The Heart of the Feng Shui Home

What the center of your home is like can tell a lot about your health and how chi flows in your life. The center is a very important space. Here are some tips to improve the chi of your home:

1. Open – Make sure that the center of your home is open to allow chi to circulate and not stagnant.

2. Earth element – The Earth element is here to represent stability and groundedness. Colors of earth (beige to dark browns) and yellows are good here; stone flooring or objects;

3. What is in the Center?

Closet – Make sure the closet is not full of useless clutter. De-clutter and organize, organize, organize. Make everything easy to find and within reach.

Bathroom – Make sure that the bathroom stays well maintained, cleaned and lighting and plumbing work well. Incorporate the Earth element, as Earth "controls" the Water element that the bathroom represents: stone flooring or counters, walls in earth colors, a bowl of stones, and pottery are some ways to bring this element into the bathroom.

Stairway – A stairway in the center tends to creates a more chaotic home because of the up/down movement. To ground this space, be sure to include the Earth element:  carpet runner in earth tones or square patterns, earth-toned walls, a few square frames with family photos on the walls (too many is distracting and looks chaotic). If there is space, installing heavy stone statues or planters on either side of the stairs has a great grounding effect.

Fireplace – Although Fire enhances Earth, our homes are a representation of your body, and having a fireplace in the center of a home is a metaphor for excess heat in your body. It can manifest as exhaustion, heart burn, adrenal issues and even heart disease.

Hallway – It's good to have an open space in the center of the home and hallways are just that. However, they can also be chaotic spaces with people traversing through them. Be sure that the space is open as possible. Watch that any furnishings don't impede the flow of chi (or people!) and that you limit the number of wall hangings. Keep the space as calm as possible. A nice runner can add some peace to this space.

4. Images – Symbolism is important to our psychology. Be sure that any artwork here is positive and life-enhancing.

To get more ideas to enhance the center of your home, look for the great charts on the Feng Shui Bagua and the 5 Elements on our Free Resources page.