The Basic Principles of Feng Shui

Tips for creating balance in life and at home

By
Anjie Cho
Anjie Cho
Anjie Cho
Anjie Cho is a certified feng shui consultant, professional architect, and author with over 20 years of experience designing spaces. She co-founded the Mindful Design Feng Shui School and wrote "Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home."
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
and
Shagun Khare
Shagun Khare headshot
Shagun Khare
Shagun Khare is a writer covering interior design, lifestyle, and culture. She is a true design enthusiast, always keen to dote on beautiful spaces, furnishings, and architecture.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 02/02/25
In This Article

The Chinese concept of feng shui focuses on establishing harmony between a person and their environment. It is derived from an ancient poem about human life being connected to and flowing with the environment around it. Feng shui comes from the Chinese words "feng," meaning wind, and "shui," meaning water.

Feng shui is often incorporated into home design to create balance and flow in your home's design and overall life. But how do you put feng shui into practice? Below are the basic feng shui principles and how to apply them to your life and home.

What Is Feng Shui?

Feng shui is the practice of arranging pieces in a living or workspace to create balance with the natural world. This is what it means to feng shui your home. The goal is to harness energy forces and establish harmony in the space.

Tip

To determine if feng shui works for you, pay attention to how you feel in a freshly designed space. If you feel happy, lighter, at peace, and calm, then feng shui is working.

Principles of Feng Shui

In feng shui design, there are four main principles to know:

  • Chi: Chi is the vital life force or energy. Chi is a major component when designing your home with feng shui.
  • Commanding position: This term refers to the spot in a room farthest from the door (but not in direct line with it). The commanding position designates where you'll want to spend the most time in a space. You will want a clear line of sight to the door from the commanding position to have the best feng shui possible.
  • Bagua: Bagua is the feng shui energy map. It is a Chinese word that means "eight areas." Each area relates to a particular life area.
  • Five elements: Feng shui has five elements: earth, metal, wind, water, and fire. When incorporating feng shui into your home, balance these five elements.

Chi in Feng Shui

Chi refers to vital life force or energy. It is an essential aspect of feng shui design. A large room with little furniture can overwhelm chi, making one feel lost.

On the other hand, a small room packed with clutter doesn’t give chi space to move, resulting in feelings of stagnation.

The Commanding Position

In feng shui, the commanding position is a spot in the room far from the door, ideally not in line with it, and gives you a good view of both the room and door; it usually should put you diagonal to the door.

The commanding position is where you want to spend most of your time in a room, and therefore, it should host the most prevalent piece of furniture: a bed in a bedroom, a desk in an office, or a stove in a kitchen.

These pieces of furniture must stand in the dominant position because each one represents an important part of your life: The bed represents you, the desk represents your career, and the stove represents your wealth and nourishment.

Common Pitfalls

A common feng shui mistake is putting your bed under a window, which lets too much energy flow out of the room. If you must place your bed under a window, some solutions help contain negative feng shui in the bedroom, such as adding a solid headboard or a wall of curtains behind the bed.

bed positions

The Spruce / Nusha Ashjaee

The Feng Shui Bagua Map

A bagua is the feng shui energy map superimposed on the floor plan of your home. The Chinese word "bagua" translates to mean "eight areas."

Each area relates to a different life circumstance, such as family, wealth, or career, and each one has corresponding shapes, colors, seasons, numbers, and earthly elements. At the center of the bagua—a ninth area—is you, representing your overall wellness.

There are several feng shui schools of thought, all of which use baguas. However, some apply the bagua differently.

The Western and BTB (Black Sect) schools usually lay the bagua so that the knowledge, career, and helpful people areas align with the front door. The Flying Stars and other classical schools might orient the bagua based on the year's energy or the compass.

feng shui bagua map

The Spruce / Nusha Ashjaee

The Bagua Areas

Begin incorporating the bagua into your life and feng shui by identifying one to three areas that you feel need the most attention. Do not attempt to work on all areas at once, as this can unsettle and easily overwhelm your self. To strengthen your energy or improve flow, incorporate feng shui tips in that particular room or area.

Family (Zhen)

  • Representing: Family, new beginnings
  • Shape: Columnar, rectangular
  • Colors: Green, blues, teal
  • Season: Spring
  • Number: 4
  • Element: Yang wood

Wealth (Xun)

  • Representing: Wealth, abundance, prosperity
  • Shape: Columnar, rectangular
  • Colors: Purple
  • Season: Spring
  • Number: 5
  • Element: Yin wood

Health (Tai Qi)

  • Representing: Overall wellness, the center
  • Shape: Flat, square
  • Colors: Brown, orange, yellow
  • Season: Transitions between the seasons
  • Number: 5
  • Element: Earth

Helpful People (Qian)

  • Representing: Helpful people, benefactors, travel
  • Shape: Circular, spherical
  • Colors: Gray, metallics
  • Season: Autumn
  • Number: 6
  • Element: Yang metal

Children (Dui)

  • Representing: Children, completion, joy
  • Shape: Circular, spherical
  • Colors: White, metallics
  • Season: Autumn
  • Number: 7
  • Element: Yin metal

Knowledge (Gen)

  • Representing: Knowledge, self-cultivation, skillfulness
  • Shape: Flat, square
  • Colors: Dark blue
  • Season: Transitions between the seasons
  • Number: 8
  • Element: Yang earth

Fame (Li)

  • Representing: Fame, reputation, passion, visibility
  • Shape: Triangle, pointy
  • Colors: Red
  • Season: Summer
  • Number: 9
  • Element: Fire

Career (Kan)

  • Representing: Career, path in life
  • Shape: Wavy, curvy
  • Colors: Black
  • Season: Winter
  • Number: 1
  • Element: Water

Partnerships (Kun)

  • Representing: Partnerships, marriage, self-care
  • Shape: Flat, square
  • Colors: Pink
  • Season: Transitions between the seasons
  • Number: 2
  • Element: Yin earth

The Five Elements

elements map

The Spruce / Nusha Ashjaee

The five feng shui elements—earth, metal, water, wood, and fire—come from the Taoist tradition. The elements are interrelated life phases that create a complete system. When you feng shui your home, you balance these five elements.

Incorporate the five feng shui elements into your life and home by defining where to begin. Choose one to three areas you’d like to improve, then strengthen the energy by adding the suggested colors or shapes in that room.

For example, your bagua shows that your bedroom aligns with your overall wellness and the place where you rejuvenate. It ties into the earth element. Consider ways to use feng shui colors associated with the earth and decorate with ceramic or clay pottery, stones, or crystals.

After those initial improvements, focus on other rooms or areas of your life. Observe the elements of each room, and then bring the corresponding feng shui items. The intent is to bring positive energy to those rooms, areas of your life, and your entire home.

Earth

  • Qualities: Grounded, self-care, stable
  • Shape: Flat, square
  • Colors: Brown, orange, yellow
  • Season: Transitions between the seasons
  • Areas: Wellness, knowledge, partnerships 

Metal

  • Qualities: Efficient, precise, beauty 
  • Shape: Circular, spherical
  • Colors: White, metallics
  • Season: Autumn
  • Areas: Helpful people, children

Water

  • Qualities: Downward, flowing, shifting
  • Shape: Wavy, curvy
  • Colors: Black
  • Season: Winter
  • Area: Career

Wood

  • Qualities: Expansive, vitality, upward
  • Shape: Columnar, rectangular
  • Colors: Green, blues
  • Season: Spring
  • Areas: Family, wealth

Fire

  • Qualities: Passion, illuminating, brilliant
  • Shape: Triangle, pointy
  • Colors: Red
  • Season: Summer
  • Area: Fame

Tips to Feng Shui Your Home

  • Decorate with plants: Feng shui plants, especially ones with rounder and softer leaves, such as the money plant, nourish your energy.
  • Consider positions: Keep your stove, desk, or bed in the commanding position—the spot farthest from the door but not directly aligned with it. You may also want to consider your home direction.
  • Balance colors: Decide which bagua areas to improve and choose corresponding colors to strengthen that energy. For example, green is used for family (zhen), and purple is used for wealth (xun).
  • Declutter: Excessive clutter causes blocked chi. Let go of excess items that take up valuable space.
  • Keep traffic flow open: Passageways, such as doors and halls, should be kept open to clear your route. Avoid placing furniture at the entrance of a room.
  • Fix broken things: Fixing anything that may be broken in your home will improve the chi of a space. Broken mirrors must be removed or replaced.
  • Use the five elements: One of the best ways to feng shui in your home is to use the five elements (earth, metal, water, wood, and fire). Make sure each element is balanced and incorporated in the appropriate spaces.
  • Have a strong entryway: The entryway is where energy enters your space and life. Create a space that is warm, bright, and clutter-free.
  • Maximize natural light: Rooms with ample sunlight enhance well-being and vitality. Position windows to stream in light or use mirrors to amplify natural light (although beware of positioning with furniture).
FAQ
  • What does feng shui mean?

    “Feng” means wind, and “shui” means water. The phrase references an ancient poem about human life being connected to and flowing with the environment.

  • What is bad feng shui for a house?

    Bad feng shui for a house includes blocking doorways or entrances, which blocks chi from flowing. A cluttered space similarly causes stagnation. In your bedroom, having your bed facing away from the door or directly in front of it, rather than in the commanding position, is bad feng shui.

  • How is feng shui used in interior design?

    Feng shui interior design tips include keeping your home clutter-free, incorporating the right colors, using the right materials (bamboo, crystal, glass), letting in as much natural light as possible, and growing feng shui-friendly plants. Feng shui recommends removing sick or dead plants, not displaying pointy plants, removing broken or obscured mirrors, not storing things under the bed, and not using a bed without a headboard.

  • What is the purpose of feng shui?

    The purpose of feng shui is to establish harmony between an individual and their environment. Feng shui creates balance and flow, both in your home's design and in your overall life.

  • What are the feng shui colors?

    Each of the five elements in feng shui is associated with colors. Brown, orange, and yellow correspond with earth. White and metallics go with metal. Black corresponds with water. Green and blue correspond with wood. And red represents fire.

  • What colors should be avoided for good feng shui?

    No colors must be avoided for good feng shui, but specific colors are worse in certain house rooms. For example, red is very energizing, so a large amount of red in a bedroom could be the opposite of what you want for a peaceful sleeping space.