Everything You Need To Know About Feng Shui
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Taken from our Design Guide to Art Placement, we delve deeper into the basics of Feng Shui and take a virtual tour of our Artsy Feng Shui Dream House…
What Even Is Feng Shui?
We hear this ancient Chinese practise referred to a lot, often conjuring the image of a monochromatic space, the raked pebbles of a zen garden or a strict set of rules that can make or break "good vibes".
Feng Shui is the 3,000-year-old science of inviting positive Qi (pronounced “Chi”) - invisible life energy - into a space. Put simply, the concept really just means balance. The principles are actually very accessible and provide intuitive guidelines to creating the most calming home.
For the best Feng Shui in a nutshell, incorporate the 5 key elements equally - earth, water, fire, wood and metal. In art terms, that might be through choice of colour, the themes depicted, materials used or placement. If you want to be really meticulous, you could use the Feng Shui Bagua - a literal map depicting what elements to bring into each area depending on which direction it faces.
Ultimately, Feng Shui is all about creating a space that feels good! If you surround yourself with positivity and good things, the rest of your life can only follow suit. We like to interpret these principles loosely, in ways that best suit our tastes and personalities.
A Walkthrough Of Our Artsy Feng Shui Dream House
Hallway
WHERE ENERGY ENTERS THE SPACE
Referred to as the “Mouth of Qi” - the hallway is your gateway to the world, and where all of the energy enters. Keep hallways light and bright and feature anything related to the water element - mirrors, glass, blue tones. All of it.
Bedroom
UNWINDING & RELAXING
As the bedroom is meant for unwinding and relaxing, avoid art with aggressive themes - especially depicting blood or violence. Soothing colours and tones work best to encourage deep sleep and either abstract paintings or artwork in pairs are ideal (to attract romance). Never put a painting of the sea above the bed. Water extinguishes fire (if you catch our drift) - no bueno for the bedroom.
Image Source: Garna Gallery
Living Room
LIGHT AND NEUTRAL COLOURS
It goes without saying that a living room calls for a show-stopping focal point - usually above the dominant feature like a beautiful sofa or fireplace. Don’t forget that art isn’t necessarily just a painting on canvas - stunning furniture, lighting, ornaments and objects can all bring something unique to your interior design.
Typically a family space, the living room is well served by wood colours and elements. We love light and inviting neutral colours paired with a cosy, contrasting canvas in dramatic darker jewel tones.
Kitchen & Dining Room
MODERN AND TRADITION
Above counter space or cabinets are ideal spots for art in the kitchen. We love mixing old with new - like a traditional oil painting in a contemporary kitchen, or displaying artwork and even sculpture on open shelving.
Avoid hanging art in a place where it might get damaged by water or heat (we learned this the hard way). In a dining room, artwork is ideally hung slightly lower, to be able to appreciate it the most while seated. Elegant triptychs look beautiful above a sideboard in a dining space and gallery walls work well inside an alcove or breakfast nook.
Bathroom
SANCTUARY AND RETREAT
The bathroom is a place for retreat and sanctuary. Nature inspired art works well here, as do plants and earthy natural materials like rattan and wood through accessories. Easy abstracts can lift and brighten any bathroom space and gorgeous nudes always work well. If you can’t hang a nude in the place where you disrobe, where can you? Remember that artwork in your bathroom will be subjected to steam and heat, so ensure your artwork is professionally framed behind glass (especially for acrylic or oil paintings, which are not friends with humidity). Good ventilation will help art stand the test of time.
Home Office
WHERE CREATIVITY REIGNS
Your home office is all about creativity and success - bring in dynamic artwork for positive chi. Everything you surround yourself with should radiate positivity and inspire you - inspirational quotes, bold colours, cool vintage artwork that evokes happy memories. Some of the brightest, boldest art around is neon art. Whether it’s abstract, a favourite quote or just a design you love, a well positioned neon piece can completely change the feel of an office or studio. We love the work of Fernando de Ana.
Water elements such as mirrors or blue tones, and metals are considered to be amazing for a study too. One of our favourite studio spaces of all time is...
Studio Lights
CHANGE THE WAY YOU FEEL
Whether it’s abstract, a favourite quote or just a design you love, a well positioned neon piece can completely change the feel of an office or studio. We love a bit of mood-boosting neon!