Feng Shui for Urban, High Rise, and Suburban Homes

A hobbit home is the ideal image of a Feng Shui home: a wide, welcoming front door and a structure completely integrated into its surroundings. Despite the beauty of the Lord of the Rings sets in New Zealand, hobbit houses are not the norm in most living locales, at least not since prairie dug-outs went out of fashion. Austin urbanites and suburbanites, or those newly embarking on an Austin home search, don’t have any real cause for concern, though, that a city home can’t be tailored to Feng Shui principles of harmony and natural balance.

Feng Shui is an ancient art form that strives to strike a natural balance between a home and its environment, which in turn brings balance and peace to a home’s occupants. Austinites, planted in the middle of lakes like Lake Travis and hill country like Great Hills, have ample environmental beauty to draw from when bringing Feng Shui principles into their own homes.

One of the most important tasks a homeowner can undertake, says Feng Shui expert Katherine Weber, is “Never put off maintenance, because deferred maintenance is deferred money,” she says. “Any time there’s a leaky faucet or something that’s marred, like seeing paint smudges on the wall, or scratches or scuffs, that lowers the energy of the house, and your house is representative of you. Our body holds our spirit, and our house holds our body; the house is just another layer around us. A scratch on the wall then is like a scratch on you. Clean walls are important to good energy. Your eye always goes to the defect, and when your eye goes to a defect or a problem, that lowers your personal energy. With today’s demands, we need to be fully charged when we leave the house. If we are half-charged, that’s not a good thing.”

In addition to keeping a house maintained, home owners can assess what types of additions or changes they can make to their house, condo, or apartment based on its location and the home’s design. A cul-de-sac, for example, is a common feature in planned communities like the Ranch at Brushy Creek, is notorious for trapping energy that needs to be refreshed and revitalized. A homeowner can contribute to this revitalization by installing a small water feature or a whirligig in the front yard. In the back, a strong fortification like tall trees can help keep positive energy inside the house, affecting the occupants in an equally positive manner.

A smaller urban home, like in a high rise, can be kept in balance by insuring that objects within the space are placed evenly throughout the home, clutter is kept at bay, and the illusion of space is created by hanging mirrors or similar projects. This provides more room for positive energy to come in and circulate.

To learn more about Feng Shui and how to bring it into your home, visit the Feng Shui for Austin Homes Collection: Feng shui for Hill Country luxury homes, Feng shui for Waterfront homes, Feng Shui for Urban, High Rise, and Suburban Homes, and Feng shui for New or Well-Loved Austin homes.