Is your Family Room making you uncomfortable?

If it does, stay with me while we check out a comfy one using the principles of Feng Shui…..

Last time I showed you a beautiful, serene living room for quiet reserved interaction. Now, let's see an example of a space that would be good for gathering the family or having a party during your favorite sports season:

Lovely family room via Houzz

Warm, inviting and set up for conversation, this room would be the perfect setting for a family get together. When I look at this room through Feng Shui eyes, I first see an overall earthy more yang (masculine) space. 

Why you may ask? Look at that massive fireplace! It's made of stone which is outdoorsy, hard edged and dense by nature. The beam used as a mantle is very thick and linear with a smooth finish and has angled brackets below. If you remember from last time, linear with a smooth finish equals fast moving energy, curves make energy move around more slowly. BTW, does anyone else think the light sconces are kind of small for that application? Just saying….. but the metal chandelier is gorgeous! 

Anyway, the entertainment center is white which represents the masculine metal element in Feng Shui. The high ceiling gives a very lofty feel to the room, not perfect Feng Shui but workable. Put these things together and it gives that more yang feeling; energetic, busy, focused, moving and shaking! But look at the room again:

Notice the round ottoman and side table, curved lines on the sofas, the soft textures of the fabrics, fluffy trim on the pillows, warm blanket on the chair, wool carpet and the voluptuous balloon shades on the windows. These are very yin (feminine) objects. There's that balance of yin and yang again……

So what makes this room feel so warm, social and comfortable? One word COLOR!

The color orange in Feng Shui is a welcoming, stimulating color best used in a socializing room of the house such as this. I would consider the wall color in the orange family as well. The Kelly Moore Snippet of Tannin beige is definitely leaning into that warm earth tone category.

Now those who knows me know I can't leave well enough alone and I have to throw in another option or two, soooo….. 

I might think about installing wall colored crown moulding around the room at the window/bookcase height. That would bring the feeling of loftiness down to human level and by that easy fix correct the Feng Shui. Lower ceilings, even implied ones  make us feel more comfortable when we are in a space for prolonged periods.

With all the warm earthy elements I think we need a bit of water to add a "cool" balance.A water element does not have to be blue! It could be added by a large autumnal colored seascape over the fireplace. I love the family portrait as is, this is just another option to balance the room. This one is called Sunset Cliffs and is from posters.com:

Photo by Christopher Talbot Frank

Or how about water themed objects d'art at the top of the bookcase? You'd need several types but this one from Horchow.com is a good start:

Amanda Brisbane Orange Blaze

For some orange relief, look at this fab Raymond club chair in the Desert Modern line from Ralph Lauren Home. A great choice if the red leans towards the orangey range. (Hard to tell in photos).

via Ralph Lauren Home

In my estimation this room has an overall balance and equal juxtaposition of yin and yang happening without too much tweaking. This is what Feng Shui consultants strive towards when mixing Feng Shui into design. 



Thanks for visiting again. Next week we'll start a 2 part series of bedrooms with more explanations about how Feng Shui works.