We all want a stylish home, and keeping up with the latest design styles is the easiest way to ensure your space looks chic, contemporary, and in line with the times. But, if you also want to guarantee a home that’s conducive to Feng Shui and promises a positive flow of chi (or energy), there are a few interior trends that are just bad Feng Shui and that you’ll want to steer clear of.
Feng Shui principles are all about optimizing our homes to create a more harmonious, balanced environment. Generally, the Chinese practice dictates our furniture placement, color choices, and rules about particular decor and accessories. These principles can be pretty specific, too, from the direction your bed faces to the best door color to promote wealth and prosperity.
As a result, many interior choices go against these key Feng Shui rules, and some of those trends are more common than you think. In fact, it’s highly likely that you’ve already embraced a trend in your home that runs counter to Feng Shui’s best practice. We asked experts in this ancient Eastern art which of the biggest trends they warn against. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Deep Sofas
Deep sofas offer serious luxury, but they’re not the best option if you want to abide by Feng Shui principles
(Image credit: Garruppo. Design: Paris Forino)
In recent years, sofa trends have leaned toward deeper couches for a more generous, luxurious seating idea. But, while they might offer extra comfort and better cushioning, living room Feng Shui advises against this popular seating option
“Deep sofas are great for slouching or slumping, but their sheer size can prevent energy circulation within a room,” explains Feng Shui expert and interiors therapist Suzanne Roynon. “In Feng Shui we talk about the way ‘Chi’ or life force energy flows within and around a home, so any overlarge item — especially in a more modest space — can cause a physical and energetic obstacle to positive vibes.” Instead, opt for a well-proportioned sofa with curves or round edges that allow positive energy to flow more smoothly.
2. Maximalism
Maximalism can bring playful personality to a room, but Feng Shui experts warn us not to over do it
(Image credit: Marc Mauldin. Design: Theresa Butler Interiors)
Maximalism has a growing number of supporters. Favored for its characterful style and unbounded opportunities for self-expression, the general school of thought is that more really is more. The thing is, Feng Shui is more aligned with a minimalist outlook, so the move toward maximalist interiors (or worse still, the cluttercore trend) won’t be in your best interest if you want to abide by the concept.
“Feng Shui emphasizes the importance of energy being able to flow throughout the home, and any space jam-packed with objets, décor, unnecessary furniture — and anything surplus to the categories of use, need, or love — will struggle,” Suzanne says. “You can expect health issues to increase, problems with sleep, weight gain, circulation issues, stress and other pressures because your body often reflects what’s happening in your home.”
That said, Laili Gonzalez, Feng Shui consultant and founder of The Meazured Life, notes that not all maximalist designs are problematic. The trick is to be intentional with your placement. “A space that uses excess decor simply for the sake of filling a space, and rooms with excess furniture that doesn’t allow for flow, can cause imbalance or stagnation of chi,” she says.
You can still express yourself with a bold design style without falling victim to these pitfalls, and you can embrace maximalism without relying on clutter. Just remember to regularly declutter for better Feng Shui.
Suzanne Roynon is an Interiors Therapy expert and member of the International Feng Shui Guild. She shares hints and tips to create a home and office space to love and propel you forward rather than keeping you tied to the past. In addition to her Interiors Therapy and Feng Shui consultancy and teaching, Suzanne is the author of award-winning bestseller ‘Welcome Home, How Stuff Makes or Breaks Your Relationship’.
3. Open Shelving
Open shelving can feel zen when styled properly, but closed storage gets the Feng Shui seal of approval
(Image credit: Life Created. Design: Living with Lolo)
These days, open shelving is the new normal, and the trend is increasingly common in the kitchen and makes for an interior pick that experts say is bad Feng Shui. While having your storage on display can make an impactful design statement when curated carefully, this shelving idea isn’t the best choice when it comes to the flow of chi within your home.
“I can appreciate a styled shelf moment, but generally, I always advocate for closed storage,” says holistic interior designer Gala Magriñá. “In the kitchen or active living rooms especially, open shelves add visual noise and invite clutter which is an instant energy flow killer.” Instead, she suggests styling your favorite keepsakes and collectibles on top of a closed credenza to keep anything else out of sight.
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4. (Most) Color Trends
The biggest color trend of the last five years might not be a wise idea after all
(Image credit: Matthew Williams. Design: Studio DB)
There’s been a huge boom in decorating with color ever since the pandemic. But, while experimenting with different shades and expressive color palettes is a great way to inject unique personality into a home, Feng Shui consultants warn that we should generally be wary of color trends.
As Suzanne notes, traditional Feng Shui uses the energy of five natural elements to balance and support the energy of a home: fire, wood, earth, water, and metal. Each of these elements is associated with a range of colors that can either enhance or mute the Feng Shui of a home. These offer guidance on, say, the best Feng Shui living room colors or bedroom hues for decorating.
One emerging trend Suzanne is against is dark, moody colors, especially deep reds. “Oxblood is one of the colors of the year, but it can actively work against the unique Feng Shui requirements of a home,” she says. “Unfortunately, this can impact emotional well-being and mood.”
Gala also encourages us to be mindful about where we use certain colors in the home. “Bright colors are great for breakfast nooks and home offices where you want to be awake and productive, while softer, more tonal colors are great for relaxation and rest,” she says. “Maybe skip the cherry red in the bedroom and play around with it in your WFH space instead.”
Just to compound to the complexities, the paint application you choose matters too. For example, Laili generally advises against color drenching. “When rooms are all shades of one color — particularly when those colors are bold, like shades of red, greens, and deep blues — they can contribute to an excess of a particular type of energy in the home, creating an imbalance,” she says. The general advice is to avoid color trends and choose shades guided by the natural elements of Feng Shui instead.
5. Asymmetrical Designs
Symmetry might verge on feeling too “trad”, but it helps promote the flow of chi, unlike asymmetrical rooms
(Image credit: Garruppo. Design: Paris Forino)
Bad Feng Shui? That would be the use of asymmetry. A perfectly symmetrical space (think: a living room with two sofas flanking a fireplace with a coffee table in the center) is often considered “trad” or dated, with most contemporary designers opting to offset the space and add visual interest with a more angular, asymmetrical design like the one above.
And yet, according to Suzanne, this visual disparity is a great cause for concern in the world of Feng Shui, a practice that has balance at its very heart. “Practitioners will emphasize the importance of ‘pair energy’ to bring equilibrium to a space,” she explains.
Failure to follow these rules comes with specific consequences, too. “Grouping items in odd numbers, whilst aesthetically pleasing, can have an unexpected effect,” Suzanne continues. “Solo items are often found in the homes of single or lonely people; groups of three or five might encourage infidelity; and having one larger or more dominant item in a group can indicate a significant imbalance in the family dynamic and someone being quite controlling.”
After nearly two decades of working in interior design, Laili discovered and implemented Feng Shui into her own life. She is now a certified Feng Shui practitioner and a member of the International Feng Shui Guild, working as a consultant to help others apply the practice to their own homes.
6. Lots of Metallic Accents
A heavy industrial style with lots of metallic finishes? Non conducive to good Feng Shui
(Image credit: Arteriors)
Trends like industrial interior design often feature a heavy use of metals and, more recently, an appreciation for chrome finishes has come to the fore. But, while these accents can add a chic, contemporary edge to your home, it’s not a style that Feng Shui consultants would ever recommend.
According to Suzanne, our use of metals should be dictated by the forecasted metal element, something that changes each year “You’ll recall the intense use of gray in homes for much of the past 20 years? This was a direct reflection of the need for a minimum of five areas of metal energy in every home, so the shades from slate to silver, bronze and gold were highly supportive of Feng Shui,” she explains. “In February 2024 the energy shifted from Feng Shui Cycle 8 to Cycle 9, and suddenly, concrete tones felt bleak and very depressing.”
Right now, she says the need for metal energy is much reduced, replaced by a need for more vibrant fire, wood, and earth. “We’re already seeing this in interior design schemes, but as ever, practitioners will recommend being proportionate in a home.”
Gala’s creative journey began in 2008 with the launch of M Crown Productions, an award-winning design and production agency, which paved the way for a flourishing career in interior design. In 2016, Gala embraced meditation, which sparked her interest in holistic design and mindfulness practices. This shift led her to transition from events and temporary spaces to permanent interiors, a direction that continues to shape her business mission.
7. Bedroom “Sanctuaries”
Bedrooms should still be cozy but not overly decorative
(Image credit: Marc Mauldin. Design: Theresa Butler Interiors)
We all want cozy bedrooms, but Feng Shui experts emphasize the need to reserve these spaces for sleep only, rather than designing overly curated sanctuaries that try to serve too many purposes. In short, use less expressive design, heavy decor, and excess furnishings, and more simplicity, soft textures, and calming colors if you want to abide by bedroom Feng Shui.
“While having a sanctuary space in our home is not a problem in and of itself, the placement of sanctuary spaces in the bedroom can be problematic,” says Laili. “It contends with the energy of a bedroom being specifically for rest and romance, particularly if it has a lot of statues of deities or gods, or crystals which can impact the energy of a space.”
Be wary about the decor you have in your bedroom, and always follow key principles, such as the Feng Shui command position when it comes to your bed placement, too. This means you should be able to see the entrance to the room without being directly in line with it. “According to modern Feng Shui you want the head of your bed to be positioned against a wall and preferably with a headboard to provide protection and grounding energy,” explains Gala.
FAQs
What Are Some Things That Totally Ruin the Feng Shui in a House?
It’s not always easy to follow Feng Shui principles (especially in smaller homes), but there are some no-go areas you’ll definitely want to steer clear of, and not all of them can be avoided by simply staying away from trends.
One of those is the layout or blueprint of your home. “Feng Shui is much more than just furniture placement, so the architecture of a home will play a bigger role in affecting the chi than interior design,” says Laili. “Trends to install or expose ceiling beams, heavily slanted ceilings, and homes that have atypical floor plans (think angled rooms, L shaped houses, floor plans that stray from typical rectangular or square) can have far greater impact on the energy of a home than any furniture or design trend.”
Feng Shui might seem like a minefield, but followers of this ancient art claim the benefits make the extra effort worthwhile.
By steering clear of these common interior design trends and being more intentional with your furniture placement, you can foster better peace and prosperity inside your home that promises to outlast any short-lived trend
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