You don’t have to buy into eastern philosophy to benefit from feng shui.
With just a little bit of thought and effort, you can use the ancient Chinese practice to harmonize your living space. If all goes according to plan, feng shui could make you more comfortable at home and improve your physical health, relationships, and even your position in life.
While we’re not ready to ditch our doctors yet, there is certainly something to be said for feng shui’s claim that your surroundings affect your mood.
Let’s take a closer look.
What are the Basics of Feng Shui?
Feng Shui considers how the placement of things and objects affect the energy flow (called Chi) in your living environment.
You don’t want your Chi to flow right out of your home. Nor do you want it to stagnate all in one place. (Who wants to step in a puddle of Chi?)
If that all sounds a little out there, keep reading for some easy ways to get your home’s good energy flowing.
How to Feng Shui Your Home
The absolute first thing to do is to get rid of your clutter. It detracts from your task at hand and competes for your focus. Feng Shui consultant Suzanne Metzger offers this tip: “Pick up an item and notice if your energy lifts or drops. If it drops, “you can bet that item is draining an area of your life.”
Next, address your air and light quality. Open your windows and doors periodically (even for a few minutes in winter). You can also use an air purifier or add plants that serve that purpose like palms, rubber plants, ficus, lilies, and ferns. Don’t block all your natural light with heavy draperies and closed shades.
Now, let’s move on to the meat of feng shui—how to improve the flow of Chi in your home. Experts suggest a few strategies, including avoiding long straight lines, embracing curved lines over straight lines or angles when possible, using mirrors liberally to reflect energy, and keeping an eye on your color choices. (Warm tones energize you, while cool tones are calming.)
In your main living area, sofas and chairs should be grouped to encourage the flow of conversation (and not just TV watching.)
Consider Additional Storage Space
It’d be great if we all had 5,000-square-foot houses with huge closets. Imagine the calm! The lack of clutter!
But that’s not reality for most of us. If you love the idea of having a more peaceful, organized house, but can’t make it work in your current set-up, consider renting a self storage unit where you can stash seasonal decorations, off-season clothing, baby equipment you may use again, and heirlooms that you don’t currently have the space for.
At StorageMart, you can rent a unit as small as 25 square feet or so—or up to the size of a garage. We offer affordable self storage units that can be rented on a month-by-month basis and are always clean and well lit. Check out our storage unit size guide or rent a unit online today. Let us help you create good Chi in your home—and bring more organization to your life.