Beach House Feng Shui

Restful Feng Shui tips for your beach getaway

by Stephanie Dempsey

If you're lucky enough to have a beach house, it's important to enhance it with feng shui -- after all, a home by the beach should be a place of rest and renewal. The following feng shui cures will help you switch gears. After all, if you can't feel rested at your beach home, where can you relax?

Add Water and Stir - Naturally, water is the element most closely associated with the beach. Water energy is soothing, contemplative and liberating. Being in a water environment lets you forget your troubles and simply relax and dream. The cleansing influence of a fountain or an aquarium will help you let go of your anger and frustrations. Place such a cure near the entrance of your beach home, where it will set a relaxing tone. Also pay special attention to your house's bathrooms. Make them as restful and relaxing as possible. Stock up on special soaps, shampoos and bath salts that will invite people to linger in the tub. Invest in big, fluffy towels that evoke the luxury of a spa. Add a cascading plant or two so the bathroom feels fresh and invigorating instead of dank and dreary.

Real Beach Houses Have Curves - Wavy lines and curved shapes represent the water element because they slow down energy. People are more apt to go with the flow when they are surrounded by soft, meandering shapes. Arched doorways, curved pathways and draped window coverings will make your beach home a place of tranquil repose. You can also integrate curved shapes by using fabrics that are patterned with undulating lines.

Painting with Water - Dark, absorbing colors are traditionally associated with the water element. However, black, charcoal and navy blue may be too depressing for a restful retreat. Fortunately, you can create a watercolor scheme by clever painting techniques like sponging, stippling or ragging. These techniques lend a softening influence to your rooms that is in keeping with water energy. Soft pastels like aqua, coral, sand and sea green will be much easier on the eyes. Pastels also represent the element of metal, which strengthens water energy.

Put Your Feet Up - Furniture that allows you to recline with your feet up represents water energy, and is therefore ideal for your beach house. Invest in a porch swing, wicker chaise or comfortable footstool. Such furnishings will help you forget the material world and retreat into the realm of dreams.

Leave Grandma's China at Home - Decorating your beach home with fragile objects d'art and high-maintenance furniture is not in keeping with water energy. Forgo fussy fabrics for soft, washable cottons and denims. Plastic dinnerware and nonstick kitchen equipment will save you fuss and muss. Cover the floor with sisal rugs that you can shake free of sand and dirt. Who wants to vacuum at the beach?

Dim All the Lights - Putting your overhead lights and lamps on dimmer switches will make you more adaptable and flexible. This is a great energy to add to a beach house, when inclement weather or last-minute guests force you to abandon one plan for another. The easier you can adjust the environment to meet your needs, the more pleasant your beach house becomes.

Beat the Clock - Although it's important to know the time, you don't want to be constantly reminded of it at your beach house. If you have electrical equipment like an oven or microwave that continually flashes the time at you, cover the display with black paper or electrical tape. You can always keep track while cooking food with an egg timer. Turn the bedroom clock to the wall after you have woken up so you won't feel harassed and hurried. The one clock you should keep on display should be located to the right of the most-used entrance as you leave the beach house. The sight of this timepiece will remind you that you're leaving the world of dreams and going back to reality.

Gravity is Good - People store stress high in their body, in their neck, shoulders and back. A good way to release anxiety is to fill your surroundings with things that hang downward. Cascading plants, a hanging display of cookware, and pendant light fixtures push the energy in your beach house downward, lending a more relaxed energy.

Create a Quiet Nook - Even if you use your beach house for wild parties, it should include a quiet nook where you can read and relax. Symbolically rope off an area with a decorative screen, and then place a comfortable armchair, low bookcase, and sturdy table there. Use this place as a retreat from demanding guests and relatives. Keep noisy distractions like the phone and television as far from this spot as possible. Hint: People will be more apt to respect your privacy if you delineate it with a soft, dark area rug.

Breathe Deep - One of the most powerful ways to set the tone of your beach house is through scent. Essential oils like lavender, frankincense or clary sage will send a subtle but powerful message that it's time to downshift into vacation mode.