How to Arrange a Living Room According to Feng Shui: 5 Expert Tips

The living room is the center and heart of the home: this is where the family gathers together and greets guests. Therefore, harmonious decoration of the living room will positively affect family relationships and interactions with the surrounding environment. Often, in our typical apartments, this function is performed by the kitchen, so the principles of living room decoration according to feng shui, which Irina Simakova shared with us, can also be relevant for it.

Irina Simakova is a consultant of the Association of Feng Shui of Great Britain and Europe (FSS) and the International Feng Shui Forum (MFFSH). She believes that a home is a mirror reflection of a person's life. Everyone can change their life by transforming the space around them.

1. Carefully Plan the Space

The living room is a place of maximum activity, so allocate the most spacious room in the house for it. Preferably choose a room of a regular shape (square, rectangle). If such a room is not available, zone the space with a partition, bookshelf, or screen into two functional parts, thereby giving each part a proper shape.

In feng shui, the living room is associated with the emotional center of the home, where human Chi concentrates and gets nourished. Just like the heart, which nourishes the body and is responsible for blood circulation in the organism, the living room should connect with all parts of the house, and Chi energy should smoothly flow from one room to another. That is why an ideal option is to have two entrances to the living room: one from the hallway, and another from the kitchen. However, it's important not to place doors opposite each other: this can cause a destructive flow of energy that will turn the living room into a passageway rather than a room for intimate gatherings. In a private house, it is good when one of the living room doors opens to an internal courtyard – the quality and strength of Chi entering the house will constantly increase.

2. Make the Room Welcoming with Furniture

Choose furniture that corresponds to the shape and size of the living room and does not take up too much space. Oversized furniture will disrupt the flow of Chi and cause discomfort. On the contrary, furniture that is too small in size for a large room will not allow energy to stay in the room and accumulate.

When arranging furniture in a living room, focus on a focal point around which communication will take place (usually it's a coffee table, fireplace, or TV), and it doesn't have to be in the center of the room. However, don't orient all seating toward the TV: remember that the purpose of the living room is to promote communication.

Arrange furniture so that when sitting on a sofa or armchair, you can see people entering and leaving, and be positioned diagonally to your conversation partner rather than facing them directly (confrontational position). Place the sofa with its back to the wall, but if the living room is large and the sofa group is in the center of the room, a console or shelf can be placed behind the sofa. The main idea of such arrangement is a sense of comfortable protection and safety.

3. Plan the Color Palette and Lighting Scenarios

It is preferable that the living room be located on the sunny side of the house (in the southern or southeast part of the house for the northern hemisphere and in the northern or northeast part of the house for the southern hemisphere) and be filled with natural light for most of the day. If the windows in your living room face the shaded side, use bright color accents and good lighting in the interior.

Plan several lighting scenarios: bright for active activities, guest meetings, and dimmed for rest and relaxation. Check whether there are dark corners in your living room. To prevent Chi from stagnating in them, illuminate these areas so that the light is directed vertically upward: in this way you will revitalize energy. Light attracts attention and, therefore, energy.

Regarding color, prefer pastel tones and dilute them with bright accents. But use no more than 2–3 colors in one room, otherwise it will result in color chaos.

4. Choose Appropriate Decor

Decorate the living room as you want to see your life, so that the interior charges you with positive emotions. Decorate the room with images and items that are associated with prosperity, health, and don't forget to place family photos and general family pictures from different periods of life.

The living room, being a public and most active area in your home, requires yang energy. Yang decor includes: smooth and glossy surfaces, straight lines, graphic patterns, bright and dynamic ornaments, vertical and tall objects, warm colors, bright light, and furniture on wheels.

However, do not overdo it and always balance the decor with yin elements to achieve harmonious interaction between Yin and Yang. Decorate the sofa with cushions, pillows, and a soft blanket, add lush green plants, and don't forget about dimmed and diffused lighting. Then a balanced decor in the living room will positively affect your family relationships and friendships, as well as your social success.

5. Eliminate Interferences

Avoid sharp angles at the place where you sit, as well as hanging heavy objects above you (such as ceiling beams, chandeliers, bookshelves): these prevent the accumulation of energy in you. We are accustomed to our homes and may not notice such destructive influences, but the subconscious always registers these 'invisible interferences,' and part of your organism's strength will be unknowingly spent fighting them.

Check that electrical wires from appliances are neatly arranged and hidden. Are the wires lying on the floor or catching your feet? Clear the passage in the living room of everything that hinders you from approaching the window, cabinet, sofa, or armchair freely: obstacles in the movement path and clutter in the living room block the flow of Chi and limit your possibilities. Keep cabinet doors closed, otherwise they may trigger a mass of unfinished tasks and unrealized ideas.

Eliminating all these interferences will positively affect your interaction with family members and the surrounding environment, as well as improve your social life.