9 Feng Shui Mistakes to Avoid in Your Décor

Avoiding mistakes in the decoration based on "feng shui" is crucial for good energies to circulate. We reveal what you should omit.

Omitting home repairs, accumulating objects, or abusing monochrome tones are some decorating mistakes that, according to feng shui, should be avoided. This Chinese philosophy is based on achieving a harmonious environment, so it proposes a series of essential rules to attract good vibes.

Despite this, practitioners often order their spaces without taking into account that some of their arrangements don’t complement the system, but hinder the purpose. So that this doesn’t happen to you, let’s look into the mistakes that keep positive energy from flowing in the home home.

Feng shui and its decorative influence

An encyclopedic entry from National Geographic details that feng shui holds its basis in the Taoist belief of chi or a life force that inhabits everything and is balanced through the opposing energies of yin and yang.

Although its origins are Chinese, it’s now a widespread trend in Western culture and is put into practice through architecture and interior decoration, for example.

Science: History, Philosophy, and Education points out the influence of Chinese art for at least 3,000 years in making important decisions for construction, specifying locations, and establishing the appropriate ornamentation and internal layout of offices and homes. Furthermore, to do this, feng shui works with the 5 elements that we will now list:

• Water
• Metal
• Earth
• Fire
• Wood

Don’t do it! These are decorating mistakes you shouldn’t make, according to “feng shui”

The combination or exchange of materials proper to feng shui can be found distribution and incorporation of furniture and accessories at home. However, the Chinese discipline notes that certain actions and omissions prevent harmony.

What are these mistakes? We’ll take a look at them below.

1. Keeping dried plants

If you have flowers in your living room, make sure they’re fresh. Once withered, you should get rid of them.

Mindful Desing Feng Shui School stresses that dried flowers represent a source of yin qi, which is connected to death. There are people who like the appearance of dried bouquets, but if you want to balance the chi of your space, it’s best to distance yourself from them.

2. Keeping things under your bed

Although the simplest solution to store anything in the bedroom is to leave it under the bed, it’s best not to do this. Riverway Consulting comments that, when you keep objects under the bed, besides not being decorative, you block the flow of chi around it.

This would have an impact on the quality of sleep, health, and other life scenarios, according to the Chinese philosophy. Remember that the room is your room of rest and renewal, so take care of it as a sanctuary.

3. Repair your doors

In feng shui, the doors give way to energy and it’s best that they are free of obstruction and in a good condition. You shouldn’t put things that prevent their opening below 90 degrees; it’s also not a good idea to attach coat racks or hang other objects.

According to the certified expert in feng shui, Laura Cerrano, to verify that the doors favor the energetic entrance there’s a simple guide that includes the following 3 aspects:

• They open and close without jamming.
• The knobs turn easily.
• There are no cracks or splinters.

So, if the doors of your house are deteriorated or present faults, you have to repair them. In feng shui, they’re called “the mouth of chi” – that is to say, good energy and opportunities pass through them, which can’t happen when they’re not in a proper condition.

4. Feng shui mistakes: Piling up furniture

There should be no furniture in front of the bed; neither should there be any furniture in the corners of the house and nothing should be attached to the walls. Aesthetically balancing the distribution of furniture attracts positive vibes. Try to place them in the center of the rooms: it’s more comfortable and activates good energies, according to feng shui.

5. Too many monochrome tones

On her official website, the modern feng shui master, Diana Claudat, recommends adding neutral colors, beige, and cream. She does not rule out deep yellow, red tones, and wood, as long as there’s a balance in the color palette.

In short, it is a decorative mistake to think that the only colors allowed are white or black because of the yin-yang concept. These monochrome colors are quite aesthetic, but they could affect eyesight and rest, as well as provoke feelings of anxiety, sadness, and tiredness. In fact, a text published in CommonLit links the color black with fear and other harmful emotions.

6. Dark hallways and rooms

When it comes to darkness, there’s not much to explain. In fact, any gloomy corridor is synonymous with negative energy and heaviness. In the case of decoration, opaque and gloomy environments are not at all favorable. Make sure that there’s good lighting, including natural sources of light, and connect them with feng shui faceted balls.

7. Accumulation and clutter

Feng Shui For Real Life ® points out that clutter is actually understood as “postponed decisions  and the inability to move forward”. Thus, it means that everything you accumulate, the place where you leave it, and the way you keep it are a reflection of your personality.

Don’t make the mistake of accumulating things that interfere with your decor and that, according to Taoist philosophy, stop the path to progress. Furthermore, only keep what has a use and purpose. This is because the opposite generates an attachment to past energy and blocks the entrance of new experiences.

8. Feng shui mistakes: Broken and misplaced mirrors

Contrary to what some people believe, mirrors at the entrance of the house and on the stairs are counterproductive because vital energy is lost – even more so if these pieces are also cracked or fragmented, since your image isn’t clear and multiple reflections generate disorientation in terms of energy, argues Architecture and Design.

9. Insecurely attached headboards

Headboards in feng shui are an accessory that strengthens, connects, and supports. Moreover, these are qualities that can support your well-being and your relationships. Thus, from this point of view, opting for beds without a headboard or sleeping on a mattress placed on the floor is not a good idea, nor is having a headboard that isn’t securely attached to the wall.

How to use feng shui style decoration and avoid mistakes

The Journal of History, Culture, and Artistic Research stresses the importance of finding the decorative harmony of feng shui through its five elements so that there’s a positive impact on the energy flow.

Achieving this involves simple decorative actions. For example, a vase or a water fountain calls for stability; a small metal sculpture promotes clarity; also, clay objects symbolize the earth, and candles bring in the element of fire. As for wood, it’s much easier and more common, because you add it through your furniture.

Now that you know the decorating mistakes to avoid according to feng shui, check the spaces in your home and align them to receive positive vibes.