What exactly is feng shui, and how can you incorporate it into your living space?

The lowdown on creating a more zen space.

Coming home after a long, tiring day to a space that doesn’t feel quite right is less than ideal. Aside from it inhibiting your ability to truly relax, a crowded, messy or poorly laid out room can affect your mood and wellbeing.

But figuring out how to decorate the all-important living space, where most of us do the majority of our decompressing at the end of the day, can be challenging. Luckily, there’s a practice that exists to help make our spaces as zen as possible: feng shui.

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The ancient Chinese art of feng shui is all about arranging your home in a way that achieves harmony and balance and the foundations of this practice date back thousands of years. Achieving this balance requires all the elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – to work together to create a serene and welcoming atmosphere. Below, we share how to use this practice to select and style decor that enhances your living space, so you can experience maximum relaxation.

How to feng shui your home

Declutter for energy flow

The living room is considered the heart of the home, so it’s important it feels welcoming and that energy flows through it well. You can ensure a good flow of energy by making sure your space is decluttered. A well-curated bookshelf can serve as a place to keep your favourite nicknacks and books while keeping the space tidy. By keeping flat surfaces like your coffee table free from too many books, magazines and other detritus (and dusting these surfaces regularly), your space won’t feel messy and overwhelming.

Enhance any natural light

Embracing natural light is a key component of feng shui. One way you can do this is by opting for sheer curtains as opposed to heavy ones that block out the light. Carpet Court’s range of high-quality sheer curtains is available in an array of modern and traditional fabrics, so there’s something to suit every aesthetic. Created to replicate the look of linen blinds, the Bali semi-sheer curtains will soften the edges of windows and doors in your living space and allow all that gorgeous natural light to enter the room.

Choose your colours carefully

Colour has a huge impact on our emotions and moods, and it’s something the feng shui philosophy takes very seriously by utilising curated colour palettes to evoke specific energies. Many feng shui practitioners recommend using warm, earthy tones in your living space – think creams, coppers, corals and rich browns – to make the room as welcoming and calming as possible.

Opting for a rug like Carpet Court’s Odyssey in Terracotta is a low-effort way to bring these tones into your space with the added bonus of making things much cozier. Inspired by traditional Persian rugs, the Odyssey is made from long-lasting synthetic materials and is designed to withstand stains without compromising on comfort.

Getting in touch with the elements

Remember how a key component of feng shui is the way the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water work together? Keeping this in mind, the flooring you choose for your living space is important in achieving the right balance of these elements.

Carpet Court’s timber flooring will last a lifetime and bring the element of wood into your space in a subtle but effective way. The Australian Native Timber has a warm glow to it (working well with the earthy colour palette of your decor) and is ethically and sustainably sourced from forests around Australia.

If you’re more fond of carpets in your living space, opt for a luxurious, super-soft one from Carpet Court’s Ultimate Soft range. Go for a classic cream like the Palm Court carpet in Magnolia – a neutral shade like this will work well with an array of colours, letting your other decor do the talking. Speaking of other decor, plants play a crucial role in feng shui. It’s believed they remove negative energy, purify the air and promote positive energy flow. Incorporating a few well-placed houseplants is a great way to bring the element of earth into your living room.

Metal touches can be added by opting for metal decorations like clocks and figurines, while a fireplace or candles can bring the element of fire into your space. Short of having a water fountain or fish tank in your living room, water can be one of the trickier elements to incorporate. Using paint colours that bring to mind this element and placing a mirror in the space (they’re clear and reflective like water) is a way to achieve this.

Now, go forth and decorate with these principles in mind. Your lounge will become so zen you’ll be rushing home from work to relax in it.

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