Feng Shui Living Room Essentials & Decor Tips

Your home is your sanctuary, a safe place to unwind and relax after a long day. It is a known principle that if your space is cluttered and chaotic that it may amplify your stress levels. But fear not, the principles of Feng Shui are on your side to bring balance and harmony to your space. When we’re thinking about decluttering and organizing we typically think about our bedroom or bathroom, however, we cannot abandon the most important room of all, the living room. It’s vitally important that you have a feng shui balanced living room. It’s a space that you share not only with yourself but everyone you welcome into your life. Below are some important principles to consider when you feng shui your living room. 

Feng Shui Origins

   Let’s start with the basic question, what exactly is feng shui? The purpose of feng shui starts with the idea of improving your well being and overall quality of life from the inside out. The color scheme of your living room and the positions of your furniture all play a role in bringing balance and harmony to your life. Feng Shui originated from the Chinese Taoist culture, using the cycles of nature to balance our well being. The five elements used to provide feng shui are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. An appropriate feng shui living room ultimately consists of intentional balance and functionality for anyone who may spend time there. 

Less is More

    Since your living room is one of the most public spaces in your home, it’s essential to keep it clean and clutter-free. Especially in the world we live in today, we have too much “stuff,” and where we place this stuff often determines how open or closed our home feels. It is essential to only allow decor in your living room that serves a purpose and adds value. An easy way to declutter is to remove all objects from your room and piece by piece add them back in purposefully.

Some you’ll find aren’t necessary and others may still fit. As you do this, you’ll easily recognize whether you need a complete makeover or just a slight tidying up. Whichever the case, booking a Dolly is an easy and cost-efficient way for you to add or take away items to and from your home. The feng shui key here is to remember that not every corner in your living room needs to be filled. Leave space for others to move around and embrace an open concept.

Decor Placement

    Before you begin the feng shui process in your living room, you must first determine it’s Bagua. Bagua is a feng shui tool that helps analyze the unique energy of your room. This tool is often used in feng shui to help determine what would provide the most balance to your floor plan. To avoid confusion, there are two different types of Bagua strategies, a traditional and an adapted western version. Mixing both of these principles together has proven ineffective and is not recommended. Both of these strategies are similar in which they are centered around what emotions and characteristics you would like to bring into your room combined with color coordination, materials, and placement of items.

For example, if your living room is a lively space where a lot of people are entertained and mingling, proper Bagua would suggest that the amount of furniture is minimal and against the walls for more floor space, but has enough seating for everyone flowing in and out of the room. For a lively living room like this, it is suggested to bring more shimmer and shine to the room which reflects light, thus creating an open concept. A popular feng shui trend to add more shine to your space is to integrate copper elements. You can utilize shine subtly in table stands, plant pots, and geometric light fixtures.

Meaningful Color

   Color and the elements go hand in hand when using feng shui. To keep it simple, let’s focus on color. Bagua’s principles state that all colors have meaning. For example, blue represents knowledge of self and tranquility, purple represents wealth and royalty, yellow is wellbeing and so on and so forth. The key is to identify what statement you want your living room to make and to align it to your color palette. For example, if your living room is occupied by your children and you often use it as a space to help them with homework or art projects, your color palette should utilize greys and beige with accents of red or pink. 

   It’s easier to integrate pops of color in your living room by utilizing accent pillows, throws, rugs, and artwork. Wanting a bolder statement? Why not a colored couch, like this velvet one found here at West Elm. Proper feng shui when dealing with color is the Bagua meaning and how it relates to you and the use of your room.  

Utilize the Elements

      Similar to color, use a variety of materials in your living room to embrace the second half of Bagua. The 5 elements are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. These are determined in a variety of materials and shapes. Best feng shui practice is to incorporate at least one of each element. Here are some examples of how to incorporate the elements in your home and what they would look like. The first Bagua element is earth. Earth elements in your home are typically flat and square-shaped items. They also coordinate with a brown, orange and yellow color palette. A good example of a few decor items that are considered as earth elements is wood shelving, leather couches, and warm prints or paintings. 

Metal Element

Next, we have the metal element. The Bagua element of metal will most likely be found in spherical and round shapes. This usually coordinates with a white, grey and/or metallic color scheme. Some examples of the metal element found in living room feng shui are, pendant lamps, vases and white ottomans.

Water Element

      The water element can be incorporated into your living room feng shui in multiple arenas. The colors associated with the Bagua concept of water are black tones and very dark blues. Often, these decor items have curvature or waves such as paintings or floor lamps. However, the watercolor element can also be used as a bold accent wall for a moody and chill living room. Not wanting to go the bold route? If you’re looking for more of a subtle approach, art prints like this from, At Home help deliver the calming presence of the water element while also allowing the opportunity to introduce other elements as a centerpiece. If you plan to purchase a delicate wall piece don’t worry about transporting it yourself, order a Dolly with insured protection to deliver your delicate accents safely. 

Wood Element 

The wood Bagua element surprisingly coordinates with a lighter blue and green color palette. You can identify this element in the form of rectangular or columnar shapes such as this stand-alone full-length mirror. Coffee tables and side tables can also be considered as a wood element. If the wood element is more your taste and you’re wanting to make a statement, try adding a green velour couch like this one from West Elm with seafoam and light blue accent pillows. To balance out your bold choice accent the couch with the metal element and incorporate metallic wall decor and side tables. 

Fire Element

    Lastly, the final element of Bagua is fire. The fire element color is you guessed it, vibrant red. This element can also be found in decor items that have triangular shapes. Terracotta red is a very popular fire color roaming in the interior design room today. A fire element in your feng shui living room can usually be found in glass vases, terracotta clay pots and small sculptures.

Plant Life

    If you feel like your living room’s essential feng shui is all in order but is just missing some life, plants are the best additions and the cherry on the top. Include plants such as vines or succulents for a functional easy to care for indoor plant. Add the eucalyptus plant to integrate a calming smell throughout your living room. Plants really harmonize your room’s feng shui especially if you decide on a neutral color palette. Not to mention how you place and pot your plants can also affect your feng shui. For a more earth-toned look go for a clay pot. To add some shine, look for copper or brushed metal. Pots are another way to integrate texture and Bagua to your living room. For affordable plant and pot options visit Home Depot.

 Need to add some furniture or decor to improve your living room’s feng shui but need it delivered home? Get your furniture and decor delivered to your home or apartment today with Dolly. Dolly connects you with a local pickup truck driver who can bring home your new furniture on your schedule, even same-day from your favorite retail store. Don’t stress, deliver your harmonious feng shui pieces directly to your home with Dolly.