A leafy, green bamboo plant here, a freestanding lamp there - some dorm room decorations seem far from philosophical.
Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese framework, inspires these items and other bedroom aesthetics, which may be as simple as eliminating clutter from the room, interior designer Carol Morotti said.
"Get rid of unneeded items and keep the room free of dust; it drags down energy in the room and there is less to clean with less 'stuff' in it," she said.
Although keeping a tidy living space may sound like what mothers have been telling their children for years, there may be more advantages to staying organized than appeasing roommates and nagging parents.
Traditional Feng Shui is based on principles of examining the way chi, or energy, travels through a room or building, arranging space through building structure, furniture placement or lighting to maximize energy levels and improve the inhabitant's mood, said Kris Rugsaken, who teaches a course on Asian traditions and cultures.
"Yin and yang principles, representing passive and active energies respectively, influence all aspects of our daily lives: academic success, health and our relationships with other people," he said. "Feng Shui works to harmonize all of these elements in one way or another."
The principles work on many levels, beginning with the general furniture, object and color arrangements found in any building, he said.
Other ideas, relating to how a building is laid out, determine how energy has built up over time and how it has affected its occupants.
"Feng Shui is such a complex art and suits specific purposes for specific places for specific people," Carol Bridges, founder of the Nine Harmonies School of Feng Shui in Bloomington, said.
Arranging dorm rooms or apartments according to the principles of Feng Shui may even be the perfect remedy to calm nerves and rejuvenate the senses after a particularly stressful exam, she said.
But students may be seeking simpler, less invasive ways of incorporating Feng Shui into their residence hall rooms or apartments.
If furniture can't be rearranged easily, students can Feng Shui desktop arrangements by getting everything out of the way and covering up distractions so only study materials are visible, Bridges said.
"Cover the television or computer with a cloth to separate the entertainment and work function of the room from its rest function."
Morotti practices the three-door method of Feng Shui, which heavily emphasizes the room's relationship to where one enters it in the placement of furniture and objects.
In the three-door method, energy flows through the door and then into one of nine sections of the room that represent an aspect of one's life ranging from ancestors and abundance to fame and creativity, she said.
To establish a sense of calm, it's important to have bed and desk facing the door to establish the power place in the room or keep a mirror behind the desk so you can see people entering the room.
"You don't want to get caught off-guard. It's important that you have the advantage to see who's coming in the space," she said.
Because burning candles is not permitted in residence halls, simply placing sage or naturally purifying elements such as salts in the four corners will add serenity to any space, she said.
"Just like after a lightning storm when the air is more crisp and electric, the negative ions in the salts result in a more calming atmosphere," she said.
All of the natural elements - fire, earth, wood, water and metal - also should work together to balance chi but can be combined subjectively based on one's purpose for a room, she said.
"Greens, blues and color combinations with low contrast are more calming," she said. "But what's calm for one may not be for others."
Feng Shui elementsThese elements in Chinese philosophy correspond to colors, shapes, tastes, seasons, directions and parts of the body, among other things.
WOODPersonal growthColors: clear and energizing; greens associated with growth and purples with inviting abundanceShapes: represents energy that moves vertically and is therefore associated with cylinders and columns
FIREForceful energyColors: expansion and transformation; red and orange or any other bright color that bounces light and energizesShapes: angular such as pyramids, triangles, diamonds and sunbursts. These shapes send energy quickly in all directions and therefore create movement and change.
EARTHGrounding and supportColors: muted tones such as yellows and browns. These colors slow the energies.Shapes: squares and rectangles; they are horizontal shapes that encourage the grounding of energy. Changing artwork and windows from portrait to landscape can increase the Earth energy in a home
WATERRelease and renewalColors: dark blues and black. These colors invite personal wisdomShapes: moving water shapes are drawn as cascades or ripples. This energy flows to the sides and down.
METALMental powerColors: white, silver and gray. These colors are sharp and influence intelligence. The metal colors are also represented by the powerful rainbow and bring both healing and creativity Shapes: circle; in a circle, energy is constantly moving in an expanding cycle sending energy outward.
Source: http://www.bloomington.in.us/~9harmony/
Yin colors
- Blue
- Black
- Purple
- White
- Pink
- Green
Yang colors
- Yellow
- Orange
- Tan
- Brown
- Red
- Mauve
- Maroon
- Lavender
- Gold
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