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Lalana Soottreenart
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Lalana Soottreenart is a Design Director at Phenom Interiors & Architects Co.,Ltd, and former Interior Design Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, at Chulalongkorn University.
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Not enough sleep? Want to try FENG SHUI?
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Feng Shui was discovered by the Chinese around 770 BC to produce positive elements to enhance the quality of life and has successfully been used for thousands of years since. Its principles are about channeling elite, rich and powerful energies by the placement and layout of physical objects in our environment to affect the flow of energy in our life.
The ancient oriental term Feng Shui means "the way of wind and water". It is about energy, the flow of energy and how it enhances or detracts from your life. Feng Shui involves the study of these energy flows by rearranging our environment to help improve health, maximize potential, guarantee fulfillment, and gain the best possible advantages in our life.
The principle of Feng Shui is related to four key words: Qi, Yin-Yang, Pakua, and the five elements.
Qi is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of life force or spiritual energy. However, Qi can be either qood or bad. Loss of good Qi and get bad Qi will shorten the quality of life.
Yin and yang describes two opposing energies and, at the same time, complementary aspects of any one phenomenon (object or process) or comparison of any two phenomena. Samples of yin and yang are cold and hot, night and day, dark and light, female and male. Yin describes cold and calm while yang describes hot, fast and moving. These two elements have to be balance and completing.
The PaKua is a common tool, which is used to find the 8 influences of direction: career and business (in the North), education and knowledge (in the Northeast), family and health (in the East), wealth and prosperity (in the Southeast), fame (in the South), marriage and partnerships (in the Southwest), creativity (in the West) and helpful people (in the Northwest). PaKua takes role in the interior design: where the bedroom should be located, which direction the head of the bed should face, what color will support marriage life, etc.
The five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) are used for describing interactions and relationships between phenomena. Each element has both supported and destroyed element. Explanation of supported element is water feeds tree (wood), wood is fuel (fire), fire makes ash, which become to earth and mineral, mineral piles up and becomes metal, and metals combine to water. Vice versa, water extinguishes fire, fire anneals metals, metal cuts wood, and wood or tree absorbs water.
Many of the principles of Feng Shui are supported by architectural principles:
- A master bedroom should be far from house’s entrance. In Feng Shui, the belief is that when we open the door or entrance, it will have high power of Qi, which flow very fast. Therefore, if the bedroom is closed to the entrance, bad Qi can go directly to the room. This rule is supported by an interior design principle that bedrooms are considered to be a private space while the living room is public space where time should be spent maintaining relationships.
- An ideal Feng Shui bedroom is symmetry and does not contain any nooks. Nooks and columns creates dust and darkness, so in term of Feng Shui, Qi energy gets disrupted when it flows pass these areas.
- A bed should not be close to the door and your door should remain open as much as possible. This way, Qi energy can flow directly towards you while you sleep. Feng Shui also states to avoid placing a bed near the door because noise and unstable flow of wind when open can disturb a good night sleep.
- The head of bed should not be exposed. In Feng Shui, the best position is to place the head of the bed is connected to a wall but not close or under any windows. Feng Shui believes that a window is same as a door; open, it allows the passage of Qi energy, but to close to the bed will allow you to get sick from the dust and wind. However, if a bed must be placed near a window, hang curtains to protect dust and wind.
- Never put a bed under beam. Beams are the same as nooks and columns: they rebound and redirect the flow of Qi energy and makes Qi drop to the bed. Refer to interior design principle, beam is heavy, and it is dangerous if the house breaks down. However, interior designer solves it by put a ceiling to make it flat.
In Fung Shui it is recommended that:
- Avoid electricity in the bedroom (in the form or electrical equipment such as a television).
- Coordinate color and decorative materials to compliment your elements:
- Earth’s color is yellow or brown. Its furniture should be wide and short, soft big sofa, or ceramic.
- Water’s color is blue and black. Furniture shape should be free form.
- Color of wood is green, light blue, and ocean blue. Furniture should be made from wood or has high backrest.
- Fire’s color is red, magenta. Fire’s shape is triangle. Its decoration also presented by bulb, art, and pet.
- Metal’s color is white and can be presented by metal or white or shiny furniture.
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