Feng Shui. You’ve probably heard the term thrown around. It is a big focal point in some design instances, with an ancient Chinese heritage. Basically, the art of Feng Shui is built on the foundation that your surroundings affect your level of material comfort, physical and mental health, relationships and worldly success. It examines how the placement of objects in your living space affect energy flow and how those objects influence your own personal energy flow. So let’s discuss how can we incorporate these principles into your home and when to use Feng Shui influence for styling a home to sell.
Basic Styling Principal #1: Using Colour
When styling, accenting with different colours is a great way to add depth and personality to the space. Colour is a powerful way to shift the energy in your home and bring the desired results much quicker. In Feng Shui, it’s also important to pick colours that complement one another and don’t clash, so combinations like greens and blues give a calming yet lively effect, while blues with purples bring prosperity and wisdom.
Basic Styling Principal #2: Plants
One of the most popular ways to cure the home with a dose of Feng Shui is to introduce vibrant plants. They bring a vital energy of growth, renewal and healing, something everyone needs from Mother Nature! Plants improve concentration and productivity, generate happiness (with flowers having the most impact, surprise, surprise!), reduce stress, inspire compassion, and improve energy and performance. They also add a dramatic pop of colour when it comes to your sale photos.
Basic Styling Principal #3: Mirrors
Mirrors are one of the most powerful objects in the home and are usually called ‘the aspirin’ of Feng Shui, but it’s important to use them properly or you may end up with the exact opposite from what you intend. Some cardinal rules include hanging them where they’ll add light to your space, hanging one near your entryway so it gives you a positive glimpse of yourself as you walk out of the door but avoid hanging it directly opposite the door otherwise your good energy will be reflected straight back. We have spoken before about the positives of styling with mirrors. When placed well, they will make a room feel larger and if their reflection can double ask artwork.
Basic Styling Principal #4: Doors and Windows
The front entryway to your home is called the ‘Mouth of Chi’ as it’s the place where energy enters. When designing your home, this energy will be lost if the front and back door align (not to mention the draft you will have down the hallway!). When living in your home, good feng shui practice includes:
- Keeping the bathroom and toilet doors closed (apparently leaving them open loses you money but who really wants these rooms on show anyway?).
- Leaving the bedroom doors open during the day to let the love circulate and flow through the house.
- Style your office space so that you can see the door (the idea is that you will see your enemies coming)
- Have clear definition between the public and private spaces in your home (your bedrooms and kitchen are private, whereas your living rooms and study are public spaces used for entertaining). This is one of the reasons a stylist will suggest returning all rooms back to their original purpose when you are styling to sell.
Most of the time, Feng Shui principals blend nicely with good styling and design practice. We wouldn’t use clashing colour cushions to style a lounge room or a style an office with the desk on the back wall. But there are instances where we do tend to place more emphasis on Feng Shui principals. For example, there are a number of suburbs in Brisbane with a high percentage of buyers with an Asian background. Therefore, we will always style these homes with Feng Shui guidance so that these buyers feel a good sense of energy about the property.
So the take home message? Feng Shui might be trade lingo but not all the principals it employs are complex. Good, sensible styling and design practice will incorporate Feng Shui without intention and if styling your home with a little extra Feng Shui feeling will have buyers falling in love with it, then your job is well done!
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