Feng Shui Tips to Boost your Curb Appeal
Improving your home’s curb appeal entails highlighting the character of your home and important exterior features to create an inviting property. There are many tips to boost your curb appeal and prepare your home to sell. However, today I will be focusing on feng shui tips to boost your curb appeal so you can attract more luck and opportunities to your home.
Maintaining your home’s exterior is an essential part to increase the value and also create a welcoming appearance. Whether you are looking to sell or refresh your forever home, these feng shui tips to boost your curb appeal can be applied.
Before I dive into the feng shui tips to boost your curb appeal, let’s discuss what is Feng Shui.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice of creating balance and harmony in an environment and for those who inhabit the home. This practice can be applied to both interior and exterior environments. Creating balance and harmony in your home involves tuning into the home’s (and homeowner’s) energy, assessing the layout, and observing the items in the environment. Certain energetic disturbances can be cured or balanced with feng shui remedies, which I will mention later. Feng shui is not a religion and can be used by anyone who studies or practices the ancient art. You do not have to be certified in Feng Shui to apply these tips. However, if you would like to consult with a certified professional, I’d be happy to assist you!
Feng Shui Tips to Boost your Curb Appeal
welcoming FRONT entrance
It is no surprise that you should have a welcoming front entrance to boost your curb appeal. First impressions last with people for a long time, both good and bad. It is important that the front entrance creates a positive first impression, as the visuals we first see affect us subconsciously.
If the first thing you see is beautiful and uplifting, that will influence and help maintain a positive attitude. If first thing we see is an unkept front porch and dead plants, that energy will make us feel tired or drained.
BONUS TIP #1: Add a welcome mat to greet entering guests. In Feng shui, welcome mats retain good energy but not necessarily good quality as people wipe dirt from their shoes before entering the home. Replace your welcome mat annually.
BONUS TIP #2: Lighting by the front entrance are another good way to create a welcoming front entrance, especially at night. Symmetry is recommended. Lights should also be in good working order.
bold Front Door
In Feng Shui, the front door represents the “mouth of the home” which faces the world and feeds energy into the home.
To encourage positive energy and prosperity, it is important to keep the front door in good condition and that it is visible from the street. Painting the front door a bright color can attract positive energy to those who live there.
You have likely seen many red front doors, but why red? In the Chinese culture, red is one of the most auspicious colors which is a great choice for your front door. Since the front door faces the world, this is the intention that we are setting for the world to see.
If you hate the color red, I recommend not painting your front door that color or select a shade that doesn’t trigger an adverse reaction. As I had mentioned earlier, the color of your front door should be a color that uplifts you to allow positive energy to enter with you.
What if the front door is hidden from the street?
Front doors that are not visible from the street need to be corrected. As the door is the face to the world, a door being difficult to see may be a metaphor for one having difficulty being seen in the world. A Feng shui cure to attract energy to the front door would be hanging wind chimes in that area to alert others and draw attention to that area of the house. Another Feng Shui cure would be to add plants, lighting, or lawn art to draw attention to the front door.
Photo source via Better Homes and Gardens
create a clear path
While it’s important to have a welcoming entrance and front door, having a clear path to get to the main entrance is of equal value. A beautiful pathway to the main entrance starts preparing the journey to follow and welcome a healthy flow of energy in the home.
It is essential to have a clear path that connects the sidewalk to the street which directly connects energy to the house. Ideally, the pathway leading to the front door should have a wavy shape as this allows energy to gently flow into your home as opposed to straight paths. If you have a straight path, add planters or lawn ornaments create moments to pause and slow the energy entering the home.
Low VS Fast Energy or “Chi”
Think of a trickling stream with the water flowing over the rocks. The sound is very soothing. Think of water coming down in a straight path, like a waterfall or running faucet. The sound is forced as there are no obstructions in the path to slow it down. Energy approaching your home along the path is similar to the flow of water. If you have a curvy path, the energy approaching is like the meandering stream, gentle and serene. A straight path to the front door is fast and forceful which could heighten angst.
SPRUCE UP LANDSCAPING
Many professionals, including Realtors, will agree that sprucing up your landscaping is a great way to boost curb appeal. In Feng Shui, flower beds and plants represent growth and vitality. Plants increase your homes positive energy which feels welcoming to others.
While bright and vital plants increase positivity, dead plants plants represent the opposite. Landscaping that is not maintained shows the lack of care and positive life force needed to support the home and those who inhabit it. This can have a draining affect on those who enter the home.
Think of a time, where you have passed a house where the front lawn was overgrown and the grass was consumed with weeds; how did that make you feel? I’m sure it raised a red flag in your mind and made you feel uncomfortable.
CLEAN AND MAINTAIN WINDOWS
While the front door represents the mouth of the home, the windows represent the eyes of the home and how we view the world. It is important to maintain clean windows, as sparkling windows increase your homes curb appeal by reflecting light and attracting others.
Clean windows also bring clarity to your home. Think of your vision and wearing eyeglasses. Can you view the world clearly with fingerprint smudges on the glass? If the windows of your home have a layer of dirt, this hinders the view and from allowing natural light to filter in. Allowing sunlight to shine freely into the home is one way to bring nature inside and positivity.
That being said, broken windows must be repaired as this could decrease your health, well-being, relationships, career, and wealth depending on the location of the broken window.
PROUDLY DISPLAY HOUSE NUMBERS
In Feng Shui, the house number gives a name to your home and creates an energetic bond between the home and it’s owners. House numbers should be large and visible from the street to welcome opportunity and honor your home.
If your house number is difficult to find, your home could be easily missed which symbolizes missed opportunity.
When displaying your house numbers, they should be hung straight or slope upwards to the right to represent positive uprising energy.
VISIBLE MAILBOX
Last but not least, your mailbox should be visible from the street and in good working order. In Feng Shui, mailboxes represent how the world communicates with us. To attract good news, plant flowers around your mailbox to ensure it is easy to see, and so opportunities never miss you. With that being said, if you have a small mailbox, swap it out for a larger mailbox to increase larger opportunities.
I hope that you have enjoyed my feng shui tips to boost your curb appeal. If you did, please share this with a friend or a realtor who may be selling a home and increase their luck!