People who lack interest in interior design can find it extremely difficult to put together a room that looks and feels welcoming.
This is, of course, understandable; there are thousands of different combinations of colours, furniture and accessories to choose from.
Although it may feel like all hope is lost, thankfully, there is a solution. Feng Shui’s strict rules help homeowners across the world who are struggling to design their rooms in a way that satisfies their interest, personality and comfort.
Having said this, Feng Shui is still quite difficult, and not everyone abides by the rules. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to Feng Shui your bedroom, here’s a rundown of the things you need to avoid with your new design scheme.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that dictates how to use natural energy forces within living spaces to create harmony. Translating directly into the words “wind” and “water”, the concept of Feng Shui came from a Chinese poem that discusses how life is interconnected with the environment.
Feng Shui is governed via five elements: wood, earth, metal, water and fire. By introducing bedroom furniture and accessories that contain one or more of these elements, it is believed that more positive energy can be introduced to the room.
More specifically, Feng Shui is a set of rules that must be followed throughout the home to promote a healthy, relaxing lifestyle.
By far the biggest benefit of following Feng Shui is that it provides designers with a starting point for almost all areas of the home. Blank canvases are great for sparking creativity, but when ideas aren’t flowing or space feels unnatural, Feng Shui is there to provide a much-needed backbone to interior design.
Because it interacts with so many aspects of our lives, it can be quite difficult to point towards the specific benefits that Feng Shui introduces. However, many believe that by harnessing Feng Shui, we can live more fulfilling lives while feeling happier, more energetic and positive towards life’s various struggles.
Another common belief with Feng Shui is that if these principles are ignored, the chances of bad luck are increased.
For example, placing a door behind an archway or out of view prevents good energy from flowing through your house. If your friends and family can’t find the front door, then positive energies can’t either.
There are of course numerous examples of bad Feng Shui that affect the whole home. But for now, let’s look at our bedrooms.
If you’re looking to embrace the Feng Shui lifestyle in your bedroom, here are some quick tips:
Colour is a major factor of Feng Shui. Some colours are thought to promote relaxation and calming energy in the bedroom, and others are believed to promote chaos and discord.
Neutral colours like off-whites, creams and pale browns are some excellent Feng Shui bedroom colours. They’re soft on the eyes to cause less distraction, and they even allow in plenty of light during the daytime.
When we have so much furniture, the temptation can be to just shove it wherever it fits and call it a day. But, for Feng Shui, this is a real problem and one that can lead to all sorts of uncertainty in daily life.
With this in mind, which direction should your bed face? Never place your bed frame near or in line with your bedroom door, as this is where energy comes in and out of the room. Many Feng Shui experts call this the “coffin position”, as it resembles how the dead are carried through open doors in caskets.
Phones, laptops, desktops, TVs and tablets are a common part of life these days. While these are perfectly suitable for home offices, living areas and entertainment spaces, devices like this should be avoided at all costs in the bedroom.
The belief is that these devices cause distractions right before we sleep and that consuming negative content before bed may make us more likely to wake up in a bad mood. There is some interpretation to be made here, as we all enjoy different types of TV shows and movies.
These Feng Shui rules also line up with modern research around how distracting blue light is before bed. Our smartphones emit large amounts of this, which can make us more alert before bedtime and make it difficult to fall asleep. However, It’s also worth remembering that Feng Shui is an ancient practice first created thousands of years before these devices existed, so this may be more of a modern hazard rather than a cold-hard rule.
In the world of Feng Shui, headboards are critical to achieving positive energy in the bedroom.
A well-built, solid headboard symbolises a stable foundation for life and is thought to help establish certainty.
Headboards are also helpful for negating other problematic Feng Shui situations, such as placing your bed frame in front of a window. By having a headboard between your head and the window, you can re-introduce a solid surface to promote stability and strength.
Real and artificial potted plants are quite common in living areas and hallways, but the same can’t be said for our bedrooms.
This is perfectly understandable as some may find the presence of a tall house plant unsettling in the place where we sleep. But, house plants certainly have their place in the bedroom. Plants introduce life and nature to our living spaces, acting as the main contributors to both the earth and wood elements of Feng Shui.
Real plants are preferable, but for decorative purposes, you can’t go wrong with a selection of fake plants.
There’s no escaping the fact that interior design is hard. Good design requires attention to detail and creative flair for things to feel truly personal.
If you’re stuck and in need of inspiration, have a browse through our website to discover a whole range of bed sheets, furniture, headboards and bed frames of all shapes and sizes to fix your Feng Shui problems.
