Interior Design-Feng Shui Values

Feng Shui is not a decorating style, nor a collection of ornaments for an interior design project. Feng Shui is an art, or a discipline that involves complex elements: religion, philosophy, astrology, aesthetics, mathematics and a "little something" called the "chi" (a person's inner energy or "cosmic breath"). Translated literally Feng Shui means "wind-water" and is the art of achieving harmony not only for living spaces, but also for day-to-day living and life. Feng Shui takes its inspiration from the natural environment.

In the traditional Chinese thinking, nature is balance and harmony. By following the patterns of nature the Feng Shui practitioner can achieve this balance in his/her home and in his/her life. While in China Feng Shui is a discipline, in the Western world this is just an interior design technique, with more or less clear rules and unambiguous patterns. The main concept of Feng Shui designs is based on "wind", "water" and nature's "chi". This is why Feng Shui practitioners will focus their decoration patterns on aligning the elements to follow the natural flow of nature. For example, among the guidelines for proper Feng Shui designs, decorators should avoid clutter, straight lines and sharp corners. Clutter is supposed to create a "bad energy" and shift the focus from harmony to chaos, straight lines are associated with the paths followed by evil spirits and sharp corners tend to attract dirt (cobwebs, dust, etc).

In the western world, the religious beliefs of Feng Shui don't matter. Interior designers don't use crystals, Feng Shui water fountains and mirrors because of their supernatural abilities, but as mood boosters. Planning a working space (office) so that the worker faces the entrance has a logical explanation: no one likes to be distraught by unexpected visitors. Feng Shui decorators use colors, light, water and even music and sound to attain a space that contains a strong positive energy. For example bedrooms should be always free of bad "chi". When the energy in a bedroom is hostile it may cause problems within the couple. A messy room has a bad "chi". Clothes or other items scattered around the bedroom create clutter. Dirty windows increase the bad "chi". Lack of fresh air it's even worse. Believe it or not, these are basic principles of the Feng Shui as much as they are common sense aspects.

Out of the all rooms in a home, the kitchen is the most sensible to bad "chi". Smells are important for a good "chi". The kitchen has often not so pleasant smells, especially when cooking. Although for the senses a steak's aroma is delightful for a short time, how would you feel to breathe each day an air that smells like meat? You'll lose appetite. So it is important for a kitchen needs to be permanently clean, free from garbage and broken plates and cups, aerated on regular basis and neat. The predominant smells in the kitchen should be related to fresh fruits of herbs. While the art of Feng Shui takes a lifetime to perfect, its basic concepts should be followed in each interior design project: harmony, tidiness, cleanness and freshness.