5 Common Room Layout Mistakes to Avoid, According to Feng Shui

Guest User March 31, 2021

Anjie Cho was featured on Real Simple

Feng shui is a philosophy that looks at how to improve the flow of energy in our homes. Feng shui originated in ancient China, and was developed to assist people in how to place their homes in relationship to environmental conditions. In the modern world, I like to define feng shui as "mindfulness of spaces." When we can be aware of the details in the spaces around us, we can connect to and create homes that nurture and support us.

One of the many ways you can begin to incorporate feng shui principles into your life is to fix five of the most common home decor layout mistakes. Luckily, most of these are simple to correct. But if you can't, remember to do the best you can with what you have.

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If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Home Office in the Bedroom

Guest User March 21, 2021

Is it ok to have my home office in my bedroom?

This is something that has come up a lot this year with so many of us working from home. Sometimes the bedroom the only area where you can set up a workspace, especially if you normally work at an office and weren’t prepared to work from home.

In general, my advice is to do the best with what you have. Feng shui isn’t magic—it’s not going to add another room to your home or make one of your rooms suddenly bigger. You have to make accommodations and compromises based on your situation.

In general, it’s not ideal to have a workspace in your bedroom. If you can move it to another place in your home, I would recommend you do that. A separate room is best, but you can also carve out space in another room in your home, one that is not dedicated to sleep and relaxation. For example, perhaps there is a corner in your kitchen that would work well as a dedicated home office.

If you must have your home office in your bedroom, there are a few ways that you can make the most of the situation. First, make sure you have a separate space dedicated to work within your bedroom. You don’t want to work on your computer while sitting in bed, because you’re mixing two different types of energy: yin, the more passive energy of rest and sleep; and yang, the active energy of work.

Next, do your best to create a visual separation between your workspace and the rest of your bedroom. You can do this with a freestanding bookcase, room divider, or fabric panel. If you can’t fit something like this in your bedroom, you may want to cover your desk with a beautiful piece of fabric at the end of each work day to create more separation between your work and personal life.

If you have questions about your specific situation, I’d recommend working with an expert. If you do have the opportunity to work with a feng shui consultant, they can help you locate a better space for your home office, or figure out how to best accommodate the workspace in your bedroom if that is really the only option.

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: How to Improve Focus in Your Home Office

Anjie Cho June 21, 2020

I’m working from home and having a hard time staying focused. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for your question! I think a lot of people who are not used to working from home, or working from home with family around, are in a similar situation. There are definitely a few ways that feng shui can help.

First, you want to make sure your desk is in the commanding position. This means you are able to see the door from where you sit without being directly in line with the door. This position minimizes stress, and it allows you to see any opportunities coming your way.

It’s also important to consider the view from your desk. If your desk is facing a wall, this can represent a block in your career. To fix this, try hanging a mirror at eye level to expand your view. Make sure it’s not too high; you want to be able to see the reflection in the mirror while you are working. It’s also not ideal to face directly towards a window, because your energy will flow outside, rather than staying with the projects you are working on.

You can also place a small round mirror on the ceiling directly above your head where you work. Be sure that it’s fastened securely and that you feel safe. If it’s not fastened securely it could cause more anxiety and make it harder to focus. This mirror will elevate your qi, or energy, and help with mental focus and clarity. In turn, this can help to create more abundance.

Another thing that can help with focus is to clear the clutter off your desk. It’s ok to have a messy desk sometimes, if having your supplies and inspiration in front of you helps you feel creative—but if you’re having a hard time staying on task, you might want to try clearing off your desktop and seeing if that helps. This can be especially helpful when you’re starting a new project.

You can also ring a metal bell before you sit down to work. Metal helps with clarity and efficiency, and the sound of a metal bell can clear your home office space of stagnant energy.

I hope that helps!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui questions!

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.