What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui, at its most basic level, is nothing more than a decorating style. In the most spiritual sense, it is a style for creating an environment that will enhance your success in life.

To me, it’s just good decorating basics. Many of them can be achieved without any expenditure of money. When there are Feng Shui problems in a home, there are ways to counter them. I won’t go into that as I only look at this style from a decorating standpoint which can help the frugal decorator create a nicer environment.

If you want more information on this topic, there are books available. Here are some of the basic principles of Feng Shui. Take what you want from him.

Energy

Basically, Feng Shui tries to control or channel the energy in a room. Try to convert all negative energy into positive energy. While I have a bit of a problem with this concept, I have to admit that there is something intangible about the rooms that could be interpreted as energy.

Have you ever walked into a house where a couple has been fighting? No matter how hard they try and “put on a brave face”, you can feel it. I think the worst energy I felt was when I went to court with a friend who was getting a divorce. The room was full of divorcing couples. No one spoke, but the negative energy I felt walking into that room was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

Clutter bothers me too. I think it saves energy. I can’t even concentrate if I’m surrounded by clutter.

So with Feng Shui you do everything possible to circulate positive energy in the room. This is where good decorating principles come in. A pleasant environment is supposed to contribute to happy thoughts and moods.

Color

We all know that color influences our mood. Yellow and other bright colors make us feel happy. Gray skies bring the blues. Cool tones bring feelings of calm and rest.

Feng Shui teaches you to be careful with the colors around you and to make sure that any influence on you is positive. You are supposed to use cool and relaxing colors in the bedroom, more energetic colors in the office or other work areas.

Good color options don’t cost more than bad color options, so this is a great area for the frugal decorator.

shapes

Angular lines and hard corners are shapes that are supposed to be avoided or countered. Round shapes are more desirable and conducive to comfort and a pleasant environment.

furniture arrangement

Open is the key word here. Furniture should be placed in the home to make the space as open and airy as possible. For example, you don’t want to walk into the living room and look over the back of your sofa.

It’s also about balance. The weight of your furniture should be equally balanced throughout the house, with very dark areas or very light areas fitting.

Walls

It is considered a negative to have a home where you open the front door and have a wall in front of you. The wall is said to block the circulation of positive energy in your home and thus act as a negative element to your progress and success.

Hard corners are undesirable and should be softened by the use of things like plants.

Another mention is the negative aspect of having a diagonal wall in one of your rooms. This is supposed to be bad too. Since I have one of these at my house, I decided to give it a try. The remedy for a wall like this is to hang a mirror on it.

My diagonal wall is in my family room and our fireplace is on that wall. It had a picture above it and accessories on the mantelpiece. I took out the painting and hung a mirror. I must say that everyone who walks into that room notices the change immediately and really likes it. Sure, decorating with mirrors is almost always nice, but it made a significant difference to that room. I thought I would miss that photo as it is one of my favourites. I thought I would miss the picture colors in the room as the mirror was bland in comparison. I was favorably impressed.

Another principle of furniture arrangement is what I call “power furniture arrangement.” You are not supposed to sit in rooms with your back to the room entrance. You are not in control and feel vulnerable to people who come running without your knowledge. All desks in bedrooms or offices should be positioned so that you are facing the entrance.

organization

An office that is cluttered is not conducive to positive energy. The same goes for a house too. This makes sense. What kind of feeling do you get walking into a kitchen with dishes stacked to the ceiling? You sure give off a lot of negative energy. Feng Shui is organization and cleanliness.

Will the use of Feng Shui change your life? I don’t know. It is certainly interesting to study the basic ideas. They say that if you are in a bad mood, but you wear a red dress, you will be encouraged by the reactions of the people around you.

Maybe this works the same way. With Feng Shui you are supposed to surround yourself with things you love and place them in such a way that they bring calm and tranquility into your life. Not a bad idea, especially if it doesn’t cost money.