Guide to a Feng Shui apartment layout

Are you living in a small apartment and looking to improve your wealth, health, career, relationships, or creativity? Do you wonder if the energy balancing principles of a Feng Shui apartment layout can help? It doesn’t hurt to try!

A brief introduction to Feng Shui

The ancient Chinese believed that an imbalance of essential life energy (or xi) was to blame for our unfortunate life circumstances. As such, adjusting the balance of positive life energy to balance out the negative – a process achieved through Feng Shui – could create harmony so that we might achieve our individual potential. By making alterations to the layout of furniture, your choice of décor, your paint color choices, and through the use of Feng Shui symbols, you can achieve this balance of energy within even the smallest of homes.

Feng Shui and apartment living

It is a common misconception that creating a balanced flow of energy within the home means having the square footage to spare. The truth is that you can practice Feng Shui in the smallest of homes to the largest of mansions. What changes between these two extremes, however, is the practicality of certain Feng Shui techniques.

Let’s begin by looking at some of the basic Feng Shui tips that apply to apartment dwellers.

Basic tips for a Feng Shui apartment layout

1. Cut out the clutter

Nothing blocks the flow of life energy more than clutter in the home. Living in a small apartment can make it difficult to keep clutter to a minimum, but living a minimalist lifestyle is one way to achieve this. If you don’t use something on a daily basis or if it holds no sentimental value, toss it, donate it, or sell it. What you do end up keeping, store using organization solutions to create a less cluttered appearance.

2. Add life to your living space

Living plants will not only balance out negative energy which can become more concentrated in smaller homes, but plants with rounded leaves will also attract wealth. If you lack a green thumb, go for silk plants instead since they are still made from natural fiber.

3. Create a natural flow

The position of everything in a small home should be such that it does not interrupt the flow of energy. For example, placing a large chair with its back to the entranceway creates a blockade to energy flowing through the home. Focus on creating a free flowing, open Feng Shui apartment layout to prevent congestion from taking place.

4. Separate rooms

Each room of a home must be individually balanced. In apartments, this can be difficult, but it can be achieved through strategically placed furniture and room dividers. Creating self-contained rooms allows for rooms to be balanced based on their use.

5. Make use of the five elements

The five elements of Feng Shui are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each of these elements adds a specific energy to a room and can be used to create balance and invite good fortune.

• Wood represents both prosperity and peace.
• Fire represents passion.
• Earth invites stability.
• Metal adds to focus.
• Water improves communication

Using these elements in smaller spaces can be tricky, but there are some ways to work around this. For example, instead of using a water feature, the color blue can be used to improve communication in a living room just as well.

6. Use Mirrors to Enlarge Space

Utilizing mirrors appropriately in a small home can create the illusion of a larger space and add more light to a home. Just be sure to keep these mirrors clean. Feng Shui rules for hanging mirrors include:
Never hang a mirror across from the front door since it will bounce good fortune right back out of the home.
Place mirrors where they can reflect maximum sunlight.
Use mirrors to reflect scenic views to invite more beauty into the home.

Room specific feng shui tips

Feng Shui targets the balance of energy within specific rooms of the home. With apartments having smaller rooms, room specific Feng Shui techniques are increasingly important to optimize energy flow. In this section, let’s look at specific Feng Shui apartment layout tips for each room.

1. Feng Shui living room layout

With limited seating space, an apartment living room can still promote the sense of community required by Feng Shui. More traditionally, furniture would be placed in a circular pattern to promote ‘togetherness’. In the smaller living room, however, this can take up a lot of valuable space. Instead, place furniture so that those sitting can engage with others and the same sense of warmth is present.

2. Feng Shui kitchen layout

Apartment kitchens tend to be particularly small and prone to clutter. It is, therefore, important to implement smart storage techniques to keep items organized without creating the appearance of being cluttered. Ironically, many Feng Shui experts recommend using open storage solutions such as shelving to organize kitchens. This seems counterintuitive since this type of storage gives the appearance of clutter. When kept minimally stocked, however, open shelving brings more light to the room responsible for health, wealth, and abundance.

3. Feng Shui bedroom layout

The position of the bed in the bedroom is of specific importance in Feng Shui. There are many different ‘rules’ which apply to the placement of the bed within a room. Unfortunately, apartment bedrooms tend to be quite small which can sometimes interfere with the recommended placement positions.

So what should you know about creating harmony in the bedroom when positioning your bed?

• The bed should never be directly opposite the door. This is referred to as “coffin position” and leaks energy from the door and invites harsh energy to the bed.
• The bed should never be directly underneath a window as it invites sadness and weakness.
• The bed should never be placed directly between the door and window since it places the sleeper in the direct line of energy flow.

This may leave you with very few choices for bed placement, but know that Feng Shui offers solutions to bed placement if you cannot avoid one of these forbidden positions. To find a cure for your specific placement concern, consult this article by Know Feng Shui.

4. Feng Shui entryway layout

The area of the home responsible for welcoming guests as well as good fortune, it is mandatory to make the entryway a warm and welcoming area of the home. This can be difficult for small apartment homes that seemingly offer no entryway at all. Still, even the smallest entryway can be made inviting by keeping it clutter free, hanging a beautiful painting, hanging a mirror (but never opposite the front door!), and incorporating all five of the basic elements into the décor.

5. Studio apartment layout

Studio apartments pose a unique Feng Shui challenge as they seem to go against the very concept of optimizing a home by rooms. There are, however, some ways that a studio apartment can be made Feng Shui friendly.

• Use decorative room dividers or screens to create separate spaces.
• Avoid crowding the room with domineering furniture or décor.
• Use mirrors to expand the smaller spaces.
• Keep the furniture and item “load” as balanced as possible throughout the apartment to create harmony.
• Live minimally to avoid clutter.
• Use rugs and wall paint to create individual living spaces.

Final Thoughts

There are always going to be those who poo-poo the idea of Feng Shui as a means of creating a more harmonious life and a more balanced home. The truth is, however, that even if the idea of balancing energy is little more than hocus pocus, the basic principles of Feng Shui still work. Less clutter still provides a more harmonious life, a clear path throughout the home still creates more flow, and furniture placement still contributes to better family relationships.