Have you ever wondered why the set of Severance feels so off-putting?
Apple TV’s original show, which has recently surged in popularity, features sets that feel unnerving–long, winding corridors, large office rooms that look massive but feel cramped at the same time. The fluorescent white hallways and friendly green carpets create a sense of unease, only contributing to the show’s themes of separation from oneself. It feels as if as the characters move further into the set, they’re getting deeper into a maze.
What if there was a way to eliminate feelings like this?
Many people have taken to using an ancient art to organize their living spaces, getting rid of cramped corners or managing room layouts that seem to have no practical place to put things.
Feng shui, translating to “wind-water,” the natural elements, the concept of chi, and the art of harmony with nature, may sound like superstitions or magic to most Westerners. When you hear these words, your mind might immediately go to animated shows, some of whose main characters have mystical abilities involving chi or the flow of energy. In fact, even the Chinese Communist party labels the practice as just a superstition; in maintaining an ideology built on scientific principles rather than faith, they banned the practice of feng shui along with other practices such as meditation and fortune-telling.
Despite this fact, the practice of feng shui still survives in China, and has recently seen an uptick in Western countries recently. According to Pew Research Center, around 40% of CCP members still believe or engage in the practice, and even more in the general population of China do.
It is easy to understand why. Feng shui has recently gained traction in the west as an easily accessible philosophy for interior design. Focused around the flow of energy through a space, feng shui teaches that a person’s environment can have an effect on a person’s well-being—mentally, financially, and socially. By controlling one’s environment according to simple design principles, one can feel more comfortable at home.
Classical teachings of feng shui focus on the use of the Bagua Map, which divides a space into multiple areas, each representing different aspects of life, such as wealth, career, love, and health. Different areas of a space are associated with different elements, and by organizing them in certain ways, one can use feng shui to enhance those aspects of life. Practitioners might orient their bed away from a door to allow them to sleep easily, or their desk closer to a window to balance the elements of both nature and metal.
Over the centuries, feng shui traditions morphed to incorporate new developments. A new school of thought began to adopt the compass, utilizing it to determine the most auspicious orientations for a space. The Forbidden City, built in the 1400s, features elements from both schools. It is laid out to display the importance of the imperial family that presided over the country within, and the whole complex is built along the north-south line to face the sun. So now, when new technology allows desks to be built of cheap, cold metal and affordable apartments have become small to the point of constriction, it’s no wonder that people are adapting an ancient practice to their needs again.
One of the key concepts in feng shui is the notion of Yin and Yang—opposite but complementary forces that need to be balanced. For example, Yin energy is considered passive, cool, and dark, while Yang energy is active, warm, and bright. In a well-balanced space, these two energies should be in harmony.
Another crucial element of Feng Shui is the incorporation of five elements; wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is associated with specific colors, shapes, materials, and even objects, and feng shui teaches they should be in balance for optimal energy flow in a space. For example, wood represents growth and vitality, fire symbolizes passion and energy, earth provides stability and nourishment, metal promotes clarity and precision, and water fosters relaxation and abundance. By ensuring that these elements are balanced within a space, practitioners believe that they can enhance certain aspects of life, such as career success or family harmony.
Incorporating Feng Shui into one’s living or work space often involves simple adjustments. These might include rearranging furniture to encourage better flow of energy, introducing plants to enhance the wood element, or using colors that align with the desired outcome. Even simple colors can evoke certain feelings or elements–some use green and purple are often to attract prosperity, while others prefer the passion and vitality red brings.
Space plays a big part in feng shui, too. A room with no windows might feel ‘stuffy’, whereas one with a floor-to-ceiling one feels more natural–but might be a little uncomfortable to sleep in given how exposed it is.
Sleeping with one’s head adjacent to the door or with a window at your back creates discomfort, and makes one feel vulnerable to what is outside. Similarly, if you’ve got a bathroom near you, sleeping with your head right next to the door would feel disgusting. Feng shui describes these sensations as conflicting energies.
One way to solve this is the creative use of furniture. Adding a large headboard or curtain to block part of a window or a shelf between you and the door creates a physical barrier that can make you feel safer, and in turn, get better rest.
Modern Superstition?
As concerns about mental health and wellbeing become central in modern society, the practice of feng shui has gained a new following in the Western world. Many have adopted it in their own homes, aided by the guidelines of social media and influencers.
r/fengshui, an online Reddit forum dedicated to the practice, is filled with people asking for advice on how to rearrange their spaces in accordance with the practice. Interior design may feel very abstract to some, as usually many don’t think too much about the rules of where they should place their furniture, instead going off of what they think “feels good.”
But to others, having rules to guide you can be comforting. Even if you do not believe in certain directions being more auspicious than others, optimal energy flows, or the influence your environment can hold over your life, having an organized, aesthetic space can still feel comfortable.
In fact, there are many theories regarding workplace layout and how it can affect productivity. Office designs have changed enormously throughout the twentieth century.
At first, when typewriters were still the machine of choice for many office workers, offices were built much like a factory. Workers sat at desks on an open floor lined in rows, while the manager lived on the floor above, able to look down at them from a balcony.
The rise of the cubicle, the immediately recognizable symbol of the modern workplace. changed that. A manager’s office is now on the same floor as their employees, in theory, making it easier to access—but at the same time, making it feel more dystopian, as the cubicles are cramped, small, and square, essentially confining many workers to their station.
What does feng shui mean to us?
Following online guides certainly doesn’t guarantee you’ll begin to feel better about yourself or your living space, but it might just help a little. Perhaps its new popularity is just a passing internet fad, maybe it might herald in a new era of interior design. But feng shui has been a staple of Chinese culture for centuries, and certainly won’t disappear anytime soon.
Focused around the flow of energy through a space, feng shui teaches that a person’s environment can have an effect on a person’s well-being—mentally, financially, and socially. By controlling one’s environment according to simple design principles, one can feel more comfortable at home.