When openly considering interior design the question that is sometimes asked is ‘what is good design?’ According to the
ancient Chinese Feng Shui is good design. Feng Shui (pronounced ‘feiing swee’) is an ancient Chinese theory of design and
placement. Feng Shui is a different method of incorporating harmony and natural well being by designing the home and environment to allow ‘chi’,
the almighty energy life force energy, to flow smoothly. Confused yet? Let’s shed some light on the subject of Feng Shui.
Balance Interior design is about creating a balanced environment in which to live life. Homes are first
and foremost places for living in.
No matter how much time and money is spent on improving the living space, unless the home is a
happy refuge, it will never be any more than a beautifully decorated but lifeless space. By changing your surroundings Feng Shui
boosts energy, emotion and causes a decorative balance.
Five Traditional Elements of Feng Shui What are the five traditional
elements that must be included in the Feng Shui school of Interior Design? They are Fire, Water, Earth, Metal and Wood. When the
Feng Shui elements are brought into alignment it creates a balance that is essential to a harmonious environment. The fundamental
principles of good design are natural and to a large extent innate. How often does the interior designer throw received wisdom to
the wind and work from eye and instinct alone?.
Feng Shui is largely common sense and good design and it is important to take time and listen to intuition about what feels
right and how you can use and carefully set the individual items you already have.
Art of Placement Feng Shui is as much about positioning of items of furniture as it is about the different
types of objects you possess. Basically, according to the philosophy behind Feng Shui, all you really need to do is remove the clutter or create
space for the ‘chi’ to flow smoothly around the home. Go through each room and correctly position the furniture in the 'best' directions
according to your personal success map. Use colour in theraputic ways, and position your personal accessories in strategic energy rich locations
around the house, making changes to these every now and then. Feng Shui works in residential and commercial interior design. The extent of the
project does not matter. Feng Shui will work in small apartments or in mansions and it makes no obvious distinction if the property is rented or
owner occupied.
Conclusion There are inevitably going to be aesthetic problems in properties that are architecturally
based. Feng Shui cannot always resolve these problems but avidly pursuing the basic principles can minimize them. This is because Feng Shui is
about design and placement. As must be expected, the principles are not embraced by everyone and it is not possible to become an expert overnight
but a relaxed doctrine that promotes the natural creation of harmony and balance in anyone’s life and home is certainly something to at least be
considered.
