Feng Shui Design

By Laura Thomas



I've been doing a lot of reading and researching about Feng Shui Design and trying to decide whether or not there is something to it. I picked up books expecting to learn ancient Chinese secrets about how to create a wonderful harmonizing space. What I discovered is there is no ancient Chinese secrets. Whoever came up with Feng Shui was just a good designer who understood places and people and how people would react in those spaces. They understood color theory and people responded differently to different colors.

In Feng Shui, the most power is held where people and things are positioned in relation to doors and windows because these provide the entrance and views into the space. Ideally, people should always be able to see all doors putting them in a position of power and unable to be surprised or always on edge. They should always be able to see the view out the window. If these cannot be done then mirrors or landscape pictures should be hung to balance out the space.

I further investigated Japanese Gardens and how to design them. What I discovered is in a Japanese garden, nothing is left to chance. Ever plant, its color, and its placement is carefully considered. Japanese gardens are to be designed to bring out the best of its surroundings by using native plants and native materials. There are many areas within the garden with their own purpose, a sense of space. Open spaces are just as important as any other part of the garden. Pathways are placed to create a journey, not just a way to get from point A to point B. Views are created to inspire and elevate a person's positive Ch'I. The Japanese garden is an ideal landscape meant to be experienced to provide relief from the stress of everyday life.



There is something justifiable to Feng Shui, in the reasoning for why things are done. Whether or not it truly has a deeper meaning, I don’t know. To me, it’s like a child’s security blanket. It’s hold no special powers, does not ward off monsters under the bed but to the child that holds it, it’s the most powerful thing in the world because the child believes in it. Similarly, those who believe in Feng Shui believe that everything good or bad is due to their Feng Shui.