Feng Shui

Today I'd like to write a bit about Feng Shui in relation to the interior design, specifically the parts of Feng Shui I actually believe in and adopt for myself. The full set of rules with all the sectors and directions, and following them fully is overly complicated and exhausting. Instead of trying to follow them all I believe in intuition and destiny. Many factors will need to come together in order to get a new home, whether to rent or to own. Some will be pure luck, some will be a compromise between what we want and what we actually can have. Finally there will be a feeling: "this is it, this is where I'm going to be". And then we'll experience what we are destined to experience while residing in that home.

But one thing we can be conscious about and have full control of is the flow of energy inside that space. And it's a natural thing if you think about it, in some ways close to UX/UI which is my daily job. What is the first thing you see as you enter your home? Where do you naturally want to go?

Imagine that when you come home you bring some energy in. Like water, it can nurture you and different aspects of your life, or it can just disappear through leaks in the container. Where your gaze goes and where you yourself naturally want to go as you enter your home is where this energy will follow. And the idea is too keep as much of this energy in and bring out it's positive, nurturing aspect.

In order to do it, you need the flow to: 1) slow down 2) disperse 3) prevent leaks.

1.Slow down. My Slavic culture as well as Asian culture consider it necessary to take off our street shoes inside. In order to do it you'd have to sit down, so there must be a stool by the door and a place to store your streetwear. Imagine you've also got shopping bags on your hands, or just a purse. Then you'd need a place where to put them as you take off your shoes. It has to be right by the door and it has to be convenient to reach. Additionally, if you can see yourself in the mirror as you sit to take off your shoes, you'd naturally stop to look a bit so the energy will slow down even further.

2.Disperse. As an ADHD person I often fall victim of "I see — I do" situation. Even if there's a stool to sit and a bench to put my bags on, if I see the kitchen table where my bags have to end up eventually, I will likely be unable to stop myself from going there instead, and with my shoes on too. So my attention, my gaze, needs to be dispersed. I need to see something else before I see the kitchen door and a table. A curtain, even partially transparent one, a wind-chime or a long pendant light, these all help trap and disperse the energy flow. If square footage allows, use dividers and partitions that you actually need to go around. It might seem inconvenient for a Western mind but eventually they will make you feel calmer and more relaxed inside your home.

3.Prevent leaks. Windows, balconies, sinks and toilet are considered places where the energy tends to drain out. So the toilet lid needs to be closed at all times, and so the bathroom door, and windows need to have curtains. But here is when convenience and personal preferences come to play. I myself consider the view from the window one of the most important features of my home. I can feel how much cozier the place starts to be once there are curtains, even as simple as a translucent tulle (which still prevents the energy leaks) but if the view itself is vast, and open, and beautiful, I believe this energy is not lost and instead becomes the energy of aspirations which will uplift you and help you see the larger picture of your life and its perspectives. But if the view is not good, it is indeed the best to cover it with either tulle, or pendants/chimes, or some other energy dispersers/stoppers.

One important tool that needs mention is a mirror. It reflects you and your surroundings and is believed to bounce the energy back. So it's bad to see the mirror the first thing as you enter your apartment, because you won't be able to trap enough energy in, it all will be bounced back outside. But then it's good to see a mirror as you enter your bathroom, because less energy will leak out. We're not going to have our toilet lids closed at all times, are we? So have a vanity table, a mirror and some décor which you can marvel at, and you will feel much more relaxed eventually.

There are many more things to be said on the topic but I'm going to end with my own use case. I can't stand sounds of fans and ACs. To properly air out my bathroom I need to keep the door open most of the day. My space in Bangkok is really small, and the layout is such that I could see the toilet bowl from way too many places inside my apartment. I hesitated to close off my kitchen area from the living area because that would make me miss out on my balcony view... but I noticed I tended to be restless a lot of the time, thinking about food way too often, it would be hard for me to concentrate and sometimes I'd suffer from insomnia. Well... I got a Japanese "noren" curtain for my kitchen and everything has calmed down instantly. Yes, it really got easier to concentrate and my sleep has also improved. A coincidence? I choose to believe it is Feng Shui and the rules of energy flow.

There are some more issues due to the layout choices I've made, and the place being so very small. But that is going to be another conversation. As for now: just be mindful of the energy flow, slow down, disperse, prevent leaks and enjoy being content and relaxed in your home. We can't always change our destiny but we can always try and change our attitude.