I truly believe in the power of less stuff. When you focus on living with less, you are able to enjoy more.

Now this may seem counter-intuitive. But hear me out.

When you have less décor on your shelves, you are able to see the items you actually love. You can create a style that is easily showcased because of what you are using to decorate your space with.

The images on your walls represent an emotion you want people to feel when they walk into your home. The scents you have in candles or diffusers make you feel cozy and warm in your space.

So making the decision to have less is the first step in creating an inviting and welcoming and cozy home. But where should you start?

Where To Start?

To decorate the space, I follow some of the principles of feng shui. I find that it most aligns with minimal décor because everything has a purpose in your space. Which means you get to create the feel of the room based on the items you want to keep.

While there are many teachings of feng shui, I follow the modern approach. This means that I don’t have some of the typical symbols you would think in my home. I am not a fan of the color red or dragon décor. But I can still get the energy those things represent with different materials and colors.

The ideas are the same with any approach to feng shui. The difference is how you go about creating that in your home. The goal with all feng shui is to create balance. You do this by creating a flow in your room, using colors and materials in your items, and create good vibes in every space.

To start decorating in a modern feng shui you need to start with the function of the room. What is the purpose of this room? What do you do in this room?

When you decide the purpose of the room, you can then decide furniture placement. Because how you use the room determines where your furniture should be. If you use the family room for watching television, you want to make sure all the seating options can see the television. If you use your dining room as a playroom, you want to make sure you have storage and space for the kids to move around.

You also need to consider placing furniture in what is called a “commanding position”. This just means that you can see who is entering the room. Now there are many entrances to rooms, so pick a main entrance and place your furniture so that if you are sitting on a coach, you can see someone entering. The thought behind this is you will never be surprised or caught off guard. Which makes your space more calming.

And you need to think about color. With feng shui, color means so much in creating a room that is balanced. There are 5 elements you want to include in every space. And with each element there are colors that go along with them.

Elements + Colors

Fire is traditionally red. But with modern feng shui, you can do pinks and purples, and oranges as well.

Earth is neutral colors like tans, browns, and light yellows.

Metals are all shares of greys.

Water is all shades of blue.

And wood is greens and browns.

Now if you are an overachiever like me, then you can also add in materials or symbols to showcase these elements. The goal of this is to create balance. Maybe you don’t have shades of red in your room, but you can use the materials or shapes to add that element.

Elements + Materials

Fire can be candles and electronics and the shape of a triangle.

Metal is any metal object and the shape is a circle.

Earth is ceramics and the shape is square.

Wood is plants and the shape are columns.

And water is any water element along with mirrors. And the shape is wavy.

Now there are far more complex explanations for how to add these elements to your home following feng shui. But this is the overview I use when working with virtual clients because it isn’t too overwhelming when starting out.

Feng Shui Declutter

To start decorating your room, you first have to declutter. Because nothing says imbalance more than a cluttered space.

Start with one room that is filled with too much stuff. The one room that you feel is bursting with things.

Step into that room and take a deep breath. You want to feel the energy of the room first. Does it feel chaotic? Calm? Tranquil? Busy? Uneasy? Ugly?

Find a word or two that describe the room and how it makes you feel. You want to know what that feeling is so you can change it into something else. Something that makes you feel good about.

Then collect all the items on the shelves, floor, in cabinets or drawers, and on the walls. You want a clean slate to start redecorating.

I suggest moving everything to the middle of the room. Wipe down any shelves or drawers. If you need to patch up a hole in the wall do that now. Fix the paint. Or wash the walls. Vacuum the floors. Get the room as clean as you can.

Because when you put things back, it is better that they are back on a clean surface rather than a dirty one.

Scan all the items that are in the middle of your room. Find one item you cannot give away. That one item that you love so much. Pick that up and hold it. Whatever you feel with that item is what you want everything in that room to feel.

Place that special item on a shelf or mantel. Use that item as your guide for deciding if any additional item should stay in your room.

Note that I am saying stay in that room. Just because an item doesn’t give you the same feeling as that initial item doesn’t mean you have to throw it away. It might work better somewhere else in your home. So don’t get rid of it just yet.

Pick up another item and see what feeling you get with that item.

• If you feel a similar feeling to that first item, put in on the shelf or mantel.
• If you get a neutral feeling, one of indifference, you can create a pile for “not in this room”.
• If you get a negative feeling, create a pile for “must remove”.

The items in the “not in this room” pile will be moved into other rooms in your home to see if they might fit there. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. But I suggest using what you have first, before deciding if you need to find items to make your space cohesive.

Once the entire pile from the middle of the room is cleared out. You can rearrange the décor pieces you wanted to keep in the room.

Decorating Using Feng Shui Principals

Now we are going to use our new skills in feng shui to decorate the space. You selected items that you love. Which will create a high vibe in the space.

Start by placing items on mantels and shelves where it feels natural. Do not overthink. Do not go looking online. You place that item where you think it belongs.

Do this with all your items. Then go back and look that you have each of the five elements in the room. It can be through color, shape, or material.

Move onto the next room and do the same process.

As you continue learning about feng shui, there are ways to divide up your room to represent different areas of your life. Since you are starting out using the principles of feng shui, making sure all elements are included in your room is the perfect start.

Creating a home the feels balanced is our goal. You can create that balance using the principles of feng shui, living with minimal décor, and creating spaces that you feel happy with.

Feng Shui For Beginners

This is by no means all that goes into creating a space that is feng shui. It is just a beginner’s guide to help you start to shift your homes’ energy.

So start with one room. Declutter your things. And use the feng shui guidebook to help you create balance in your space.