Living Room Feng Shui

Published September 11, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

Living rooms have always been an integral and important part of any home – be it an apartment or an independent house – and that’s because living room is the only place in your home where most of the social and family gatherings happen.

As a place of entertaining guests and a space of family chatting, gathering and relaxation, the living room is supposed to be lively and harmonious. The living room Feng Shui is related to personal wealth and health, as well as the peace and happiness of the whole family.

The living room is an essential part of a house and it is also one of the most vulnerable parts of a home. Vulnerable because, in majority of houses, living room is the first room that someone goes to once they enter from the main door and Qi energy isn’t an exception.

Now, imagine a house, in which the Qi entering the home – obviously via living room – is very fast and agitated (fast moving Qi in feng shui is called as Sha-Qi and it’s very inauspicious) or extremely slow and almost still (which is, again, very inauspicious); this Qi will – definitely – interact with family members and bring all sorts of unwanted, unexpected and tormenting situations in life; below is a list of a few – in fact very few – such situations.

Loss of wealth, money and even leading to bankruptcy.
Degradation in health and lethal medical conditions.
Defamation of social reputation.

Now, a feng shui living room is the one that has the ability to transform any type of Qi (extremely fast or dead slow) in to positive Qi (a steady and calmly moving one). The positive Qi is believed to attract wealth, health, good luck and lots of name and fame, which is – after all – what we all want to have. This is – without a doubt – the number one reason to make the living room in your home a feng shui complaint one.

To make it really easy for you to understand and achieve a feng shui living room, we’ve divided the process into steps.

Basic do’s for good feng shui in the living room:

The living room must be roomy, comfy and pleasing.
It must receive ample sun light and must be ventilated.
Place the sofa against a solid wall; it doesn’t need to touch the wall, you can keep 1-2 inches distance.
While sitting on the main sofa, you must be able to see the main door. If entrance isn’t visible then use a mirror to see the door.
Place a bowl with crystals, coins, and various wealth symbols on coffee table.
If there’s a beautiful landscape outside your home, then hang a mirror in such a way that it reflects that landscape. This brings in the positive Qi energy.
Hang images, posters or pictures that are lively and positive such as a pleasant landscape or smiling faces etc.
Make sure to cover the TV screen when it’s off else it becomes a sort of mirror.
Place 2 Foo Dogs on either side outside the main door, as if guarding your home.

For north side of living room

An aquarium in north brings wealth and auspicious opportunities.
Keep eight red and one black fish in aquarium.
Square or rectangular shaped aquariums are best; round ones will also do.
A water fountain in north also attracts wealth and luck.
The fountain must flow towards the room and not outwards.
Hang picture of beautiful water body such as meandering river or a boat/ship sailing (make sure the boat/ship sails into the room).
Try to use black and blue colors in north.
TV in north attracts good luck in career.
Avoid keeping any plants in north side of the living room.
Avoid placing a fireplace in north side of the living room.

For south side of living room

Place candles, wood furniture and other wooden décor items.
You can locate a fire place in south.
Try to use more of red, pink, orange, and green colors.
Place TV or plants to get fame and respect.
Avoid aquarium or anything related to water in south side of the living room.
Avoid placing mirrors on the south walls.

For east and southeast side of living room

Put wood items like picture frames, lamps, book shelves etc.
Hang coins tied with red ribbon in east corner (brings wealth and money).
Hang dragon painting (looking in to the house) on east wall to bring wealth.
Place dragon headed tortoise with coin in its mouth in southeast corner (this brings wealth).
Place a three legged money toad in southeast; it brings money and wealth.
Use more of green and brown colors in east or southeast.
Plants in southeast bring wealth and money.
Plants in East direction attract health.
Keeping an aquarium in southeast attracts wealth and luck.
Avoid having a fireplace in the southeast side of your living room.

For west and northwest side of living room

Keep metal décor objects such as bowls and trays.
Put metal figurines, furniture, candle holders, photo frames etc.
Use blue, gray, gold, tan, and bronze colors.
A family picture in metal frame on west wall brings luck.
Avoid aquarium or anything related to water in the west or northwest side of the living room.
Avoid placing mirrors on the west walls.
Avoid having a fireplace in the west and northwest side of your living room.

For northeast and southwest side of living room

You can place crystals and other minerals objects.
Keep pottery and ceramics, such as show pieces, pots, bowls etc.
Mustard, clay, brown, tan and russet toned colors are best.
Cut glass and hand-blown glass objects can be kept.
A fire place in southwest enhances romance and love.
A fire place in northeast helps in peaceful thinking; also brings luck in education.
Avoid keeping any plants in the southwest or north east side of the living room.

What you must avoid in the living room

Avoid windows behind the main sofa.
Never place the sofa under a beam; this brings head related medical troubles.
Avoid L shaped sofas.
Any mirror shouldn’t reflect clutter, dirt or anything negative as that negativity will be attracted to your home.
Make sure that your image isn’t seen in the mirror while you’re standing at any door.
Avoid hanging pictures that depict negative emotions such as a weeping girl, vicious animals, war, crime, loneliness etc.
Avoid clutter and mess in living room (actually this should be avoided everywhere).
Avoid having a door directly facing the door of living room.
Avoid turbulent or rough sea paintings as they depict struggle.

Decorating the Feng Shui Way

In feng shui terms, the main challenge with decorating a living room is to create a space that has the ability to not only be beautiful and practical but also have a strong, fresh, clean, and happy energy. A living room that is beautiful and works well on a practical level usually takes quite a bit of planning and persistence (along with the desire to decorate, of course!)

Clutter

A living room that is clean and clutter free is the only foundation for good feng shui. Yes, we know you might have heard that many times, but this essential first step has to be emphasized again. There can be no solid and good feng shui energy in a space that is infected by clutter, the two of them cannot co-exist; it is either one or the other.

Air and Light

The next step in good feng shui living room decorating is to be sure your room gets as much natural light and good quality air as it possibly can. Good quality air and good quality light create the foundation of good feng shui energy, and there are many ways to help you do the best with this feng shui step. For example, if you have only a few small windows, decorate with mirrors to bring more natural light, as well as be sure to layer your indoor lighting.

A bright and sunny living room will bring prosperous family luck to the family. Dark colors should be avoided in the decoration of the living room, as it may bring bad luck to the family.

What does layering your lighting mean?

Simply stated, it means you have several different levels of lighting. So, in addition to a ceiling fixture, you will also have a floor lamp and several table lamps, for example. If you limit your living room lighting to just your ceiling lamp or just a floor lamp, this will tend to create a sad and potentially depressing quality of feng shui energy in your room.

How about fresh air?

The benefits of fresh air to your health are obvious, so along with opening your windows often we highly suggest you go for a good quality aromatherapy diffuser to benefit from the healing power of pure essential oils. Stale air and poor lighting are big enemies of good feng shui, so be sure you pay attention to the quality of air and light if you want to have good feng shui in your living room.

Be Practical

Having a welcomed, relaxed (and beautiful!) space for both children and adults to spend time in can be a challenge. Well, we should include pets, too. It is important to know that you can create a very beautiful living room, but if it does not work on a practical level and you keep worrying about your kids messing it up or do not want your pets to be there, then no matter how beautiful your room is, this is not good feng shui.

Basically, a good feng shui space is a space that does the best job for its specific purpose, and beauty at the expense of practical use is just not good feng shui.

Contrary to the popular belief, children can help you with keeping the living room clean, it is just a matter of clear organization and clear communication, of course. If each item in your living room has its own space, the possibility of mess and clutter is greatly diminished, and everyone can feel happy and enjoy good feng shui energy.

Color Matters

Ok, now that we are done with the basics – no clutter, good organization, good quality air and light plus practical beauty, let’s move on to the more specific feng shui decorating tips for your living room.

We start with the color scheme, of course, because color is an expression of light and it has the biggest impact on our mood. It is also very important for good feng shui because each color is an expression of a specific feng shui element.

Feng shui elements

In feng shui, each color is considered to be an expression of one of the 5 feng shui elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each of these 5 elements “governs” a specific area of your home (according to the feng shui energy map of your space called bagua). When your choice of color is focused on strengthening and nourishing the feng shui element of the area you are decorating, this results in good feng shui energy.

This feng shui color guide will help you choose best colors to create a harmonious feng shui home. Choose the feng shui colors according to the energy you need and bring them into your space with the wall color, art, photography, or various decor items.

Choosing a good feng shui decor scheme for your living room usually requires a bit of work. It is best to start with understanding the feng shui bagua, or energy map of your home. This is our next step.

Define and use the bagua

The bagua is the feng shui energy map of your space. In order to create best feng shui energy in your living room, it is best to define the bagua of your home first. Once you know the feng shui area of your living room, you will have clarity on the best choice of colors, shapes, and materials based on the feng shui element that needs to be supported there.

For example, if your living room is in the South feng shui bagua area, then it is excellent to decorate your living room with colors of the Fire and Wood feng shui elements. So colors red, orange, yellow, purple, along with green and deep brown will all create excellent feng shui energy in your South facing living room.

By the same token, a black or blue color scheme is not recommended for a South facing living room because it will create a weak feng shui energy due to the clashing effect of feng shui elements (blue and black colors are the expression of the Water feng shui element that puts down the Fire needed in the South area).

If this all sounds too complicated for now and you just want a shortcut to the best feng shui colors for your living room, here they are:

East room colors:

If you are looking for best colors for an East facing room, be it a living room or a child’s room, then the colors of the Wood element – green and brown – are your best friend.

Blue and black colors are also good feng shui for an East room. Limit red and purple colors.

Southeast room colors

Southeast area rooms love the same colors as the East area – green, brown, blue and black, with one addition – golden tones, as traditionally Southeast is considered to be the Money area in one’s home, so bring some gold colored treasures into a Southeast living room or dining.

South room colors

South rooms have a lot of fire and they love it! Feng shui-wise, best colors to create good energy in your South facing rooms are the Fire and Wood element colors – red, orange, purple, pink, strong yellow, as well as green and brown. Try to limit a strong presence of blue and black colors in your South facing rooms.

Southwest room colors

Best feng shui in Southwest facing rooms is created by the warm and nourishing earthy colors – meaning colors of clay, pottery, earthenware, bricks, etc. Fire colors are also excellent for a Southwest room, so you can also go for warm red, pink or coral.

Considering that this area in feng shui in connected to your love and marriage energy, add a touch of romance with a floral print or some sensual fabric in blush skin color tones.

West room colors

A West facing room needs (and loves) a strong presence of the Metal feng shui element, which is expressed in colors gray and white, as well as all metallic finishes. It also loves the warmth of nourishing earthy colors.

Avoid a strong presence of fiery colors, deep blues and blacks.

Northwest room colors

Northwest area rooms also love the Metal feng shui element, so the same colors are good here: grays, whites, all metallic finishes and warm earthy colors from nature. Avoid fiery colors, avoid black and blue colors. As this is the area connected to Heavenly Blessings in feng shui, a small metal Buddha statue can work very well here.

North room colors

North loves water, water and more water! So, all shades of blue and black colors are excellent here. White, gray and all metallic finishes are also helping create good feng shui in a North facing room. Avoid a strong presence of earthy colors.

Northeast room colors

A Northeast facing room loves the Fire and Earth feng shui elements and is connected to the energy of spiritual growth and cultivation.

This golden Buddha wall mural expresses perfectly the best feng shui energy for the Northeast location. Color-wise, all earthy colors plus red, oranges, purple, magenta, as well as golden finishes are excellent here.

Fire Element Colors

A balanced fire feng shui element in your home or office will bring supporting energy to all your career efforts and will help achieve recognition. Fire element also nourishes one’s sexual energy and inner warmth.

Fire is the dominant feng shui element of South bagua area of your home or office. Northeast and Southwest feng shui areas also benefit from good fire element energy in your decorating.

Fire feng shui element colors are: Red, Orange, Purple, Pink, Strong Yellow

Earth Element Colors

A strong and harmonious feng shui earth element in your home or office will help create stability, nourishment and calm protection for all your relationships. The earth element is also needed to maintain one’s health and inner balance.

Earth is the main feng shui element of Northeast and Southwest bagua areas. The center of your home and office is also governed by the earth feng shui element.

Feng shui earth element colors are: Light Yellow, Beige/Skin Color, Earthy/Sandy Colors

Metal Element Colors

Feng shui metal element brings the qualities of sharpness, precision and efficiency; its balanced presence will help you live with clarity and lightness. A good presence of metal element in your home or office will help sustain the energy of calm, crisp clarity and eliminate distractions.

Metal is the dominant feng shui element of West and Northwest bagua areas. North bagua area of your home or office also benefits from the presence of metal element.

Feng shui metal element colors are: Gray, White

Water Element Colors

A harmonious feng shui water element will bring a refreshing energy of calm, ease, purity and freshness. Water element is also the ancient symbol of abundance, thus a potent feng shui cure for wealth. This related to the use of fountains and mirrors as wealth feng shui cures.

Water is the feng shui element of North bagua area of your home or office. East and Southeast bagua areas also benefit from a strong water element.

Feng shui water element colors are: Blue, Black

Wood element Colors

Lush and healing, the feng shui wood element brings the energy of vibrant health, vitality, and growth. Wood element is also an expression of abundance, thus it is used as a feng shui cure for wealth and prosperity. This is related to the use of plants and the money tree in feng shui.

Wood is the feng shui element of the East and Southeast bagua areas of your home. South bagua area also benefits from a strong presence of wood element.

Feng shui wood element colors are: Brown, Green

Some thoughts about color

Color is like music, nourishing and uplifting, and the more colors you harmoniously absorb throughout the day, the higher your sense of well-being. Do not be afraid to bring vibrant colors into your space as color is light, and light is our number one nutrient.

Shapes and Materials

Just as there are specific colors that will help you create good feng shui energy in your living room, there are also specific decorating shapes that can strengthen the desired prosperous and happy feng shui energy in your living room.

Each shape is an expression of a specific feng shui element, so choose the best shape based on the bagua area of your living room. For example, if you have a North facing living room, then wavy shapes resembling the flow of water can create wonderful energy.

The same principle applies to various decorating materials. To continue with the example of a North facing living room, best feng shui decor materials for it would be predominantly metal, glass or mirror-like surfaces. The materials to avoid (in excess) in a North facing living room are Wood furniture or decor items, as well as a lot of earthenware. Because plants belong to the Wood feng shui element, too many plants will weaken the feng shui energy of a North facing living room, so choose wisely.

East Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: The decorating shapes you can freely use in an East facing room are square, rectangular, wavy shapes and organic nature shapes such as pebble shape, for example. These shapes stand for specific elements that are good for the main feng shui element of the East area (Wood). Avoid a strong presence of round or triangular shapes.

Materials: Wood furniture and decor elements are the absolute best choice for the East area. Mirrored surfaces, tiles and brick surfaces, as well as all natural fiber rugs can also help create good feng shui energy. Avoid a strong presence of decorating items made from metal.

Southeast Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Rectangular, square and wavy/flowing shapes are all good for a Southeast area room. As in the case with the East area, avoid too many round or triangular/fiery shapes.

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a southeast facing room are wood, natural crystals, earthenware, mirror-like surfaces, natural materials and rugs such as jute, sisal, etc.

South Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: The decorating shapes you can freely use in a south facing room are triangles, stars, pyramids, diamonds (all shapes associated with the fire feng shui element) and rectangular shapes. Avoid wavy/water like shapes and too many mirror like surfaces. Also best to limit a strong presence of square shapes (as in a big square coffee table, for example).

Materials: Wood furniture, all natural fibers such as jute, sisal, linen, etc; fireplace and candles are all good for a south area room.

Southwest Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Sensual, receptive/yin energy shapes (as pictured above), as well squares, triangles, diamonds, pyramids, stars (fire feng shui element shapes) are the absolute best choice for the southwest area.

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a southwest facing room are: all earthenware, rock crystals, as well as candles and/or a fireplace. Avoid too many mirror like surfaces or a strong presence of wood furniture pieces and decor items.

West Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Round and square shapes are all good for a west area room. Avoid too many fiery shapes (triangles, pyramids, stars, diamonds).

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a west facing room are metal, glass and all earthenware and rock crystals.

Northwest Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Round, oval and square are the absolute best choice for the northwest area. Avoid a strong presence of triangles, diamonds, stars and pyramids in your decor pieces.

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a west facing room are metal, glass and all earthenware (clay, pottery, ceramics, etc), as well as natural crystals.

North Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Round, oval and wavy/resembling water movement are all good for a north area room. Avoid squares.

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a north facing room are metal, glass and mirror like surfaces. Avoid a strong presence of wood furniture pieces and decor items.

Northeast Room Shapes and Materials

Shapes: Triangles, pyramids, diamonds, stars and squares are the absolute best choice for the northeast area. Avoid too many round shapes or mirror like surfaces.

Materials: The materials you can freely use in a northeast facing room are all earthenware (clay, pottery, ceramics), rock crystals, candles.

Important Points

Please be sure not to overthink your decisions; read all about the feng shui guidelines and then follow your own energy as to what is best for your space. Feng shui is a complex art and science that works on many levels, and often your intuition can be your best guide!

Watch for Balance

While it is important to emphasize the colors and shapes that are most needed for good feng shui in your living room; to completely avoid other colors and shapes would be a mistake. An all-pink color living room in your love area or an all-blue color living room in your career area is not really good feng shui.

Feng shui is all about health, balance, and harmony, and we need all 5 feng shui elements in our environment in order to thrive and be happy. So, good feng shui in your living room is based on a subtle dance of all colors and shapes, with two or three taking the main stage based on the feng shui bagua requirements.

For example, you can still have a mirror (Water feng shui element) in the South bagua area (ruled by the Fire feng shui element) if you do not make it into a focal point. For this purpose, choose a mirror with a fiery shape (like a sunburst mirror) and Fire element material (gold finish is a good expression of the fire element).

Arranging the Furniture

Ok, we are done with the complex (but very important!) subject of choosing the best feng shui decor elements according to the bagua area your living room is located in. Now we can finally focus on the best furniture arrangement in your living room – something that many people actually start with.

The best feng shui living room arrangement is an arrangement where all your family members (plus guests) feel at ease and relaxed. This means there is enough breathing room for everyone, and the basic design principles are taken into consideration.

Working with scale and proportion, creating a good relationship between your furniture pieces, creating good conversation areas – these are all well known decorating principles that you are probably familiar with (and can easily find many online resources to help you). Feng shui agrees with the importance of all these principles with just one condition – there has to be a good Chi flow.

Create A Flow and Go with It

The notion of Chi flow is one of the main principles of feng shui that has to be respected if one wants to benefit from good energy. The Chi – another name for Universal energy – has to flow smoothly in your living room, nourishing it and filling it with energy.

Chi flow can be viewed as water flow, so with this comparison in mind take a look at your living room arrangement and decide if the water (imaginary water as Chi flow) coming in from the living room door would flow smoothly and cheerfully about your living room. Will it get stuck in some areas? Will it easily escape through a big window without having the chance to actually nourish your living room?

Play and experiment with several furniture arrangements until you find the one that allows for the easiest and most graceful flow of Chi/energy.

How To Check The Flow of Chi

One of the basic ways to check the energy flow in your home is to imagine Chi, or energy, as water. If water were to flow into your home – starting at the main door – where would it stop or stagnate?

Would the water flow harmoniously and smoothly to all areas of your home, gently refreshing it, or would it rush right out the back door in a forceful motion? For example, when you have big objects or specific home design elements in a straight line, the energy will flow more quickly and forcefully, which is generally considered bad feng shui.

One of the first things people remember about feng shui is the benefit of curved lines over straight lines. This is true not only for the outside of one’s home but for the inside, too.

So the first thing to watch for in checking the energy flow in your home is the presence of long, straight lines that create a harsh quality of energy. More often than not, they will contribute to a considerable leakage of energy, as well as an unfriendly, cold feeling in a home.

This is especially true if you have an opening, such as a door or a big window – at the end of the straight line.

The second thing to watch for is having blocked areas in your home, meaning areas where the energy just get drained, sucked in or pushed back. Stay with the image of water flowing into your space and ask yourself: “Would water encounter many blockages as soon as it enters my home?”

This can happen when you have a wall facing (and in very close proximity to) the front door, for example. In feng shui we call them blocking walls. This can also happen when you arrange the furniture in a way that blocks the energy from flowing smoothly into the room.

Other feng shui scenarios that can contribute to either the leakage or the blocking of a good Chi flow in your home are as follows:

A Main Door or big window in Line with the Back Door
A Mirror Facing the Main Door
Stairs Facing the Main Door

Be sure to position your furniture in a way that allows for a smooth flow to all areas of your home and avoid any blockages and stagnant areas, such as cluttered closets, for example, as they tend to create bad feng shui energy (Si Chi).

A good flow of Chi will create good, healthy energy in your home.

Avoid Sha Chi and Keep Good Company

At any time during your living room decorating process, be sure there is no attacking energy – called Sha Chi in feng shui – pointing at areas where your and your family spend the most time. In your living room, Sha Chi is the attacking energy that can be created by sharp corners from furniture such as coffee tables or bookcases; architectural features such as the fireplace mantel or various decor elements such as big candleholders or modern lamp bases, for example.

To avoid the detrimental effects of Sha Chi, place your furniture pieces and major decor items so that no sharp energy is pointing directly at any seating areas (or play areas if you’ve created some in your living room for your kids).

Sharp objects, such as knives and swords, firearms and animal specimens, should not be hung on the wall because they will produce Yin and lead to quarrel or violence.

The living room should not be decorated with beast paintings but the paintings about flowers, plants, landscape or fishes, birds, horses, white cranes and other auspicious animals. However, if you prefer to tiger, eagle and other beasts, you should make the beast heading out to form a pattern of defense. Never make the beast heading inward, or you will be threatened and bring accidental disasters to your family.

Another aspect of bad feng shui energy is called Si Chi, which is basically low, sad, and depressing quality of energy. Hopefully, you will never have to deal with it! To prevent it from taking roots in your living room, be sure to use basic feng shui space clearing steps after a strong family argument, unpleasant guests, etc. Even better, make a habit of clearing the energy in your space regularly, this is easy to do and a pleasure to experience.

Here’s a how to: Clean and Clear

About Mirrors

Mirrors are the #1 feng shui decorating must for any living room and in any bagua area. Why? Well, mirrors are such multitaskers – they bring more light, make the space look and feel bigger, add beauty and dimension to any space.

Feng shui-wise, mirrors also bring the water feng shui element – the energy of calm, freshness, and renewal. Mirrors are also the bringers of abundance, so go find yourself a perfect mirror for your living room!

Just remember that the sofa should not have a mirror behind it. When you sit on the sofa, this will expose your head to others from the mirror, which is ominous. It is okay if the mirror is beside the sofa.

Plants

Feng shui is all about bringing the outside in, meaning replicating the vibrant and potent energy of nature in our own often poorly designed homes. If you can find a big beautiful plant that can thrive in your living room, know that this is excellent feng shui! If not, go for a small artistic grouping of several smaller plants.

Below is a list of top 10 air-purifying plants, as defined by NASA research in the early 1980s. Bring them to your home, bring them to your office, and let them do what they do best – clear the air and fill it with oxygen!

Areca Palm.

Scientific Name: Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens
Removes: All tested indoor air toxins.
Benefits: Very popular and easy to care for plant.

Leaves have a gracious flow that will soften the energy of any home or office space.

Lady Palm

Scientific Name: Rhapis Excelsa
Removes: Most indoor pollutants.
Benefits: One of the best plants to improve the indoor air quality.

Very popular and easy to care for.

Bamboo Palm

Scientific Name: Chamaedorea Seifrizii
Removes: Benzene, Trichloroethylene, Formaldehyde.
Benefits: Most resistant to insect infestation.

Adds a peaceful, tropical feeling to any environment.

Rubber Plant

Scientific Name: Ficus Robusta
Removes: Most pollutants, especially formaldehyde.
Benefits: Will survive in dim light and tolerate cool temperatures.

Excellent ability to remove toxins from any indoor environment.

Dracaena Janet Craig

Scientific Name: Dracaena Deremensis Janet Craig
Removes: Most pollutants, especially trichloroethylene.
Benefits: Best in Dracaenas family for removing home or office chemical toxins.

English Ivy

Scientific Name: Hedera Helix
Removes: Most pollutants, especially formaldehyde.
Benefits: Easy to grow, very adaptable, except for high temperatures.

Another hardy, very popular plant, often used in public spaces.

Dwarf Date Palm

Scientific Name: Phoenix Roebelenii
Removes: Most pollutants, especially xylene.
Benefits: Can tolerate low levels of light.

A slow grower that can reach a height of about 5 to 6 feet.

Ficus Alii

Scientific Name: Ficus Macleilandii “Alii”
Removes: Most pollutants, especially formaldehyde.
Benefits: Easier to care for than the Ficus Benjamina, can loose some leaves while adjusting to a new space.

There are 3 types of Ficus Alii: the standard tree, the bush and the braids (several entwined trunks.)

Boston Fern

Scientific Name: Nephrolepis Exaltata “Bostoniensis”
Removes: Most pollutants, especially formaldehyde.
Benefits: Beautiful and lush, a favorite for any home or office.

It does require attention in order to thrive.

Peace Lily

Scientific Name: Spathiphyllum sp.
Removes: Alcohols and acetone, Trichloroethylene, Benzene and Formaldehyde.
Benefits: Beautiful plant with gentle white flowers, easy to care for.

Strong and peaceful energy.

Lucky Bamboo

The lucky bamboo is one of the most popular feng shui cures for home or office. You can see quite a few types of feng shui lucky bamboo in most floral shops nowadays. However, the lucky bamboo in feng shui applications is often one of the most neglected feng shui cures, too.

I have seen countless of feng shui “lucky” bamboo plants that are struggling to survive, have a poor neglected look, and the only luck in them is the “lucky to be alive” factor!

Even though easy to care for and a very tolerant plant, the feng shui bamboo still needs your love and attention, as it likes to look good, just like you do. Do not be afraid to touch your lucky bamboo and take good care of it.

Ultimately, the feng shui lucky bamboo is considered lucky because of its peaceful vitality and strong growth, so it is best to learn to take really good care of it, just like you take care of all your other plants.

So why is the feng shui lucky bamboo considered lucky?

Bamboo in itself is an amazing plant that brings a very peaceful and wise energy into your home. It teaches the ultimate wisdom: how to be flexible and hollow (open) on the inside so that the spirit can freely flow and heal your being.

If you are lucky enough to have bamboo growing in your garden, you know how soothing, almost transcendental, the sound of it is. The same is true for bamboo feng shui wind chimes, as well as the energy of bamboo floors.
Generally, here is why this specific feng shui cure is considered lucky; this will help you see if the feng shui lucky bamboo you bought at the corner store fits into this category.

A little indoor bamboo plant is considered lucky in feng shui when it combines/represents all five feng shui elements, as these elements are considered to be the foundation of a harmonious universe.

The five elements in feng shui are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. Here’s how the feng shui elements are expressed in a lucky bamboo feng shui cure:

WOOD: the bamboo plant expresses the feng shui Wood element (all plants do).
EARTH: the rocks that create the foundation of growth for the lucky bamboo represent the Earth element.
WATER: the water the bamboo needs for its vibrant growth is obviously representing the Water element.
FIRE: the feng shui lucky bamboo plants usually have a red ribbon tied to them (red color is the expression of the Fire element).
METAL: the glass pots that most lucky bamboo plants come with represent the Metal element. If your feng shui lucky bamboo is planted in a ceramic pot, it will usually have either a metal coin (Chinese coins for good luck), or a metal figurine, such as the Laughing Buddha.

The number of stalks in the lucky bamboo as a feng shui cure has a specific meaning that is taken into consideration when placing the lucky bamboo plant for good feng shui. You can sure have as many stalks as you feel will look good in your space, but generally, there are some guidelines to follow when you want to use the power of numbers for good feng shui.

Here are the most popular numbers of lucky bamboo stalks:

2 for Love and Marriage
3 for Happiness
5 for Health
8 for Wealth and Abundance
9 for Good Fortune.

Where should you place your feng shui lucky bamboo?

The best feng shui placement of your lucky bamboo plant is in your Wealth and Money or Health and Family bagua areas. If you are working with the classical feng shui bagua, these are the Southeast and East feng shui areas of your home.

Crystals

Crystals are the absolute darlings of feng shui, and I mean the natural rock crystals, untreated and unfaceted. There is such a variety of crystals out there, many of them really affordable; all waiting to adorn your living room.

Natural crystals bring the grounding energy of the earth feng shui element, much needed with our modern lifestyle.

Family Photos

Displaying happy family photos is great feng shui for your living room. It creates happy, warming energy that spreads throughout the home and uplifts your mood on occasional sad or stressful days. East area of your room is the best spot to display family photos but anywhere in your living room is still excellent feng shui.

Buddha

The serene and peaceful presence of Buddha can grace your home with more peace and real, meaningful moments. There are many Buddhas – from Kwan Yin to the Medicine Buddha, from White Tara to the Laughing Buddha.

There are also many specific Buddha mudras you can choose for your living room decor.

Fire and Passion

Fire is the element of passion, excitement, joy, warmth and love. It makes it easier to connect with your loved ones and truly enjoy their presence. A good and balanced fire feng shui element also helps you be genuinely present in this moment instead of being stuck in what happened a couple hours ago (or worrying about an imaginary future).

Be sure you find your own expressions of the fire feng shui element for your living room – be it with wall art, pillows, and throws or a beautiful rug.

Candles

Candles purify the energy of negative residues, as well as make any room more calm and peaceful. They also bring a quiet sense of romance and joy, so be sure to grace your living room with a few candles in beautiful candleholders. Of course, candles are also the expression of the fire feng shui element – the element that many of us need to keep and nourish in our relationships with others (and ourselves, too).

By fire energy I mean a solid, nurturing, warm, life-giving fire energy – not the destructive, hollow and angry one. There is a fine balance with all your feng shui decor solutions – you just have to play and experiment until you find the right balance for your living room and for your family.

Other considerations

Should be visible as soon as entering into the door.

The living room should be visible as soon as entering into the door. According to Feng Shui knowledge, if the living room is behind the bedroom or kitchen, your life will have no privacy, leading to digression and mistakes in work or business.

Should be in the center of the house.

As a place for the whole family, the living room should be in the center of the house. If a bedroom is transformed from part of a spacious living room, the living room will be the worst one.

Layout should be rectangle or square.

The overall layout of the living room should be a rectangle or a square rather than the irregular or polygonal spatial pattern. The square living room will improve your luck in terms of both blessing and wealth, and also make the infinite positive energy staying in the home.

Wealth Direction

You should pay special attention to the wealth direction which is generally at the oblique 45℃ position facing the living room as soon as you enter into the door. The wealth direction should be tranquil and avoid a water dispenser, audio equipment and other shaking items, or your will have your wealth affected and suffer from financial loss.

Furniture Placement

The furniture should be placed properly. According to Feng Shui knowledge, the storage cabinet in the living room should cling to the wall and the sofa should face the door or TV, and never have its back to the door.

If the sofa backs the door, your interpersonal relationship will be disharmonious and you may easily encounter villains or have disputes with others.

Avoid Beamed Ceilings

If the living room has a spanning beam, the ceiling should be covered with decorations, or the beam will bring you the sense of pressure and bad luck and make you nervous.

Here’s a nice fix:

Floor should be even.

The living room floor shall not be uneven; instead, it shall be flat and avoid too many too many stairs or the sense of high and low. Some living rooms adopt the design of high and low partition to make the obvious change of high and low floor. However, this kind of design makes the family luck full of ups and downs.

Living Room and Doors

If you are sitting in the living room can see the doors of all rooms, the privacy will be poor and you may feel open to the external world.

Decoration

The living room should be decorated with the circular-shaped decorations since it is a family and friends gathering place requiring the lively and harmonious atmosphere. The circle is a symbol of Yang and dynamic, so the circular-shaped lighting, ceiling and decorations can create the warm and lively atmosphere.