You may have heard of feng shui as it relates to interior design. Feng shui is a set of principles for arranging and organizing your space in a way that is intended to regulate the flow of energy in the room. Ideally, you will harness the good energy and minimize any bad energy, which can theoretically help you achieve success and harmony.
Whether or not you believe that the way you arrange a room can affect your success level or mood, the principles of feng shui can improve the look and usefulness of the room, and this can be beneficial in and of itself. And there’s no reason to confine feng shui to your living room or bedroom – your garage can benefit from feng shui as well. Take a look at some of the ways that you can feng shui your garage.
1) Clear Your Clutter
If your garage is overstuffed with things that you haven’t used in awhile, it’s time to give it a good cleaning and get rid of the things you no longer need. According to the principles of feng shui, each object in a space should have its own place and a purpose. Items that don’t have a place or purpose represent stuck energy that blocks the flow of positive energy in the space.
Carefully consider the items in your garage. Items that still serve a purpose for you should each have their own space, and items that no longer serve a purpose should be given away, sold, or thrown out in order to allow energy to move freely.
2) Establish the Bagua
In feng shui, the bagua is like a map of your space, defining each of the nine areas in the room. The areas are wealth/prosperity, reputation/fame, relationships/marriage, family, well-being/health, children/creativity, knowledge/personal growth, career/work success, and travel/helpful people.
Ideally, once you map out the different areas, you should store items based on how they relate to each area’s meaning. For example, you might store sporting equipment in the well-being or health area, tools that you need for your job in the career area, and luggage in the travel area. Moving the items that belong in each area strengthens the positive energy for those areas. And again, whether or not you believe in the power of positive energy, this is also a convenient way to organize your garage and ensure that you can find things when you need them.
3) Make it Attractive
Feng shui isn’t just a method of organization, it’s also supposed to make the space you’re decorating more attractive. Plants, paintings, knick-knacks, wall hangings, and other decorative items can improve the space by making you feel happy or peaceful when you look at them.
Consider painting the walls in a color you like or covering the garage door with a mural. Bring in items that make you happy, and put them in places in the garage that correspond to the different areas of the bagua. For example, you might want to put your trophy collection in the fame section of the garage, or hang a framed picture of your family in the family area.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by a garage that’s messy, disorganized, or just overstuffed. Reorganizing your garage around the principles of feng shui may give you the inspiration you need to get the job done. For more great garage redesign ideas, schedule your free design consultation.