Knickknack Overload. Whether you call them knickknacks, tschotkes, or objets d’art, too much “stuff” blocks the flow of chi in a house. Nothing new flows into your life until you make room for it, so the Feng Shui cure is to reduce your knickknack collection by 25 percent. Donate them, sell them, or pass them along to a friend. Then stand back and watch positive things flow into your life to fill the space you have created.
Displaying Something You Hate. One of the biggest Feng Shui decorating mistakes is displaying something you don’t like just because it is a design trend. When you surround yourself with items you don't like they attract negative energy and make it difficult to live in a home. The Feng Shui cure is to replace any trendy objects or art with new ones that fit your own tastes.
Fake Flowers. Fake and dried flowers are not only dust-catchers, but they represent dead, stale energy in Feng Shui design. The Feng Shui cure is to throw out everything that is plastic or dead and replace it with living plants, vases of fresh cut flowers, or bowls of fresh fruit. In areas where you don't have enough light to grow plants, use high quality silk creations.
Too Many Pillows. If your bed is covered with too many pillows it symbolizes keeping a lover out of the space. And if you sleep with all the pillows on the bed it symbolizes smothering your passion. The Feng Shui cure is to remove most of the pillows and keep one pair in a “fire” color like red, orange, or pink to make room for love and attract a relationship.
Pushed Back Furniture. Chi energy needs to flow around a room, and when the furniture is lined up against the walls the chi gets stuck in the middle of the room. The simple Feng Shui cure is to move your furniture away from the walls. If the back of a piece is unattractive, use a small table or floor plant behind it to camouflage flaws.
Hallway Art Hung Wrong. Hallway art that is all the same shape, hung at the same level, or in a straight line pulls positive energy away from your rooms. The Feng Shui cure is to choose art of varying sizes and shapes and locate it at different heights, similar to how art is hung in a gallery. This will give the illusion of slow, fluid movement down the hall and direct the good energy to every room. Eye level is always a good height for your art.
Improper Lighting. A dimmer switch is a great Feng Shui cure for harsh lighting because it's cheap, easy to install, and controls the mood and feeling of a space. Burned out light bulbs symbolize dim or burned out energy, so replace any dead bulbs and repair any fixtures that don’t work.
Exposed Cables. When a home desk area is surrounded by an unsightly mess of cables it sends a message of disregard for the work you do. The Feng Shui cure is to control wires with cord containers or attach wires and cables to the back of furniture or along baseboards. To camouflage your surge protector and all of its cables, place them in a wicker basket or attractive container. If you desk isn't a valuable antique, drill a hole through the back to slip wires through and hide them.
Out of Date Photos. It’s good Feng Shui to display family photos, but if the elementary school photos are still hanging on the family room walls after your children graduate from college, what does that say about their accomplishments today? The Feng Shui cure is to remove outdated photos and replace them with new ones to symbolize family growth and harmony.
Messy Foyer. In Feng Shui the front door is the “mouth of chi” where wealth and positive energy enter your home, so a messy foyer symbolizes disregard for that wealth. If you must keep shoes, backpacks, and other daily use items in the foyer, store them out of sight in a closed cabinet.
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