For Better Flow, Avoid Adding Too Many Feng Shui Cures To Your Space

The principles of feng shui are a great way to achieve balance, harmony, and energy flow (known as chi) in any home, but there can be a danger in too much of a good thing. Feng shui experts warn that one of the chief ways to actually impede good feng shui is by adding too much of a focus on elemental properties and placements. Too many and the combined effect will not only lead to clutter and awkward spaces but also to letting the ancient Eastern philosophy run roughshod over personal expression and taste.

Mistakes in feng shui execution can range from just too much stuff to incorrect placements of things like mirrors and water features (which have a particularly strong pull on chi and are not good for spaces meant to be calming). However, there are some key things to keep in mind when employing feng shui practices to enhance, but not rule or encumber, your space.

Often, when trying to maximize the feng shui principles in our homes, we can fall easily prey to buying a lot of cures, items, and other elemental pieces that can clutter our space, leading inevitably to the danger of over-cluttered and crowded spaces that look like a trinket shop instead of a home. Too much clutter is the antithesis of the free flow of chi, so a selection of well-chosen objects is always a safer bet. In addition, you can easily sometimes go overboard on certain materials, such as too much metal, wood, or stone, which can also have a similar obstructing effect on the harmony and balance you are seeking. 

Instead of filling your home with objects and elements to the max, the best advice is to find the things you already love and want in your home, then chart the path that best accentuates the effects (prosperity, productiveness, relaxation) you want to have. This may mean choosing new or using existing décor, like candles or an incense burner, to represent the element of fire instead of an image or statue of a dragon that is often recommended.

Another important thing to remember is that the feng shui philosophy is meant to enhance your existing space and things you already have, not to induce more consumerism, necessitate costly renovations, or require building your home exactly to feng shui specifications. The better approach is to build and create a home that you love and is functional for you. Then, you can think about how those energies can be maximized within the existing framework of your home's layout and the things you already possess.

In addition, sometimes, having too much going on and too much of an emphasis on feng shui can work the opposite effect. The more you have, the more likely you may place things incorrectly, misunderstand the optimal placement of elements, and counteract existing harmony and balance. Look to achieve a 80/20 effect on your balance of calm, soothing energies to invigorating and productive energies to achieve a more livable balance.