Feng Shui [which is pronounced Fung Shway] has been called the ancient art of harmony and design and this is a good enough description for most westerners. Practiced in China and Tibet, some say as long ago as 7000 years but most agree about 4000, regardless of its inception, feng shui has its following. It is described as a practiced study of the environment and its consequences on humankind and their “Chi” or energy. It is not merely the placement of furniture for some good karma.

The earliest Chinese practitioners preached that the arrangement of furniture in relation to your dwelling and floor area had an overall bearing on one’s spirituality, physicality, and emotional well-being and yes, luck! Thousands of years later, we are asking ourselves if we can feel the yin and the yang in our own spaces; do we feel comfortable and at the peak of our happiness based on the living and working areas we spend time in. Are we thriving? Is everyone who resides there benefiting to the fullest?

A simple way to begin working with your own living situation is to look at your home or business and learn about how the different sectors of the house relate to parts of your life. Those advocates for Feng shui believe that energy will follow a particular path through your home or office space and routing this Chi properly can help you achieve balance and harmony in your routine. When designing your space one needs to make wise selections from the ground up starting with flooring, furniture, fabrics, art décor, and other design aspects.

A feng shui expert is required from the outset on any design project whether building a new structure, an addition, or renovation to an existing space, if you want to achieve all of what feng shui promises. Innumerable professionals in the building and construction industry from architects to landscape designers have bought into feng shui and its concepts are widely used in new construction projects. It is trendy to design with feng shui and of course, Hollywood has enthusiastically embraced its dogma.

For your home or office, landscape or even personal outfitting, color plays a major role in feng shui design. Knowledge of color and the yin-yang effect colors have on design is insightful. If you are looking to transform your life, some say the colors you choose in your living environment can make a difference. According to feng shui practice, certain colors will affect your demeanor in a negative way if your objective is to be alert and energetic. Purple, blues, white and green promote the ‘yin’ chi for their curative restoration and relaxation tendencies. ‘Yang’ colors that support enthusiasm and high spirits would include beige and tan, browns, gold, lavender, wine, and violet.

Do not confuse feng shui with staging; it is so much more than adapting your furniture for eye-appeal. This ancient practice is based on mathematical principles and green earth science meant to enhance, sustain, and improve your life.