The entrance to a home, the doors, are the first thing that catches your eye when you see a house or apartment. With the help of doors, hospitable owners invite you into the house. Their condition will tell about the character of the residents and the attitude of the owners to cleanliness and order. Through them we leave our home either upset or in good spirits. It is through the doors that visitors bring into the house or carry away positive energy with them. Therefore, the door is the basis of the feng shui of a person’s abode.
According to Feng Shui, the entrance to a home is one of the main channels through which the energy of both positive Qi and negative Sha moves. You should strive to arrange your home and position the front door during planning in such a way that it contributes to well-being and prosperity, and everything negative passes by your home.
According to Feng Shui, the area in front of the house, the path leading to the house and the entrance doors should be attractive and in harmony with the outside world.
Which direction should the front door face?
The entrance to the house must be carefully planned, and the layout itself must necessarily take into account both the orientation of the windows and the correct location of the entrance doors. To do this, you need to use the Bagua grid and include in the project or house plan the optimal location of doors, according to Feng Shui. Much will depend on which part of the world the front door is directed towards.
Thus, a door located in the northern part of the house will symbolize the element of water. Therefore, it is recommended to use doors that have wavy elements in the foreground. As for color, it is advisable to paint the door in this part of the house black or dark blue.
The door that faces south symbolizes the element of fire. According to Feng Shui, such a door should be decorated in red tones, and triangle-shaped elements should come to the fore in the design.
The door should be metal if the entrance to the house is in the west or northwest. Such a door must be painted black, white or gray.
The entrance in the east and southeast is closely associated with the element of wood. Therefore, wood (the project must take this into account) should be the main material in their manufacture. The door must have a rectangle in one of three colors - pink, green, blue.
According to Feng Shui, if a door faces northwest and southeast, it is the element of soil. The door should be painted yellow, brown, orange. The decor requires square and rectangular components.
If the layout of the entrance was initially unsuccessful in accordance with Feng Shui and it is impossible to change the location (the project excludes this), then the way out of the situation would be to decorate such a door with elements characteristic of the desired element. Consequently, the door design comes to the fore.
Activating zones
A happy family
When learning the basics of Feng Shui and applying them in practice, you should not grab everything at once. The main pieces of furniture and the color of wallpaper for each zone can be planned at the project stage, but do the detailed design of the sectors gradually. You need to determine the most important zone for you and start from there.
Career
This sector is in the North under the influence of Water and Metal. To enhance it, use a blue-blue range of colors, as well as black, white, and metallic. It is appropriate to place a workplace here, install a decorative fountain, and hang a “wind chime.” A model of a sailboat, as well as “money” animals: a three-toed frog, a turtle, an owl, an elephant, are suitable as a talisman. You can hang a mountain landscape behind your back, and in front of your eyes - a canvas with the harvest (ripe fruits, ears of wheat, etc.).
Travel and helpers
The direction of this sector is northwest. The main elements are Metal and Earth. Brown and yellow shades are added to metallic colors. Here you can find wooden products, porcelain figurines, crystal mascot figures (dolphin, lotus, globe). On the walls are images of different countries and photos of influential people.
Knowledge
This zone is located in the northeast and is ruled by the elements of Earth and Fire. Red-orange is added to the yellow-brown color scheme. Here you can install a fireplace and light candles from time to time. In this sector it is recommended to hang a world map or put a globe. A crystal pyramid and multi-colored stones in a vase would be a good talisman.
Children and creativity
This zone corresponds to the western direction. Basic elements 0151 Metal and Earth. The color scheme is metallic and yellow-brown.
The right sector design is a creative approach. This is the place where you should put and hang everything you create with your own hands (including children's drawings and crafts). In addition, family and children's photos will perfectly complement the design of the room.
Family and health
The zone is located in the East, but the center of the room is also responsible for health. The control elements are Wood and Water, the color scheme is green and blue. You can keep live plants here (they must be healthy and well-groomed). Figures of deer, hare, cranes, as well as the hieroglyph for Health will be useful.
Glory
This sector is located in the South and is ruled by the elements of Fire and Wood. Red-orange and green colors are appropriate here. This is a great place for a fireplace, as well as a corner with awards, diplomas and other achievements. Talismans for this zone are a phoenix, an image of the Firebird, a cage with a parrot, peacocks, a rearing horse, advice and quotes from successful people.
Love
The direction of this zone is southwest, the governing elements are 1 Earth and Fire. When arranging, use elements of yellow-brown and orange-red colors. To attract love, everything paired is placed here: figurines, pillows, talismans, decorative items. In this area, it is recommended to light candles and aroma lamps more often. Butterflies on paintings or wallpaper will create the mood of joy and lightness necessary for love.
Wealth
The zone is located in the southeast and is ruled by the elements of Wood and Water. To attract wealth in this sector, green and blue colors are used. This is the place where you should keep your money. Talismans of wealth are placed here (a figurine of Hottei, a money frog, fish, Chinese coins, decorative ponds, etc.), as well as a money tree.
Favorable entrance location
The location of the entrance is considered favorable when positive energy accumulates unhindered in front of the entrance. As it accumulates, it penetrates the house thanks to people. Therefore, the task of creating favorable conditions for its movement comes to the fore.
According to Feng Shui, the ideal location of the front door is if there is enough free space in front of the door, and there is a hill at some distance from the door. If it is impossible to arrange the garden area in this way, bushes or a fence will help. A fountain placed in front of the house also has a positive effect.
In any case, if it is impossible to create the necessary conditions before entering the home, then decorating the front door in accordance with the Bagua grid will help.
Verandas, terraces, balconies
If the project includes terraces, the best place for them will be on the east or west sides of the house. The ideal location for a winter garden is north (protection will be provided not only for the plants from the sun, but also for the house itself from cold northern winds).
In individual houses, the use of balconies is less common due to the walking distance to the courtyard or terrace. Moreover, balconies can create many problems. Often, they leak during rain, and snow accumulates in winter. Therefore, they need to be constantly monitored.
By studying the recommended arrangement of rooms in the house and taking into account the correct positioning according to the cardinal directions, you can easily create your ideal layout.
What should a door not be like?
There are a number of conditions that must be observed in order not to disturb the positive balance of Qi energy in the house. The door should not be of impressive size, otherwise prosperity and wealth will leave the house. A door that is too small is also considered unfavorable - in this case, the amount of energy entering through the doorway will not be enough. According to Feng Shui, this can be corrected with the help of mirrors, which enlarge the door due to its optical properties or lengthen the corridor and, thus, visually reduce the entrance.
It is welcome to have an additional door in the home, the so-called back entrance. Its planning in the east is considered necessary and must be included in the project. In Feng Shui, it is considered the best option when energy enters through the door and leaves through the back entrance or windows.
With an apartment, things are much more complicated. Most often, the project excludes the presence of a back entrance. In this case, preference is given to a photo of the door on the wall. Thanks to this photo, a symbolic outlet for negative energy is created.
An additional door (this also applies to the photo of the door) should not face the neighbors’ home, otherwise the Sha energy from your house will reach the neighbors. The layout must take this point into account.
It is bad when a large tree grows directly in front of the entrance, and if the tree is also dry, it must be removed as soon as possible. To be fair, it is worth mentioning that not only a tree, but any other obstacle directly in front of the door is undesirable.
It would be useful to mention the negative influence of angles in Feng Shui. It is strictly forbidden for them to be directed at the door to the home.
The location of the entrance to the house is unsuccessful if it is at the base of the stairs. This can cause illness in the residents of the house, but the presence of a threshold will save the situation.
Things are no better when the stairs go down at the exit. In this case, wealth will bypass. Here the mirror comes to the fore. If placed outside, it will reflect negative energy.
You should not plan to position the window opposite the entrance, otherwise all the positive energy will immediately leave through it without having the desired impact.
The balcony, veranda, terrace should be located exclusively on the east or north side of the house. If they are still located in the southwest, you should not open them. They also need to be glazed. If the front door is located on the south side, the construction of balconies and verandas above the door should be excluded.
Hallway, living room
Upon entering the house, you immediately find yourself in the hallway. Let's consider useful tips for arranging this room:
- In the hallway (depending on the area), it is recommended to additionally equip a small vestibule separating the cold street and warm rooms. By doing this, you cut off most of the dust, dirt and cold air brought in by incoming people.
- The best option is access to other rooms directly, and not through the corridor. Often from the hallway there are exits to the living room, dining room, kitchen and office. Try to minimize wasted space in corridors.
- There may be no windows in the hallway. This is compensated by balanced artificial lighting.
The best location for the living room is the west side. A minimal deviation to the south or north is allowed. What is the reason for this? It is believed that in the evening this room is the most visited, and the rays of the setting sun will create a special atmosphere of comfort.
Alternative options for the functionality of the living room: use as a dining room, combination with a kitchen; location next to the terrace to increase the seating area.
How to neutralize the impact of incorrect door placement according to Feng Shui?
If you have already purchased a home with the wrong location of the entrance doors, according to Feng Shui, you should not despair. There are many ways to turn the situation in your favor. Among them are:
- Use of mirrors. Thanks to their properties, mirrors can turn the situation in your favor, for example, optically increase or decrease the size of a door.
- The use of elements, symbols inherent in the five elements. This could be the color of the door, its design.
- Using plants or interior elements to cover negatively affecting corners.
- Using a photo with a door to create an additional exit Sha.
Sun in the living room, shade in the kitchen
When it comes to arranging rooms to ensure the optimal amount of sunlight, the best locations for the most visited rooms are:
- southern,
- southwest side.
How to arrange the rooms?
- The living room in the south, southwest, in which the owners spend the most time, receives natural light, which is most favorable for work, study and relaxation.
- The kitchen does not require so much natural light; it can be located on the north or northeast side, which will also avoid excessive heating of this room.
- For utility rooms - pantries, boiler rooms or laundry rooms, the north side is optimal.
- For an office or bedroom, the most optimal location is east. If one of the family members works at home, then the office located on this side will be filled with sunlight in the morning, which will create ideal conditions for work.
- A bedroom facing the east will ensure that the family will be awakened by sunlight, which improves mood and adds energy. However, not everyone likes to wake up in the morning under the rays of the rising sun. There are people who want or need to sleep longer, and prefer to have their first contact with the sun around noon. For them, the morning sun is undesirable, it irritates the eyes - this is a real torment. But vice versa: it’s not at all difficult to meet people who really love the morning sun’s rays. A good place for a bedroom is the north, especially for those who do not like to wake up in the sun. In this place the sun will not interfere even during daytime sleep.
How should the front door be positioned?
Chinese traditions will perfectly tell you where and how to place the front door. Thus, the opinion of the head of the family regarding the resolution of any issues always came to the fore. Today's realities dictate completely different conditions. Therefore, both spouses should look for a middle ground, relying on the secrets of Feng Shui.
According to Feng Shui, entering from the west side is favorable for fathers and elderly men. They have undeniable authority and respect in the family, their opinion is of significant importance.
The entrance from the north symbolizes a calm life. But such an arrangement can carry some danger, since calmness can turn into isolation from the whole world. In this case, according to Feng Shui, it will help to weaken the factors of the main element and strengthen others, for example, painting the door in the color inherent in the soil.
The Northeast will “bring” impermanence. Residents of a house or apartment whose door faces in this direction are too sensitive to other people's opinions. On the other hand, if other factors are positive from the point of view of Feng Shui, this may indicate good opportunities for education and a thirst for knowledge.
For businessmen and people starting their own business, it is advisable to have an entrance from the east. This placement promises success in matters related to commerce.
The southeast is close in its characteristics to the east, but success will not be as rapid.
Entry from the southwest side is favorable for the weaker half. In such a house, the mother, the woman, plays the most important role. There is also the other side of the coin - family life can turn into some kind of routine.
For a family with small children, an excellent option would be if the apartment door faces west. This will create a favorable background for creative development, and also promises children a happy childhood.
Placing plants
- Ficus has special significance for career. It can be placed in an office or study.
- Fern helps to establish friendship, teaches how to communicate correctly, and develops a sense of proportion and tact. Good for the living room.
- Orchid stimulates creative processes and helps to find a spiritual purpose in life. It is placed in the Creativity zone.
- Dieffenbachia is an excellent choice of plant for your personal account and the Knowledge sector.
- Dracaena helps to react correctly to situations and achieve success in business. It's better to put it in the office.
- Violet attracts wealth and gives vitality. Useful for the Health zone or the Money sector.
- Peperomia harmonizes energy. Suitable for the living room and office, as well as for the Health area.
- Sansevieria develops curiosity in children. Great for the Creativity area and children.
Why is lighting at the entrance so important?
Hospitable hosts must remember that lighting the front door of a house or apartment is no less important than treating or welcoming a guest in general. With proper lighting, it immediately becomes clear to the guest where to go next, and the light near the entrance has always been considered a protector of the home. Don't hesitate to replace the light bulb in case it burns out, because light attracts positive energy. Lack of light, on the contrary, will lead to financial insolvency and illness.
Dining room, kitchen
It is better to place the dining room closer to the south. These may be southeast or southwest sides. The living room and dining room can be combined and connected to the kitchen. Zoning with this arrangement is done using a bar counter or small partitions.
Like the living room, the dining room is best located next to the terrace. During the warm season, you can have lunch or dinner outdoors.
The best place for the kitchen is the north, northwest or northeast sides. This is explained by the fact that the kitchen itself is a “hot” place. And among other things, it belongs to the technical premises, the location of which is the north side.
Is it important in Feng Shui to maintain a door in working order?
A lot depends on how attractive the door is and how it functions. A beautiful door creates a good impression, attracts guests, and with them the Qi energy. Therefore, it is very important to keep it clean and correct any malfunction in a timely manner.
The lock should work without any problems. If a new one is installed, the old one should be removed, and the place where it was located should be carefully sealed.
Creaks and various unpleasant sounds when opening the door are undesirable. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the hinges. No bells at the door, only timely lubrication of the hinges will help not scare away the Qi.
You should not avoid Feng Shui advice regarding the electric bell that is typical for an apartment. Recently, its presence is not uncommon for private houses. It should work well and sound beautiful. Beautiful music will evoke good associations and bring only positive emotions to the owner of the house when meeting guests.
External defects of the door, for example, old paint, cracks, chips create bad Feng Shui. If a peephole is required, then its installation must be carried out according to Feng Shui. The installation must be of high quality, the peephole must fit tightly to the door. It must be clearly visible, and a protective curtain is required.
If you choose a wooden door, then it is advisable to use good quality wood, not old and not too young.
Signs and superstitions: why sleep with your feet towards the door
Since ancient times, it has been the custom that the deceased is carried forward on his final journey, feet first.
According to centuries-old traditions, the deceased is carried feet first, be it funeral according to Christian custom in a coffin, according to Muslim traditions, wrapped in linen or, as is customary in India, on a special wooden stretcher.
The deceased is carried forward feet first during the entire funeral procession, and this is very symbolic: a person passes his earthly path for the last time, his earthly vale ends.
That is why it is considered a bad sign to sleep with your feet towards the door, because by doing so, a living person seems to be preparing to walk the path of a dead person.
Many peoples have a belief that those who sleep with their feet towards the door can:
- “sleep through” your luck,
- risks dying, and the death will be unnatural and associated with tragic circumstances,
- brings trouble to the house.
There is another explanation why it is considered a bad sign to sleep with your feet towards the door.
According to ancient belief, during sleep the soul separates from the body and goes to wander into the other world (this mystical space is called differently in different cultures, but the meaning is the same: this is the subtle world in which the souls of people travel).
Returning to the body, the soul can see it lying forward with its feet (i.e., in a position characteristic of a deceased person), and considering that death has occurred, it will not return to the body, and then death is inevitable, the person will not wake up.
Therefore, children should not sleep with their feet towards the door: their soul can easily get lost during night wanderings and will not return to the body in which it recently settled. Therefore, a talisman was hung on a child’s cradle or zybka (a wooden cradle suspended from the ceiling); it was called upon to protect the child from harm in a dream.
Among the ancient Slavs, the threshold to a house was considered a special place separating the world of people and the world of evil spirits, the world of the living and the world of the dead. That is why some rituals (for example, a love spell or a lapel, searching for missing people and valuables) were performed on the threshold.
If a person sleeps with his feet towards the door, then he becomes vulnerable to evil spirits and bad intentions. A person sleeping in this position can be subject to damage and the evil eye.
Our ancestors believed that those sleeping in this position could see the dead and have terrible prophetic dreams. Sometimes healers can advise a woman who is already carrying a child to sleep for one night with her feet to the door. It is believed that sleeping in this position will speed up the arrival of the child into the world of people from oblivion.
It is a bad sign if a sick person asks to go to bed with his feet towards the door. This is a harbinger of his imminent death.
According to Feng Shui, doors in the house act as a key door, thanks to them the flow of vital energy moves. Therefore, it is considered a good sign if the door opens inward, thereby releasing positive energy into the home.
In addition, the door serves as a mental separator between the outside world and the inner world of the house. Feng Shui has the same attitude towards windows - they also serve as a portal for the passage of vital energy.
That is why, according to ancient Eastern teachings, it is considered unfavorable if the door and window are located on the same line. This creates a “corridor” through which vital energy flows.
A person in a dream is vulnerable and helpless, so the place of sleep should be protected and safe. If you sleep with your feet facing the door during sleep, then this position provokes an outflow of energy and a person’s vitality weakens.
If you cannot change the position of the bed, then you can neutralize the outflow of vital energy during sleep. There are several proven ways to do this:
- hang wind chimes at the entrance (bells that emit a melodious ringing with every movement),
- a protective amulet that will direct the flow of favorable energy in all directions and prevent the flow of unfavorable, destructive energy from entering the house.
Skeptics who do not believe in ancient signs and philosophical esoteric teachings notice from their own experience that if you sleep with your feet facing the door, your sleep will be restless and you may be tormented by bad dreams and even nightmares.
If you try to change your position and stop sleeping with your feet towards the door, it is possible that your sleep will become much better.
You can also harmonize the space in front of the door: do not clutter it and decorate it with a beautiful interior item that you like and evokes positive associations.
Pros and cons of a separate entrance
Pros:
- privacy and independence from neighbors;
- savings on utilities (for example, refusal to pay for an intercom);
- comfort and safety (you can equip a separate entrance with a comfortable porch, lay anti-slip materials, etc.);
- the ability to allocate a share in the apartment to another owner, creating a separate entrance for him and not intersecting.
Minuses:
- the duration of the procedure for obtaining permission for redevelopment;
- high cost of the redevelopment project;
- Carrying out independent cleaning of the porch.
If the homeowner has made a separate entrance, he may think about converting the property from residential to non-residential to open, for example, a store.
