Moving into a new home (especially your first home!) is an exciting experience, and gives you a new space with the freedom to start fresh with new décor, color schemes and furniture placements. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the new possibilities, a great place to start is Feng Shui (pronounced fung shwee), a 3,000 year old Chinese concept of placing items and furniture in your home to best allow good energy to flow through your house, and keep bad energy at bay. Feng Shui is all about the art of placement, and beginning with these rejuvenating basics will become the first stepping stones that will lead you to an over-all balanced and harmonized home. The most important thing to remember before beginning is to start small, have fun, and don’t overthink it!
Let the Light In
Bringing more light into your home, whether that be through opening the curtains or adding extra lamp in a room, will help boost your energy. The most important places to have extra light are areas you spend a lot of time in, like your kitchen, home-office or bedroom. Add wall scones or floor lamps with up-ward facing light to so it reflects back into the room. These small additions will help light up the dark corners, give you more light to focus on your daily tasks, and creates a warm and calming presence in the room. Make sure to give extra attention to the entrances to your home or important rooms. It’s traditionally thought that extra light around entrances draws positive “chi” or energy to your home, that will bring good fortune and luck.
Clear up the Clutter
In the eye of Feng Shui, a cluttered home is equivalent to a cluttered mind, meaning it’s time to do some unpacking, and maybe put some possessions into the “donate” pile. Clutter and disorganization sucks up energy in whatever space it’s occupying, even if it’s “out of sight, out of mind” in a closet, garage, or basement. If you have some items clogging up your space, now is a perfect time to donate them to those in need, or have a garage or yard sale to free up some space.
Bring the Green Inside
Not only are indoor plants a trendy way to purify the air in your home due to all the extra oxygen being emitted, but it’s believe that plants have their own chi, and that in turn will draw positive chi to them, and your home. If you’ve never had indoor plants before or if you aren’t confident in your green thumb, easy plants to take care of that need very little maintenance include the snake plant, endless varieties of succulents and cacti, and aloe vera plants. The best places for plants in the home are in the living area, as it’s thought that plants placed there will promote health and overall well-being.
