It’s easy to see why many people would consider Feng Shui to be a form of interior decorating; after all, it does involve moving objects around, painting the walls and creating a relaxing environment. However, what you need to understand is that the two are not related and Feng Shui has a much deeper meaning behind it. Although, it does make the place look good once applied.
The Differences between Feng Shui and Interior Decorating
Interior decorating is designed to improve the appearance of a home. Whilst it can have a positive impact on your mind and well-being, its purpose is purely visual. Feng Shui is a Chinese practice that aims to bring balance, good luck and good energy into your life. Using the five elements of nature, it is possible to improve every aspect of your life by simply following Feng Shui arrangements.
For instance, an interior decorator might put a mirrored closet facing your bed and a wall fountain in the sitting area of your bedroom. But a Feng Shui practitioner would say that both these items would not allow you to have a restful sleep. Both water and mirrors move the energy in the area they’re located and what you need in the bedroom is a restful environment.
Overhead and exposed beams, although very fashionable and chic, should be avoided in a Feng Shui home. They are considered to bring oppressive chi and breed distrust and dishonesty.
The position of the bed can be tricky in Feng Shui. Your bed should be placed where you can easily see the entrance to the room, but never face the door directly. So you have to think outside the box in ways to position your bed for maximum Feng Shui effectiveness, and not only because it looks good.
Some decorators might position the bed under a window, but Feng Shui says you should have a solid wall behind you.
The main principle of Feng Shui is that every single thing in the world has an energy field. This energy can be positive or negative, but absolutely everything has energy. By arranging various objects that contain positive energy, we start to reap the benefits. The practice itself is followed using different methods.
When Feng Shui practitioners work on a home, they are basically aiming to get a good balance of energy throughout the space they are working on. They will usually try to balance the five different elements (water, fire, wood, earth, and metal) to give you the best results. Each element relates to a separate part of your life.
Feng Shui can be used not just at home but at work too. In fact, there are many major companies that incorporate Feng Shui into their working environments to improve the productiveness of their employees. These companies include Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble and Ford Motors. Now you begin to understand why Feng Shui is completely different from interior decorating and they cannot be mixed up. Interior decorating can have a positive effect on your life but there is no deeper meaning behind it. There are also no limits as to what you can place in a room or where you should place it. With Feng Shui, the objects in your room will be arranged according to which aspect of your life you would like to improve.
Whether you consider Feng Shui a superstition or you believe it’s true meaning, give it a try. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. And although it is not considered Interior Decorating, it aims to find harmony in your space and the results can be beautiful. If you want to decorate your home and have no idea of where to start, you don’t need to pay a fortune to an interior decorator. Feng Shui can help you decide on colors and placement of objects, and you will find that the results are relaxing, energizing and all in all, harmonious.