The living room is well situated in any area of the house. It is a room that we like to relax in and hang out with friends in, and for many of us it acts as a television room or den. In order to improve it…
1. Remove unneeded objects and furniture—Stand in the doorway of your living room and get a sense of how the energy feels in the room. Does it feel old or new? Are there too many books? Is there an excess of furniture? You want to make sure that your living room isn’t cluttered with too many objects. All objects have a vibration and you need to have space to relax and think. (See tip #3 for more on cleansing your home.)
2. Color the walls for relaxation—Make sure that the room is warm, comfortable and welcoming. If it needs a new coat of paint or if the walls need to be washed, do not hesitate to do so. White, earth tones or gentle pastel colors work well on living room walls. When you decorate, think about what makes you want to relax.70
3. Place chairs in the power position—Place your seating in the power position. This entails arranging the sofa so that it affords a good view of the entrance to the room and doing your best not to place any piece of furniture with its back to the entrance, as this can create a feeling of vulnerability. If you have no choice but to arrange the sofa with its back to the entrance, due to the layout of your living room or the size of it, then you can always put a table behind the sofa to protect it from the chi coming in through the door and some plants on the table to dispel any negative energy. You can also put a mirror on the wall in front of the sofa so that it reflects the entrance and you can see who is coming in behind you when you are on the sofa.
4. Place your coffee table by the couch—I always recommend putting a coffee table in front of your couch, as you are much more likely to sit there than any other place in the living room. The coffee table has the effect of grounding the space and centering a conversation.
5. Minimize walkways—If you have walkways in between your furniture, it is going to be much more difficult to relax when people walk in front of you and past you. If your living room layout demands this type of setup, it is much better for you to place the furniture in small groups on either side of a single walkway so that you are not constantly disturbed by passersby!
6. Don’t give the television center stage—If you have a television in your living room, don’t make it the center of attention. The living room is for entertaining, good conversation and the exchange of ideas. You may want to put the television in a TV armoire with doors so that you can keep it out of sight when you aren’t using it.
7. Use lots of plants and flowers—A fresh plant is great to have in a living room. It freshens the air and clears away some of the electromagnetic fields that are generated by the television screen and other electronics. Also, fresh flowers represent new life and they look fabulous on a coffee table or sideboard.
8. Pick your wall decor carefully—Make sure that the paintings or photos that you have up in your living room are warm and inviting to look at. The best subjects for paintings are nature and people.
9. Use low shelves—Make sure that your shelving units are low in the living room, especially if you have a small space. You don’t want to feel overwhelmed by shelving or have it take up a huge amount of space and make the room feel smaller.
From How Happy Is Your Home?: 50 Great Tips to Bring More Health, Wealth and Happiness into Your Home By Sophie Keller
This December, life coach and author Sophie Keller will be sharing tips on Intentblog about raising your level of happiness in the areas of your love life, marriage life, home and health. Check back every day for new happiness tips and quizzes. To learn more about Sophie Keller and the ‘How Happy is’ book series go to www.howhappyis.com.
Good practical tips …