Transform your home's energy with feng shui

Your home should be a calming space that blocks out the world's stress. In practice, very few of us get to enjoy a stress-free living space, and the clutter and disorganization that affects so many houses can be a source of stress on its own. If you find yourself ill at ease when you're relaxing at home, consider reorganizing your living quarters in accordance with the tenants of feng shui.

This ancient art of organization prioritizes a living space's energy and aims to make the inside of your home a balanced and calming place. While it might be impractical to completely align your home's décor with feng shui guidelines, a few subtle changes can have a big impact on your house's usability and appearance. This can be particularly useful if you want your place to have a little extra visual appeal during home showings, so find time in between the home inspection and open house to implement some of these ideas:

Think about seating

Feng shui tailors each room to its intended purpose. In the living room, this means a focus on seating and conversation. Obviously, the biggest piece of seating, your sofa, requires the most attention. You want to position the sofa in a way that makes people feel safe and secure. This means you should place the sofa so that its back sits about two inches away from one of the room's walls. Then, position the room's other seating to facilitate conversation with people who sit on the couch. Chairs should face each other and the sofa and should sit close to the walls. 

Never block an obvious pathway through the room when placing chairs or other furniture. You want to allow people to pass through the space easily while providing them with enough room to sit down and engage one another. On the same note, don't arrange a room so every piece of furniture faces the television. This discourages conversation and makes a room feel isolating.

Sleep the right way

The bedroom is particularly important location for feng shui organization, and practitioners believe simple changes in bedroom furniture placement can improve a person's sleep. For proper feng shui bed placement, position your mattress in a way that puts your head against a wall. You should also ensure that your feet are not pointed directly at a doorway, as this is reminiscent of Chinese funerals and can encourage negative energies.

Whenever possible, select soft and rounded shapes for the furniture and other visible items in your bedroom. These curves have a calming affect and will allow you to better relax as you drift off to dreamland.  

Nix the junk

Feng shui prioritizes simplicity and believes that a messy home contributes to stress. As you move through your home and evaluate each room's current arrangement, consider what items you can throw away, put into storage or donate to charity. Every house is full of seldom-used objects, and eliminating this clutter will make your organizational task much easier. 

Light the way

Proper lighting is a part of feng shui that homeowners often overlook. Most houses today use fluorescent light bulbs. These are incredibly energy-efficient, but they put out a bright white light that many people find uncomfortable. To create a pleasing glow in your home, consider standard incandescent light bulbs or pink-tinted options. These will remove the harsh shadows fluorescent bulbs encourage and make your home a more welcoming place. To make things even more relaxing, install dimmer switches that allow you to adjust the lights depending on the time of day.