13 Easy Steps to Feng Shui Your Living Room

Learn Space Clearing Techniques

Space clearing to remove negative energy is always an important step in creating good feng shui. The living room is important to space clear often because it’s one of the more public areas of the home. Use different space-clearing techniques like smudging, diffusing essential oils, or ringing bells.

Open Windows and Remove Stale Energy

A good way to clear negative and stale energy from your living room is to open up all the windows for a minimum of nine minutes. Nine is the most auspicious number in feng shui.

This allows old energy to leave and make room for new. Clean the windows while you're at it using a non-toxic glass cleaner or just plain vinegar and water.

Declutter the Living Room

Many of us have too much “stuff” that accumulates in our spaces. All the clutter in our home represents the feelings of overwhelm, stress, and hectic busyness of our everyday lives. Decluttering lets you breathe and clears out stagnant energy. Remember, not every corner needs to be filled up.

Find Your Living Room's Bagua Location

Overlay the feng shui bagua energy map on your home to see which of the nine areas corresponds to the location of your living room. Use the qualities of this area to enhance the feng shui of your living room. A great way to do this is to apply the bagua's color to that area.

For example, if your living room is in the helpful people area, bring in the color gray to invite more benefactors into your life. If your living room straddles two bagua areas, get creative with those colors.

Bring Five Elements Into the Living Room

The five elements are a Taoist system that uses the cycles of nature to inform and balance our health and well-being. The five elements are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. 

Bring good feng shui into your living room by including something from each of the five elements in your space.

Here's a quick overview of the five elements using color and shape:

• Earth is earthy brown, orange, and yellow colors, and flat, square shapes.
• Metal is white, gray, metallic colors, and spherical, round shapes.
• Water is black, with very dark blue colors, and curvy, wavy shapes.
• Wood is blue and green colors, and rectangular, columnar shapes.
• Fire is fiery, red colors, and triangular shapes.

Use Colors With Intention

Colors are used in feng shui to enhance or support particular areas in your life. Work with color in your living room to create the energy you want to cultivate. Feng shui living room colors can come from the five elements of water, fire, earth, wood, and metal. For example, brown is earthy and symbolizes stability, nourishment, and grounding.

In feng shui, it’s important to honor your intuition, so if you are attracted to a particular color, bring it into your living room using paint, furniture, art, or other accessories. Also, pay attention if a color doesn't feel right to you so it can be avoided.

Create a Welcoming Furniture Layout

Since the living room is shared, take careful consideration of the furniture. Make sure there’s a comfortable seat for each member of the household. Each person in the home should feel welcome and accommodated.

It’s also ideal to arrange the furniture to invite conversation and interaction. This means sofas and chairs can face each other. Try to minimize it where someone sits with their back facing the door.

Tap Into the Energy of Plants

Living green plants bring life energy into your home. It’s a simple way to bring good feng shui into your living room. Be sure to provide enough light, space, water, and TLC. Choose the right plants for feng shui and don't leave dying plants in your living room.

Choose Meaningful Artwork

Art is personal but important in feng shui. Keep in mind these three points. 

• Bring in an image with meaningful colors or the five elements. For example, a fiery red painting invokes fire energy for passion, recognition, and visibility. 
• Avoid emotionally charged art. Let go of a piece of art that you feel negative about.
• Don’t hang art too low or the room's energy will also be low. Hang the art at the appropriate height for the space and the size of the piece.

Sit in the Commanding Position

Position your sofa and chairs in the commanding position, which means facing the living room's entrance so you can always see what is happening and who is entering the space. The commanding position eliminates the element of surprise by keeping you aware of your circumstances.

Balance Yin and Yang Spaces

Balance your living room with yin and yang areas. Yin spaces are quiet and private and yang areas are active and energetic. To create harmony in a living room, balance an active yang gathering space with a quiet reading nook in a corner.

Maximize Natural Light

Amplify the amount of natural light coming into your living room. Sunlight symbolizes well-being, energy, and vitality in feng shui so the more the better to brighten the space. Open the curtains or hang sheers for diffused light if it is too harsh. Magnify the light by hanging mirrors to reflect the windows and light streaming into the space.

If you have limited natural light, layer light fixtures around the living room, and include uplights, table lamps, wall sconces, and ceiling lights.

Hang a Mirror to Reflect Beauty

Place a mirror in a living room where it reflects beauty, such as a lovely view of nature from a window. Or, face the mirror to reflect a breathtaking piece of artwork. Enhance a feeling of camaraderie by aiming the mirror to reflect a gathering of guests on the sofa.

Do not point the mirror so it directly reflects the front door. Hang a round mirror which is considered auspicious in feng shui.