Feng Shui Tips Bedroom
I feel a near-constant desire to rearrange my living space. I always thought this was just a quirky trait of mine, but after speaking with a certified feng shui expert, I learned it might have more serious implications. “Your home is an extension of who you are — a metaphor for your life, ” Laura Cerrano told me. She’s the CEO of Feng Shui Manhattan, and for almost 17 years she’s been helping her clients transform their homes to better suit their personalities and intentions.
I asked her to distill the art into quick guidelines for me, a request that ultimately proved my ignorance. Feng shui, she explained, is not about rules so much as principles, the application of which varies person-to-person, takes time and requires a bunch of emotional digging. “It’s not quick, it’s hard work. If you want rich benefits, you have to put some serious thought into what you want.” In fact, one of the first things she discerns before taking on a client is how committed they seem to transforming themselves alongside their homes.
Once she does take on a client, Cerrano walks them through her version of the nine “life areas” (a common device in Western feng shui): love, fame, partnership, career, health, children and creativity, travel and helpful people, and family and knowledge. Each area has a corresponding space, element, emotion and color palette. For instance, the entryway is tied to the career-life area, and technically should be decorated with water elements and cool colors which initiate inspiration and wisdom, but the exact interpretation of the principles will vary by person. (Wood elements help you expand and grow, earth elements help you stay grounded, metal elements help with communication.) This is the more pointed and complex side of feng shui that’s best incorporated with the help of a consultant or a good deal of research.
Not all of it requires depth of knowledge, though. When it comes to optimizing energy (or chi or prana or whatever you choose to call it) in the home, Cerrano explained there are a few straightforward ways you can get started. Below, I outlined the four tips she gave me — a sort of feng shui starter kit — and used my own space as a guinea pig.
Cerrano said decluttering is the first order of business for all of her clients. “In order to add, you have to subtract, ” she explained. “It’s like starting a new painting, you have to clear the palette. Reclaim the space.” She sees the aesthetic appeal of a decluttered space as secondary to the emotional benefits. “The objects you allow into your home are symbolic of who and what you allow into your life.”
Okay, let’s see what I was allowing:
This shelf in my room is a perfect example of the chaos I’d introduced to my dressing experience. The top of my bureau was okay, but it never felt quite right to me. I’d sort of just thrown this stuff here with the intention to fix it later, but I never got around to tending to it. By the way, I’m considering my room my main “living space” for the purpose of this story, since I share the rest of my apartment with roommates.
The view from the door. It all felt…fine, but not overly thought out or cared for.
Here it is post-declutter:
Reorganizing that shelf and the top of my bureau and side table was so therapeutic. And it looks much nicer, yes, but the order of it also feels nicer. I’ve started treating my space with more respect. The newfound tidiness has inspired me to be more mindful of how I interact with my things.
I told Cerrano I’d once heard that the bed should face the wall with the door on it. Like all my preconceived notions about feng shui, this was slightly off-base. It’s less about a specific wall, she explained, and more about what feels right. “In the Western method of feng shui, its recommended that you position your furniture — desk, bed, couch, chairs, seating — in a commanding position. To have them against a ‘mountain wall, ’ because you want a mountain at your back for support.”
