10 Common Feng Shui Decorating Mistakes

A little greenery is great for keeping your home’s feng shui in balance. Each plant brings a different kind of energy into your space. Money trees are great for attracting prosperity and luck. Sansevieria can bring air purification properties and focused energy to rooms like offices.

A common mistake newbies to feng shui make is thinking that fake plants provide the same energy as real ones. Artificial plants are made of synthetic materials, easily collect dust, and are unable to harbor the same natural energies as real plants.

Replace all of your artificial flowers and plants with live versions or vases of freshly cut flowers.

A properly placed mirror allows good chi energy to flow freely throughout your home. A mirror hung in the wrong spot orroom can divert those good energies or cause them to get stuck.

Mirrors shouldn’t be placed facing windows if there is anything outside that can cause negative energy to enter your home. This can include things that most people think of as eyesores such as power lines, pipes, or electrical wiring.

Mirrors in the bedroom aren’t recommended as they can cause positive chi energy to bounce around the room, wreaking havoc.

Instead, try hanging mirrors in the dining room, narrow stairases, and in hallways (so long as it’s not at the end of the hallway).

One of the beliefs in feng shui is that nothing new can flow your way if there isn’t space for it. When your countertops, bookshelves, and dressers are overflowing with knick-knacks, your qi will become stagnant and energy flow will be blocked.

Let go of old possessions that no longer bring you joy and dispose of any item in your home that has a negative connection to it such as gifts from ex-lovers.

The colors in your home have more of an effect than most people think. Color is one of many tools that feng shui practitioners use to adjust the energy of a particular space. The colors we decorate with affect our moods and can cultivate the energy of a room.

While there is no “bad color” in feng shui, one must be intentional when choosing colors. Fire colors like red and orange are great for lively spaces like living rooms or home gyms, but won’t create a peaceful room for a newborn.

Any item that hangs over your head can make a room feel heavy. This heaviness can weigh on your spirit and block positive energy from flowing freely. Things like beams, chandeliers, artwork, and sloping ceilings can affect chi.

Don’t hang anything large like artwork or chandeliers over your bed. Smaller and lighter objects allow for better energy flow.

Since you can’t move ceiling beams, get creative with lighting. Add lighting at the base and angle the light towards it. Feng shui bamboo flutes can ward off bad chi if hung in an “A” shape along the beams’ edge.

Water features such as fountains or fish tanks can bring money and prosperity into your life. Too many water features, though, will not only look tacky but become a distraction and prevent good energy flow.

The placement of your water features can determine what energies it brings into your life. Placing the feature in the southeast area of your home can attract abundance. In the northern sector, water can support your career. Fountains in the eastern sector can nourish your familial relationships while those in the western area can boost creativity.

A solid headboard that’s securely attached to your bed and against a wall is a must-have in feng-shui. A strong headboard is like a mountain that can support and protect you. A bed without a frame or headboard will float in space and negatively impact your chi.

Your headboard shouldn’t have any sharp corners or overhanging shelves that can be disruptive to your energies.

You already know that clutter releases bad vibes into your space. What you may not know, however, is that clutter that is hidden away can also affect your feng shui. You might try stuffing junk under your bed or in closets, but this is not recommended as you spend eight hours a day sleeping on top of this mess and it will ultimately affect you.

Empty space under your bed allows positive energy to flow easily all around you.

Broken objects invite negative energy into your space. If you have intentions of fixing the broken object, do so sooner than later. The longer something damaged or broken is in your home, the more bad energy it evokes.

This rule also applies to dying or dead plants. If they are beyond saving, they’ll drain your energy and reduce the vitality of your space.

The bedroom serves two main purposes - rejuvenation (sleep) and communication (intimacy). A television can make it difficult for your to use your bedroom for those purposes. Also, like mirrors, TVs can disrupt the flow of chi and bounce any positive energy out of the room through a window or door.

If you must have a TV in your room, put it inside a cabinet where it can be hidden away when not in use.