A Touch of Southern Grace : Guest Post :: Feng Shui Your Wardrobe

This is probably the weirdest thing to admit, but when I have a lot of emails to answers, or I’m just really stressed out, or want to unwind I spend a little time in my closet… There’s something calming about the whole thing. When Neil White offered to write a post about closet Feng Shui I was so excited. I mean everyone has heard of Feng Shuing a room – but a Feng Shuing a closet makes just as much sense. After all, when things are clean and organized it really does evoke a sense of inner-peace.

{Via}

To some people, a wardrobe is just a place where they stockpile all of their clothes. That one room that they can never come around to get in order, even though they know they should, simply because it is a place accessible to their eyes only. However, what they fail to realize is that this idea of privacy might actually be an advantage, as well as the very reason why this room requires their full and undivided attention. Think about it, when organized according to all the Feng Shui principles, this room can become your own personal oasis. Here are three tips that will help you get there.

1. Order vs. chaos

Even though Feng Shui may seem somewhat unorthodox to the unindulged, keep in mind that it is essentially a struggle of order against chaos. In other words, your messy wardrobe can never be Feng Shui, no matter how hard you try. Therefore, your first step needs to be an effort to declutter your wardrobe.

First of all, some of the items you own, you’ve worn for the last time and you know it. Therefore, unless you have some extra space for these mementos, it’s time to get rid of them. Still, seeing as how it’s clothes we’re talking about, you might want to consider donating rather than throwing away. In other words, make a clearing in the middle of the room and create three piles – donate, keep, throw away. It really is that simple.

Regardless of whether you decide to donate, throw away or keep, you will have to get some appropriate supplies like racks, boxes, plastic bags and bins. Needless to say, this needs to be a starting point for any organizational effort you have in mind.

2. Four elements

Everyone knows about the main principle of Feng Shui and the four natural elements that our world is consisted of – fire, water, earth and air. For air, all you have to do is organize the layout of the room in order to provide a healthy airflow, the element of earth can be introduced with some pot plants that are strategically placed around the room. Keep in mind that adding more green to any room is always a great idea but it does increase the maintenance requirements by quite a bit.

Fire and water, on the other hand, are where these things get a bit tricky. Sure, candles and fireplaces are standard in most households, however, is it really safe to install these fixtures in a room filled with fabric, moreover, in a room filled with fabric that gets chaotically thrown around every now and then. The answer to this question is – of course not. Instead, you should look for light fixtures that can give you the visual impression of a fiery element and in this way fulfill even this objective.

Finally, you will face your greatest challenge when trying to introduce the water element to the room. According to experts behind Hoselink, more and more people are opting for indoor fountains, yet, this is rarely an option when it comes to wardrobes. As an extremely low-cost alternative, you can always decide to install an air-humidifier and in this way, at least symbolically represent a water element in your wardrobe. After all, you did a similar thing when it came to the fire, so this won’t even be a precedent.

Another thing you need to understand is that by following this trend, you stand to not only revolutionize your wardrobe but also turn it into an indoor garden, your own private oasis. In this way, the time you spend picking the right outfit will no longer seem as a tribute to your own vanity but an actual me-time dedicated to your inner peace and serenity.

3. Color coordination

There’s a reason why the color specter is the way it is, after all, we’re not talking about symbolism but the actual science. So, why not use the frequency of light as the natural metric that will determine the order of the items in your closet. For instance, you can start from red, proceed to orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. In this way, you will create a harmony inside of a closet (provided that you’re using one in the first place) and make it incredibly easy for you to find an item you need.

Apart from this, you want to keep your wardrobe as functional as possible, which is why you may want to look for a unique approach to sort out certain items. For instance, there’s no reason whatsoever why your belts, ties or jewelry should be inside of a closet or a box. In fact, shoes shouldn’t be in bins either. Instead, place these items on a display and in this way make it look like a collection. Seeing as how here you will have less of a spectrum to work with, you can instead align these items light to dark. The size of an item is another great way to play on the contrast card.

In conclusion

As you can see, most of these tips rely on your own creativity, organizational abilities and effort you’re willing to invest in this whole process. Therefore, before you even start, you need to determine in advance how much time are you willing to invest in this Feng Shui restoration. Moreover, keep in mind that before you even begin, you might want to prepare the room, nonetheless, this is a more of an issue of household maintenance than interior decoration.