Does Ludwig Mies van der Rohe thought of Feng Shui while he was designing the Brno House or the Barcelona Chair? Probably not. But is a very well know fact that van der Rohe demanded of a respectful integration Man&Nature in house architecture and interior design.

Anyway, even when it comes to design styles like Mid Century Modern, and Industrial, many people  request for a integration of the technological elements with nature and ancestral wisdom, and Feng Shui has always something interesting to say. Let’s take a look to some of its principles.

Wind + Water

Feng Shui literally means “wind” and “water”.  This term coms from an ancient Chinese poem that integrated men and nature. And this is basically what Feng Shui does: A series of practices and principles to integrate man furniture and nature in a harmonious way. For these, Feng Shui must manage and harness the energy forces in order to harmonize a men with its home and the forces of nature.

The principles of Feng Shui are elicited from the Chinese ancestral philosophy called Tao , which means The way. To get its goal of a harmonized place, Feng Shui has 3 basic tools to consider: The Commanding Position; the Bagua; and the 5 elements. Let’s take a brief look.

The Commanding Position

All houses have a series of rooms: Bedroom; Living room; kitchen. Each one of this places is valuable for a men for some specific functions. We rest and recharge energies on our living room. In our bedroom there are a specific point where you prefer to be, that is the Commanding Position. For Feng Shui is very important that this Commanding Position is well located. All Commanding Position shouldn’t interfere with the road to the door. Your doors must always have a clear way.

You must identify all your Command Positions in your house. In every room you should have a purpose. For example, in your home office you maybe have the purpose to grow in your career. Feng shui will provide you the tools and elements that will enhance your energies in the room harmonizing with the environment.

The Bagua

The Bagua is kind of a map with several areas  that is over imposed upon the regular plane of the house. It helps to order and rearrange our rooms according to our particular needs. This way, according to your particular space, there are some practices and suggested elements that must be considered to get the most of your house and feel in harmony.

For example, when it comes to the area of careers, the shapes suggested are curvy and wavy; the color is black, and the main element is water.

Areas of the Bagua

• Family (Zhen)
• Wealth (Xun)
• Health (Tai Qi)
• Helpful People (Qian)
• Children (Dui)
• Knowledge (Gen)
• Fame (Li)
• Career (Kan)
• Partnerships (Kun)

The Five Elements

In Feng Shui, the water, fire, earth, wood and metal are 5 elements that are used like metaphors of the phases of your life, and they are used to harmonize your life and each cycle.

Each one element has a quality, shape, color, season and is linked to a specific area  of the Bagua. For example, Metal is an element linked to Children and Helpful People. It has the qualities of efficiency, precision and beauty; its better shapes are circular and aspheric; its color is white, and its better season, autumn.

Focus

If you see that list of areas of the Bagua, or the  Five Elements and think that its kind of complex, don’t be scared. One important demand of Feng Shui is to demand focus. You must be careful with your energies and harness them. Choose from 1 to 3 areas to work, watching carefully how it works, and then step to another.

Feng Shui may work as a very interesting way to manage your furniture and décor. Take your time to get into this world, and it will be rewarding for you. All furniture trends may work well with this principles.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Chair or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.