Feng Shui for holiday lets

By Juliet Horner

Ensuring your guests feel safe, relaxed and happy is an important part of running a hospitality business.

It’s not all about the money. When you strip your business back to the essentials, you need to provide your guests with a great night's sleep and a place to recharge.

So how can the ancient Chinese philosophy of feng shui (pronounced fung Shway) help you do this?

Feng shui is all about harmonising and balancing the flow of energy through your living spaces, splitting the world into five core elements:

Wood: creativity and growth

Fire: leadership and boldness

Earth: strength and stability

Metal: focus and order

Water: emotion and inspiration

The philosophy of feng shui also highlights the belief that everything in the universe has opposing and complementary forces; yin and yang.

Yin: Associated with the female. Passive, moonlight, creativity, softness

Yang: Associated with the male. Active, sunlight, enlightenment, strength

Research has shown that our living and working environments can affect how we feel, and this is what feng shui is all about.

But there’s no set path to follow with this philosophy. You can play with the five core elements to find what suits you.

But here’s four key things to keep in mind when starting to practice feng shui:

Where you place your bed

The position of the bed in a room is essential. Your guests need to feel safe and comfortable. For balance, make sure there is ample and equal space on either side of the bed so that both people can get in and out easily, without disturbing the other. For a feeling of safety and stability, the head of the bed should be on the opposite side of the room to the door. You should still be able to see the door when you are lying down, but not in line with it. This is to ease our subconscious mind. We won’t worry about potential threats as much because we can spot whatever or whoever enters the room straightaway. Your bed also shouldn’t be under a window for the same reasons.

Colours

Feng shui is not just about the furniture. The energy of a room can also depend strongly on the colours you use. This could be anything from bedding, to artwork to flooring. Avoid stimulating colours like bright reds and oranges which amplify your feelings and give you more energy, which is not what you need when you want to go to sleep. If your heart is set on bright colours, use them minimally, as accents. Muted and pastel colours are better for bedrooms. Neutral shades are another good choice. These will help your guests to feel more relaxed, calm and safe, ensuring they enjoy a good night’s sleep.

Mirrors

Everyone loves a statement mirror, but you need to make sure it’s in the right place, especially if you want it in the bedroom. Our eyes are drawn to movements, so if the bed is facing the mirror our eyes will pick up any movement that is reflected. To ensure your guests can get to sleep uninterrupted, move the mirror out of their line of sight (from when they are lying in bed).

Bedside furniture

Guests will appreciate bedside tables or shelves next to the bed, but you need to make sure this doesn’t clutter up the room. Some people will put large bookshelves next to the bed or nightstands that don’t match the height of the bed. This might feel okay at first, but once you try to sleep, large, imposing pieces of furniture right next to the bed can feel oppressive. Imagine driving next to a large lorry… Guests will feel a similar pressure if you place large pieces of furniture right next to the bed. You also want to keep the area above the bed clear of clutter. Sure, you can hang a piece of art above the bed, but you need to make sure it lies fairly flat against the wall so the person in the bed doesn’t feel like something is looming over them whilst they sleep. Again, this is something that could threaten their subconscious mind and impact their chances of getting a good night’s sleep.

Most searched bedroom design trends:

The overall design of your business will impact how your guests feel. It’s hard because everyone has different tastes, but certain design trends might help you to make a space feel more inviting and relaxing. To help, here’s some popular design trends to inspire some ideas…

Liberty London recently conducted some research to find out what the most popular home decor styles are around the world. They also collaborated with psychologist Lee Chambers, to reveal what the most popular trend says about someone’s personality.

According to Liberty London, the five most searched design trends, globally, are:

1. Farmhouse

2. Boho

3. Modern

4. Scandinavian

5. Minimalist

Farmhouse decor is hugely popular, providing a cosy and natural environment which can easily align with the fundamental elements of feng shui. According to psychologist Lee Chambers, the neutral tones of the farmhouse design trend are “understated and subtle”. These neutral tones are “suggestive of a person who enjoys balance and prefers simplicity”. He added that the individuals who choose this design trend “tend to be more mindful and great at managing under pressure.”

You can read the full report at:

https://www.libertylondon. com/uk/features/interiors/ what-your-home-decor-saysabout-you.html