Reading Time:
4–5 minutes
Category:
UI/UX Design
A beginner-friendly breakdown of Feng Shui principles from architect and practitioner Cliff Tan, covering how to arrange your space for better energy, focus, and comfort.
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How to Use Feng Shui to Build a Happier Space
Our guest for this podcast episode was Cliff Tan, an architect and Feng Shui practitioner based in London. He is known for his approachable and easy-to-understand videos explaining Feng Shui and space planning and wrote a book titled “Feng Shui Modern” and a course on Domestika.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is this ancient Chinese art of how to put things, and it’s driven by logic. The idea is not to do ridiculous things when building or organizing a house or room. You want to be protected from your enemies and will want to be close to the good stuff like resources, water from growing, growing crops, etc.
1. Find your command position
Take into account these five celestial animals to choose your command position in each room:
- Turtle - It has a hard shell representing support and stability.
- Dragon - Secondary support, usually on the east, and represents growth. Here we can have plants.
- Phoenix - Has lots of space in front f you, so you don’t feel blocked. Have lots of open space in front of you.
- Tiger - Secondary support, generally located on the western side, is transformative. It shows where the sun sets and where the elements transform and change.
- Snake - Positioned in the middle, you have the snake where all four animals are combined, and it creates balance.
The command position focuses on the turtle and the bird, where they give you support behind and opens you in front.
2. Take your energy or chi into account
Energy comes in different forms. Some items and distractions might give you good or bad energy. In your command position, you want to be protected from bad energy and have good views towards good energy.
“Find a safe space in your home by arranging plants, furniture, and decorations. You’ll end up being more productive and happy! ”
3. Be logical with your decisions
The point is to make you feel comfortable, empowered, and not vulnerable. When organizing your rooms, consider the things that can take your energy, especially doors, windows, and mirrors. Why? A window or door might mean people are outside, and there is noise, etc. This will probably distract you from what you’re supposed to be doing. Whether your space or room is big or small, just move things around and make it work for you!
4. Make sure you don’t feel frustrated in your space
And do it according to the room and the situation. For example, business meetings. Think about the light, the doors, TVs, and other distractions. For example, if you’re in a meeting and most people have a door behind them, they’ll spend half of it turning back to see if anybody’s coming in instead of being productive and attentive.
5. Apply all of these Feng Shui tips to your business too
Potential clients will want you to make them feel comfortable and supported. So give them a good seat inside your own space! Good hosts tend to sit near the kitchen to go and get food and things quickly. Guests should sit in a nice seat deep into the living-dining space. In such situations, giving yourself the worst seat in the room might be better.
6. Materials your furniture is made out of are also important
If your bed frame has thin legs, it will not make you feel stable. So while sleeping, you might feel most vulnerable; instead of sleeping, you’ll be alert.
7. Plants are not recommended in your bedroom
Why? If you rewind a thousand years, and you’re looking for a place to sleep, you wouldn’t sleep in the middle of the forest. You’d find a cave to sleep in. Plants represent growth and life but also risks, so Feng Shui prefers to avoid them in the bedroom. However, this rule is not written in stone. So if your plants make you feel safer and surrounded by “green friends,” it’s ok. Just make sure it doesn’t make the room look cluttered.
“Feng Shui is the art of making your rooms look and feel balanced. Even though there are some clear rules for strict followers, you can adapt them to your needs and culture.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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(01) /
What is Feng Shui and where does it come from?
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice focused on how to intentionally arrange objects, furniture, and spaces to promote balance, comfort, and positive energy flow. Far from being mystical, it is largely rooted in practical logic, helping people feel safe, supported, and at ease in their environment.
(02) /
What is the command position in Feng Shui?
The command position is the optimal placement for yourself within a room, typically where you have a solid wall behind you for support, a clear sightline toward the entrance, and open space in front of you. It is designed to reduce vulnerability and increase focus, whether you are sleeping, working, or hosting guests.
(03) /
What are the five celestial animals in Feng Shui and what do they represent?
The five celestial animals guide how you assess and arrange a space. The Turtle represents support and stability behind you. The Dragon offers secondary support and is associated with growth, typically on the east side. The Phoenix represents open space in front of you. The Tiger, on the western side, symbolizes transformation. The Snake sits at the center, representing the balance created when all four animals are in harmony.
(04) /
How does energy or chi factor into Feng Shui design?
Chi refers to the energy that flows through a space and is influenced by everything in your environment, from furniture placement to natural light. In Feng Shui, the goal is to position yourself so that you are shielded from disruptive energy sources like busy doorways, loud windows, or poorly placed mirrors, while staying oriented toward calming and productive elements.
(05) /
Should you have plants in your bedroom according to Feng Shui?
Traditional Feng Shui advises against placing plants in the bedroom because they symbolize growth, life, and activity, qualities that can subtly disrupt rest and make a space feel less like a sanctuary. That said, this is not a rigid rule. If plants make you feel calm and comfortable rather than cluttered or overstimulated, it is perfectly fine to keep them.
