The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a traditional East Asian and Chinese celebration that honors the end of harvest season. A gathering to give thanks for the bountiful gifts of nature, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the lunar month, and is a welcome release after a quite-somber Ghost Month. In a way, the grandiose Mid-Autumn Festival is a balancing act to the restrictive Ghost Month, and an indication of completeness and energy — life qualities supported by the art of feng shui.
While feng shui isn't directly linked to Mid-Autumn Festival, many Chinese culture experts argue that the idea of renewed spirits and vital energies (chi) are highlighted in the celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival. A bountiful harvest insinuates a positive and prosperous life, and feng shui is all about allowing people to live lives with ease and wellness. And this desire to thrive extends well beyond lifestyles; feng shui is also practiced in designing homes and physical spaces.
So what is feng shui exactly? And how does it relate to interior design and décor?
Feng shui is the practice of inviting good energy into your personal space.
Feng shui, "wind" and "water" in Chinese, signifies human life and its deep rooted connection to its environment. The philosophy of feng shui focuses on creating balance in the natural world by setting up harmonious and positive living spaces.
Interior designers and decorators — especially those who dabble in East Asian study — are heavily influenced by the main principles of feng shui and its high regard for balance, mindfulness, and good energy. This means making design decisions that relate to Taoism's five elements — earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. Aside from representing certain qualities, the five elements are also associated with colors and shapes that can be used to beautify a home.
Earth has the qualities of wellness and nourishment, and is connected to warm, earthy colors like muted oranges and browns. Earth is emphasized with square shapes and weight.
Metal is related to beauty and is materialized in metallic hues and circular forms. Water, on the other hand, represents wisdom and appears in dark blues and waves.
Wood shows the importance of growth and vitality, and is connected to natural colors and tall, bearing structures. Lastly, fire represents passion and relates to fiery hues, bright lights, and triangular shapes.
How does feng shui translate to Chinese style interior design?
Following the key facets of feng shui, Chinese interior design is characterized by the qualities that make a good life — i.e. balance, lightness, energy, and fortune — and the design elements that emphasize these. Taking the visual cues that represent the 5 elements and understanding how they fit in your personal space is crucial in getting that good energy going.
Incorporate feng shui in your space by following these simple guidelines and create a pleasant atmosphere worth being thankful for.
1. Create symmetry.
The commanding position is one of the basic tenets of feng shui. Your bed (which signifies yourself), desk (which signifies your career and self-actualization), and your kitchen stove (which signifies your wealth and resources) should all be in command in the spaces they inhabit. In the simplest sense, this means making sure that when you use these furniture and appliances, you have to be able to see through the door without being directly in line with it. Doors signify opportunities — good or bad — and it's important that you are prepared for those to come your way in your life's most significant aspects.
Another way to emphasize the commanding position is to set these home pieces in the center of a room, and creating symmetry in design. A symmetrical design represents balance in a space. Imagine there's a line drawn down the center of a room — would both sides mirror each other?
Symmetry is best achieved when spaces are accessorized in pairs, like matching tables and lampshades. Use bright reds and oranges or autumnal colors in your décor to connote passion and celebration.
2. Keep things clear and clean.
Fresh energy is critical in feng shui, and your entry spaces must be able to accommodate and welcome it into the rest of your home. This means making sure that these areas feel light — i.e. not weighed down by heavy furniture — and are kept clear of clutter.
In feng shui, clutter means obstruction to mental and emotional clarity, and an incredibly busy space leaves little room for new incoming energies. Make sure that everything has a "home" — shoes are placed in racks, coats in hangers, knick-knacks in catchalls — and that you're intentional with the way your entryways are laid out. Decorate with small metal figures or decorative bowls (antique Chinese ornaments are timeless) to underscore beauty. If you have the space, consider a water installation or a fountain — water flow represents wealth and good fortune in feng shui, so it's advisable to emphasize that where energies can come in.
3. Bring in life with plants.
Plants breathe life into a space, and feng shui prioritizes vitality and personal growth. Indoor plants not only provide a slew of health benefits (from air purification to nourishment) but also make a space feel renewed and alive.
You can opt to display your greenery alongside wooden furniture and natural materials, so as to emphasize expansion and life in a home. Support this design by using light fixtures (lanterns feel festive and vibrant) to bring brightness and inspiration into a space. This is especially effective in living rooms where you entertain guests, or the kitchen where your body gets nourished (with mooncakes, no less) and the dining table where families gather in thanks for the meal and meaningful conversations are made.
4. Make water flow.
As aforementioned, constant water flow signifies material fortune. On the flipside, drains are considered a source of downward energy — which makes bathrooms a specially interesting space to design.
It's recommended that you practice water conservation to limit the amount that gets drained out every time you use the bathroom. This is as simple as repairing leaks or installing water saving devices.
In terms of habits, make sure to close the bathroom door and the toilet seat when not in use. Both help minimize the possibility of vital energy flowing away from you, and reduces humidity in the room. The same can be said about bringing in plants, which transforms the downward energy to an upward life energy since plants grow with water.
When you decide to take the leap and purchase property (you can browse through PropertyAccess' listings here for a head start), consider the philosophy of feng shui and invest in a space that faces the east. The sun rises in the east, which suggests positive energy and a bright future. And if that's not necessarily available, you have the option to design your home where the east wing is spacious and open, so as to bring in good luck.
Feng shui is a worthwhile philosophy to subscribe to in doing interior design, since it's about making sure that a space emanates positivity and balance, and isn't that what we all want in a home?
Source:
Cho, A. (2021, January 26). What Are the Basic Principles of Feng Shui? The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-feng-shui-1275060