Feng Shui Tips for Apartment Living

Feng shui is practical not only for people who live in a house, but for apartment occupants as well. No matter how small your apartment is, there are many convenient ways to improve the feng shui of your place without having to spend a lot of money and time. In this article, you will learn how to feng shui your apartment, using a feng shui strategy called "aspirations of the Bagua" which is a very famous feng shui method in Hong Kong. For those of you who live in a studio apartment or a little dorm room, I have some practical feng shui ideas for you as well. Keep in mind that the important thing about feng shui is to keep everything in good balance and let the chi (life force) flow through each room freely. It is not so much about luxury or showiness, but simplicity and comfort.

• Square, oblong, round or pa-kua (eight-sided) buildings are propitious. Try to avoid moving into an irregular-shaped building, because it symbolizes incompleteness. An L-shaped building, for example, gives an impression that something has been missing or cut off.
• The back of your apartment building should be protected in some way, either by a hill or another building. A solitary apartment building on top of a hill, according to feng shui practice, is extremely inauspicious as it is completely unprotected. The wind will blow the chi away, and the water will drain the chi downhill.
• Other buildings nearby and surrounding should be lower or about the same height as your apartment building. A much taller neighboring structure can cause negative chi, especially if it is situated in front of your apartment building's main entrance.
• The parking area, according to most feng shui gurus, should not be a part of the building itself, unless it is located underground. Ideally, it should be outside the building, because vehicles coming in and out can create too much chi and turbulance to the occupants.
• Every building, from a feng shui perspective, should have a back door. Remember that the heart of feng shui is to allow chi to flow conveniently. When the chi enters through the front door, there should be an exit for it to go out so that more chi can come in.
• In feng shui tradition, water is believed to bring wealth and good fortune. If your apartment building is located near a lake or river, that is considered extremely auspicious. This belief, however, is not only applied to natural sources of water. A pond, fountain or swimming pool, especially if it is situated near the main entrance of the building, is supposed to bring good luck as well.

The wealth section is located as far to the left of the front door as possible. This area is great for a kitchen, dining room and bedroom. It is the worst location for a bathroom because all your wealth, according to feng shui practitioners, will be symbolically flushed away. If your bathroom is in this section, try to keep the toilet seat and the door closed. Hanging a mirror on the outside of the bathroom door is also a good remedy for this situation, as it symbolically makes the bathroom disappear.

If you want to achieve financial and business success, try to keep this area of your apartment well-lit all the time and decorate it with wealth-related feng shui objects such as an aquarium, coins or fish statuette.

The fame section is situated in the middle back area of the apartment. It is suitable for a bedroom or work area. To increase your good reputation, increase the light in this area, hang up pictures of yourself and display any awards or trophies you have won.

The area as far to the right of the front door is the relationship section, which is perfect for a bedroom. To enhance your love life, decorate this area with pictures of you and your partner, crystals, things that come in pairs and relationship-related feng shui objects such as dragon and phoenix, or mandarin ducks. Avoid placing a mirror in this area; feng shui practitioners believe that a mirror tends to invite a third party into your relationship.

The family location symbolizes both family ties and the health of people in your family. This area should be used for a living room or dining room where family members spend time together. To activate this section and enhance harmony among family members, keep this area bright and organized, and decorate the walls with family photos. Potted plants, in feng shui tradition, can also be used to enhance good health and eliminate stagnation of the chi.

The children section is located on the right of the front door between the relationship and mentors areas. It is great for a kid's bedroom or living room. To improve the understanding between you and your children, activate this area by increasing the light and eliminating all the clutter. For people who try to have children, feng shui gurus advise that hanging up a crystal ball attached to a red ribbon or placing fresh flowers in this area can be very auspicious.

The knowledge area is on the left side, in the front part of your apartment. It should be used as a study room or library. You can improve your study and enjoy your hobby the most in this area, so try to keep it clean and well lit. Keeping books or any items related to whatever you are interested to learn in this section is also very beneficial.

Between the knowledge and mentors areas is the career section. This is where you should put your desk and everything related to your work. In order to progress in your career, increase the amount of light in this section, keep the chi flowing freely by hanging up a wind chime, and place a career-related feng shui object on your desk.

The mentors location represents advice and support from others. It is another good area to be used as a living room. If you feel that you have always struggled alone without any help from friends or family, it is time to activate this section of your apartment. A crystal is a good decorating item for this area. A potted chrysanthemum plant, in feng shui belief, can also be used to improve friendship as it is the symbol of happiness and laughter.

The central area surrounded by the eight sections is called "the good luck center." Some people believe it is the spiritual area where religious objects should be displayed. In feng shui practice, a chandelier is an ideal item to be placed here, as each crystal will reflect and send the positive chi to all other corners of the apartment.

To feng shui a studio apartment or dorm room, you can just use the aspirations of the bagua above as well. Activate specific areas that you want to improve in your life. The easiest way to to arrange a little living space is to decide first where to place the bed. Although there is no bedroom, the bed should still be separated from the work area. The position of the bed should give an impresssion that it is well protected. The head of the bed should be against a wall, but not directly under a window because the chi will flow right out the window, making you feel exhausted despite a long night of sleep. Ideally, there should be a folding screen or a nice piece of fabric hanging from the ceiling to separate the bed from the rest of the room. Place the desk or dining table where it will receive plenty of light, and make sure there is enough space around it. The couch or sofa should be placed near the entrance or where you can see the front door without having to turn your head. The basic idea of decorating a small living space, in feng shui practice, is to make it appear spacious even though it is not. A mirror, therefore, can be a useful object to use for studio apartment decorating, as it symbolically doubles the size of the room. Also, since feng shui is all about keeping things in good balance, your studio apartment should not look too crowded on one side and too empty on the other side. All corners should be proportionately furnished.