Living Room Decorating

Your living room is one of the most important rooms in your house - in fact, I'd say that in terms of decorating priority, the first should be your bedroom, and living room decorating should be next. For this very reason, every time that you walk into your living room, you should instantly feel comfortable, at ease and welcome. Any discomfort, irritation or sense of hostility in the living room should not be coming from the environment or décor. This is because in Feng Shui, the living room is almost always treated as the center gua of the house, the one place where the members of the household can all be grounded and centered. If this balance has been upset - then the household itself will become upset as well. It is for this reason that living room decorating principles are properly applied here.

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You probably have some idea about how you would like your living room to look: is it going to be modern, homey, traditional or just 'warm'? This living room decorating look will likely start with the color tones and matching décor that you choose. In feng shui, the center gua is supposed to be yellow or earthy in color, which usually matches the pastel-shades that most people choose to decorate their living rooms with. Of course, this is completely unnecessary. You can go about living room decorating however you like - as long as the colors are comfortable for you and your family. What most people don't realize is that colors are culturally specific - for example, white is the color of purity and newborn life in Western ideologies, whilst it is the color of death and stillness in Eastern ideologies. It is for this reason that if a particular color just doesn't 'feel' right to you, then don't use it in your living room decorating.

Generally, you should go about living room decorating however you want - pick a style and atmosphere that you like, and purchase suitable furniture and decorations (or hire an interior designer to do it for you). Just watch out for the big Feng Shui no-nos: lots of sharp corners (on furniture), overpowering objects or motifs and piling up clutter in the living room. Have the members of your household walk through the living room. Do they feel antagonized or welcome? Also, remember that if you are applying feng shui principles to living room decorating, then consider that feng shui is a general system applied to your entire living space - not just the living room. Imbalances in your life can often be caused by objects or arrangements in other parts of the home, not just your living room.

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If you are more interested in applying feng shui in your home in general, especially in living room decorating, I recommend that you first have a look at the other feng shui lenses I have here on Squidoo, and then consider purchasing a general guide to the subject. Feng Shui isn't really a complicated subject, and it isn't really mystical or opposed to any particular style of interior design and decorating - it's supposed to be a complementary philosophy that sits alongside other styles, and help answer those tough questions: should the couch be over here, or over there?