When we embark on the exhilarating adventure of building our own home, we happily imagine building a cozy nest that resonates with our desires for comfort and our tastes in interior design.
But beyond aesthetic and functional choices, there’s a fundamental aspect that’s often overlooked, yet holds the key to a home truly aligned with our well-being: energetic harmony according to the age-old principles of Feng Shui.
In this universe, where balance and the flow of energy (Chi) discreetly orchestrate our daily lives, every decision – from the orientation of the front door to the layout of rooms, to the interaction of our home with its external environment – can have a profound impact on our lives.
Feng Shui is an ancient art that teaches us how to live in harmony with our environment. So, before laying the first stone of your future home, let’s take a moment to explore together the 5 essential mistakes to avoid when designing your project. These mistakes, often made without realizing their implications, can affect the energy balance of your home and, by extension, your well-being and that of your loved ones.
Because a house is much more than a collection of walls under a roof, it’s a reflection of our identity, a haven of peace that nourishes our vitality and supports our aspirations for life.
Mistake #1: Neglecting the outside environment
In the excitement and complexity of designing your future home, it’s easy to forget a major contributor to your well-being: the outdoor environment. This first mistake is crucial, as it touches on the very foundation of landscape Feng Shui, also known as the school of form. This ancient branch teaches us how mountains, waterways, vegetation or, in urban environments, neighbouring buildings and roads, can influence our vital energy and that of the house, in a profound and lasting way.
Let’s take the example of a house in a rural setting, whose rear (the garden) benefits from the support of a small hill. According to Feng Shui, this configuration offers protection and support (the turtle). Now imagine a house with a vacant lot at the back: you’d think this would be perfect, since there are no neighbors or buildings. But this configuration brings too much yang Chi and doesn’t protect the inhabitants.
A house facing a busy road can have its Chi disturbed by a too-fast and aggressive flow of energy, while living in a cul-de-sac can create problems for future entrepreneurs.
Finally, the presence of a river or pond is not necessarily positive, on the pretext that water is a symbol of prosperity. It all depends on how the house is oriented.
So it’s imperative to choose your building plot carefully, taking these natural elements into account. But how can you harmonize your project with these principles if you’ve already bought your plot? The solution lies in adaptation: using hedges, fences, or even arrangements of stones and water to redirect and calm the flow of energy. Every detail of your environment can be adjusted to promote optimum circulation of Chi.
Neglecting the external environment means missing the opportunity to create a living space that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also energetically harmonious. That’s why, from the very first sketch of your project, the interaction of your future home with its natural surroundings must be a priority, ensuring a home that is not just a place to live, but a true haven of peace, a sanctuary that supports you and your family in all aspects of your life.
Mistake No.2: not respecting the balance between Yin and Yang parts
Balance, the cornerstone of Feng Shui philosophy, finds its deepest expression in the harmony between Yin and Yang – the opposing yet complementary forces that animate the universe. In the context of our home, this translates into the creation of spaces dedicated to activity and energy (Yang), as well as areas of rest and calm (Yin). A well-designed home integrates these two aspects in such a way as to encourage the well-being and emotional balance of its inhabitants.
A mistake frequently made in the design of new homes is to create spaces that lean too much towards one or the other of these aspects. Imagine a home with vast open spaces, bathed in light and designed for movement and sociability, but with a crying lack of quiet corners, intimate zones conducive to rest and reflection. Or, conversely, a home where dark areas predominate, hindering the flow of vital energy and leaving little room for activity and joy.
To avoid this mistake, it’s essential to design your home with balance in mind. Living areas such as the living room, dining room or kitchen, places of exchange and activity, should radiate Yang energy: bright, spacious and welcoming. At the same time, rest areas such as bedrooms, offices or even a small reading corner, should embody Yin energy: more intimate, calmer, and with more subdued lighting.
This balance is not only a question of individual well-being, it is also fundamental to family dynamics and harmony. Indeed, a home that offers the right balance between Yin and Yang spaces becomes a place where we can both recharge our batteries in tranquility and flourish in shared activity.
Mistake #3: managing natural light
One of the most common mistakes made when designing a home is to overlook the vital importance of natural light. Sunlight isn’t just a source of illumination; it’s a vital force that infuses our living space with energy, health and well-being. A home bathed in natural light is lively, welcoming and promotes a positive state of mind and general well-being. On the other hand, a dark home, where natural light is absent or poorly distributed, can lead to a gloomy atmosphere and even negatively influence our mood and health.
To avoid this mistake, it’s essential to take your home’s orientation into account right from the planning stage. The living areas where you spend most of your time, such as the living room, kitchen and dining room, should ideally be oriented to capture the maximum amount of natural light throughout the day. Using generous-sized windows, bay windows or skylights can radically transform the atmosphere of a room, making it more open and welcoming.
In addition, incorporating light and shade considerations into your design can also enrich your living space. For example, spaces designed to receive soft, filtered light in the morning can create areas of calm ideal for starting the day serenely, while spaces bathed in light in the late afternoon invite activity and conviviality.
It’s also crucial to consider the quality of the light that enters your home. Building materials, the type of glazing, and even the colors of walls and floors can influence the way light is absorbed or reflected, affecting the overall ambience of your interior. Careful planning and thoughtful design can therefore not only maximize the use of natural light, but also create a series of lighting moods suited to each space in the home.
But be careful not to let in too much light! The yin-yang balance mentioned above must be respected. Some architect-designed houses have walls with too many windows. Walls bring yin energy and stability. In a house with nothing but glass, we lack anchoring and security.
Mistake No. 4: Ignoring the balance of Feng Shui elements
One of the most profound and influential subtleties of Feng Shui lies in the balance of the five Chinese elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These elements are the pillars that support the Chi of our environment, each bringing its own qualities and influences. Ignoring the integration and balance of these elements in the design of your home can lead to an energetic imbalance, disrupting harmony and well-being within the home.
To illustrate, a home that makes excessive use of the Metal element (white and gray colors, metal structures, minimalist decorations) may look modern and chic, but risks appearing cold and inhospitable, lacking the warmth and vitality provided by the Fire and Wood elements. Conversely, an excess of the Wood element (green plants, omnipresent wood, green tones) can create a feeling of overload and suffocation, requiring the balance provided by the Metal or Fire elements to re-establish a harmonious atmosphere.
The error of ignoring this balance is not only aesthetic; it has profound implications for the flow of energy within your home. Each element interacts with the others in a cycle of support or destruction, and their placement and proportion must be carefully considered to promote a positive, dynamic Chi.
Integrating these elements into the design of your home doesn’t necessarily mean a major architectural or decorative change; often, small adjustments and inclusions can create a significant energetic balance. The use of colors, materials, shapes and textures adapted to each zone allows the five elements to be integrated into each space, while harmonizing the Chi.
Mistake no. 5: failing to consider the future layout of the furniture from the outset
Finally, a mistake not to be made when designing a home is not to anticipate the future layout and placement of furniture in detail from the outset. This oversight can lead to significant challenges later on, when it comes to integrating your furniture into the living space. A well thought-out plan takes into account not only the architecture of the house, but also how each room will be used, how the furniture will fit into it, and how the circulation spaces will allow for fluid, natural movement.
Take, for example, a living room with large windows offering magnificent views and an abundance of natural light. Without thinking through the layout beforehand, you could end up with a sofa that turns its back on the view, blocks the light, or ends up right in the middle of the room when you have a lack of turtle (see mistake no. 1).
Similarly, if you’re going to have a house built, calculate your Kua Number and imagine the placement of the beds and the distribution of the rooms accordingly!
So it’s crucial to visualize the layout of each room from the earliest design stages. This means thinking about the placement of windows, doors and even electrical outlets, according to the furniture and appliances you plan to install there. Good interior design according to Feng Shui principles seeks to balance open and furnished spaces, to allow optimal energy flow while meeting the practical and aesthetic needs of the inhabitants.
Thinking about future design also ensures that every space in the home serves its intended purpose. A home office, for example, should be designed to encourage concentration and inspiration, with strategic desk placement (power position, prosperity orientation), good lighting, and minimization of distractions. Similarly, a dining room should encourage conviviality and interaction, with an arrangement that invites sharing and communication.
It’s essential to ensure that your home supports your lifestyle, promotes positive Chi, and thus becomes a true sanctuary of well-being for you and your family. There’s no such thing as a given. When you’re building a new home, it’s the ideal time to integrate Feng Shui, because you’re starting from a blank canvas where it’s much less restrictive to respect these age-old principles that are so beneficial to our daily lives as Westerners.
To go further
Each of the mistakes highlighted in this article is not simply a lapse of taste or a clumsiness; they are real obstacles to harmony and well-being in your home. By becoming aware of these pitfalls, you are now equipped to make informed choices that promote not only aesthetics and functionality but also, and above all, the energy balance of your home.
I’ve mentioned 5 mistakes here, but there are others. Above all, since every home is unique, we can’t generalize. Certain configurations are necessary in some homes, and will be completely out of place or inadvisable elsewhere.
If you’re building a new home and the world of Feng Shui is calling, let me help you right from the design stage! This is what I offer with my Feng Shui Audit service. It allows you to validate that the living space, as imagined, respects the fundamentals. Of course, you can go much further by imagining a 100% Feng Shui home from the outset, and that’s where you’ll need complete expertise. As you can see, I’m adaptable! My only desire is that you experience the happiness of living in a home that supports you and accompanies you in the realization of your dreams. Contact me !
