Living Room Feng Shui: 8 Top Tips to Bring Balance to Your Space
Feng shui is an ancient art developed thousands of years ago in China. It translates to ‘wind’ (feng) and ‘water’ (shui) and is about creating balance in your home, with the belief that this will bring good energy and happiness to your space. Whether or not you believe that the perfect furniture setup will have an effect on your home’s cosmic energy, you can be sure that living room feng shui is a great way to create a well-designed space to relax and enjoy time with your family and friends.
Eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese, so read on for eight feng shui-inspired tips to create a lovely living room.
1. Make space for energy
The main idea of living room feng shui is to let good energy (called ‘qi’ or ‘chi’ in Chinese terminology) flow through the room. Therefore, it stands to reason that a super cluttered space isn’t ideal for the flow of energy. This doesn’t mean you have to go full minimalist and get rid of all your trinkets and treasures, but even clearing piles of magazines from your coffee table or adding storage space for kids’ toys can make a difference, and have the bonus effect of making the room feel larger.
2. Face the entryway
According to living room feng shui principles, all your seating should face the doorway. This creates a welcoming environment, where people who are already in the room can see those who are entering. Additionally, make sure that no seats are facing away from each other, in order to encourage interaction. If you can’t face all your seating toward the door, using mirrors can let you see the entryways and offer a similar effect.
3. Go big with seating
To continue the theme of a welcoming atmosphere, living room feng shui dictates that you should have enough seats for your whole family, as well as a few additional spaces in order to accommodate guests with ease. Whether you choose a spacious sofa with plenty of seating, or you opt for an array of accent chairs and smaller seating options, good living room feng shui creates a sitting room that’s ideal for movie nights, lively conversation, and more.
4. Use the Bagua Map
Top: wealth and prosperity, fame and reputation, love and relationships
Centre: family and community, health and centering, creativity and children
Bottom: wisdom and learning, career and purpose, guidance and travel
The Bagua map is used in feng shui to determine which areas each part of your home should represent. For living room feng shui, lay it over the floor plan of your house and see which quadrant your sitting room lands in. For example, if your living room is in the love and relationships quadrant, consider adding some pink cushions or pink wall art to promote good energy within this sphere. You can also overlay the map over just your living room and decorate according to each quadrant’s position in the space.
5. Curate your corners
Corners are considered unlucky in this decorating style, so for good living room feng shui, opt for furniture with rounded edges or circular shapes. A round coffee table or a sofa with rolled arms are great picks. And for the corners of the room itself — since there’s no real way to avoid having them all together — add positive energy with live plants, cheerful lighting, or colourful wall art.
6. Think about TV location
Although feng shui is a practice that’s thousands of years old, some of its principles have been updated for contemporary home decor. Living room feng shui says that your television is a source of active energy, so positioning it strategically can bring good luck. However, if you have a fireplace in your room, living room feng shui experts recommend that you avoid hanging your television over it, as the cosiness of the fireplace is ideal to serve as a focal point, and the television can detract from it.
7. Choose positive wall art
This living room feng shui advice is two-fold: the first element of it is on the surface level. Wall art that is happy, calming, or motivational has the obvious effect of bringing positive energy into your space. However, beyond the art itself, you should also consider your personal history with it. If you have some wall art that was given to you by an ex-partner, or that was purchased in an unhappy time of your life, consider replacing it with a new piece that brings you joy.
8. Keep balance at the forefront
Living room feng shui is all about balance. Feng shui features five elements — earth, metal, water, wood, and fire — and if you can incorporate all five into your space, either literally or symbolically, you will be sure to create a balanced feel. Similarly, play with textures, colours, finishes, etc. in order to create a perfectly balanced blend. Real plants are always a good option as well, bringing a live element to complement the inanimate objects that are your furniture, and adding genuine energy to the space.
Whether you follow living room feng shui for its potential energy-enhancing properties, or simply to enjoy a comfortable, well-organised sitting room, follow these eight tips to create a welcoming environment for your home and your family. And if you want to choose the perfect new curved-corner sofa, round coffee table, positive wall art, or other furnishings to suit your living room feng shui needs, talk to the Corcoran’s team and we’ll help you fill your home with positive energy and gorgeous furniture.