate the clash between Fire and Water.”
Simple kitchen herb gardening, indoors!
Here news that may disappoint a few new homeowners: a kitchen island is terrible for feng shui, especially if you have the stove there.
“The stove will be exposed to qi from all angles by placing it in the centre of the kitchen. Thus, the food cooked on the stove will be affected by negative qi, resulting in health problems,” says Dato’ Yap.
“The stove will be exposed to qi from all angles by placing it in the centre of the kitchen. Thus, the food cooked on the stove will be affected by negative qi, resulting in health problems,” says Dato’ Yap.
“The stove should always be kept stable by placing it against a solid wall. Also, make sure that your stove is not located in front of any door used to enter the kitchen, as it is like a mini T-junction. The qi from the door rushes in and hits the stove, causing the food that is prepared to be afflicted with sha qi.”
Myth or Fact?
There is a popular practice of putting coins inside the rice urn to welcome more Wealth Luck into the kitchen. While it has some symbolic meaning, this belief has nothing to do with feng shui and does not assure a windfall or abundance to the occupants.
Myth or Fact?
There is a popular practice of putting coins inside the rice urn to welcome more Wealth Luck into the kitchen. While it has some symbolic meaning, this belief has nothing to do with feng shui and does not assure a windfall or abundance to the occupants.
The bedroom rules
“The bedroom is the place where we spend a third of our lives in. Thus, it is very impactful on our health and vitality,” explains Dato’ Yap.
“Positive qi promotes sufficient and good quality sleep. When looking at bedrooms, the primary concern is the positioning of the bed and the room itself, not the items you place in the room.”
“The bedroom is the place where we spend a third of our lives in. Thus, it is very impactful on our health and vitality,” explains Dato’ Yap.
“Positive qi promotes sufficient and good quality sleep. When looking at bedrooms, the primary concern is the positioning of the bed and the room itself, not the items you place in the room.”
Luckily for those of us who like minimalism or Scandinavian styles, bright and airy bedrooms have good qi circulation.
“Sleep is a yin activity, therefore the bed should be positioned against a yin and not a yang feature,” he says.
A wall, which does not move, is yin. A window, which is an open space, is yang. Hence, the headboard should always be positioned against a wall and not a window.
How to use a headboard for decorative impact
“Sleep is a yin activity, therefore the bed should be positioned against a yin and not a yang feature,” he says.
A wall, which does not move, is yin. A window, which is an open space, is yang. Hence, the headboard should always be positioned against a wall and not a window.
How to use a headboard for decorative impact
A good bedroom has a high ceiling and is either square or rectangular. An L-shaped bedroom will have imbalanced qi flow as the sharp corner of the L will cause negative energy. You can solve this by installing built-in wardrobes to square off the room.
“A slanted ceiling also causes the qi in the room to be imbalanced. Children who sleep in a room with a slanted ceiling are likely to be rebellious or restless. If you cannot move the bedroom, at least move the bed to the higher end of the ceiling, rather than the lower end,” explains Dato’ Yap.
“You also do not want the bed to face the door so that your feet are pointing at it; this means that the qi will ‘crash’ into the bed, causing interrupted or bad sleep” says Dato’ Yap.
It not good feng shui if the door to the en suite is directly opposite the bedroom door.
“It is not a good internal layout as all the qi that enters the bedroom is immediately deposited in the bathroom instead of circulating around the bedroom” explains Dato’ Yap.
You can fix this by having furniture between the two doors.
“It is not a good internal layout as all the qi that enters the bedroom is immediately deposited in the bathroom instead of circulating around the bedroom” explains Dato’ Yap.
You can fix this by having furniture between the two doors.
Myth or fact?
Another popular belief is that having a mirror in front of your bed will result in a poor relationship for couples or bring bad luck. While the light reflected in the mirror may disrupt your sleep in the bedroom, the mirror itself does not cause bad feng shui.
Another popular belief is that having a mirror in front of your bed will result in a poor relationship for couples or bring bad luck. While the light reflected in the mirror may disrupt your sleep in the bedroom, the mirror itself does not cause bad feng shui.
Home office
Like for the bedroom, the room where you work in should have natural light and fresh air to circulate positive qi.
Like for the bedroom, the room where you work in should have natural light and fresh air to circulate positive qi.
“Never place your desk directly under a visible beam, or you will find it difficult to concentrate while working. Also, don’t sit with your back directly to a corner or to the door, because the qi entering the room will strike your back,” explains Dato’ Yap.
Also as with the bedroom, look for a space or room without any awkward angles or walls protruding into the space.
“Keep the area in front of your home office door wide and spacious to accumulate positive qi entering the room. Lastly, do have your desk facing your ‘Personal Favourable direction’, if you can,” says Dato’ Yap.
Your ‘Personal Favourable direction’ is based on the feng shui of your Chinese animal zodiac sign.
“Keep the area in front of your home office door wide and spacious to accumulate positive qi entering the room. Lastly, do have your desk facing your ‘Personal Favourable direction’, if you can,” says Dato’ Yap.
Your ‘Personal Favourable direction’ is based on the feng shui of your Chinese animal zodiac sign.
Myth or fact?
Some people say that open shelves or bookshelves represents sha qi, as they look like ‘cutting blades’ and that when you sleep or sit opposite shelves, it is akin to being cut by blades. This is not true so locate shelves wherever it is convenient for you.
Some people say that open shelves or bookshelves represents sha qi, as they look like ‘cutting blades’ and that when you sleep or sit opposite shelves, it is akin to being cut by blades. This is not true so locate shelves wherever it is convenient for you.
Remember these rules when buying or renovating your home, and you should find everything becoming more positive and comfortable.
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