Feng Shui and Windows Let there be Light

Windows, like doors, invite the nourishing influences of sunlight and air into our space. They connect our private lives to the outside world. Living without natural light, your view of the outside world easily becomes jaundiced and tainted.

More is less

It’s said that a house with an unusually large number of windows (especially in a living room or bedroom) will suffer from hassles with children and pets. Horizontal wooden blinds help cure this problem better than curtains.

Older homes often feature tall windows that touch the ceiling. As elegant as they are, however, these often act as energy sieves, letting in winter draughts or allowing too much summer heat and sun inside.

Unlike our great-grandparents’ homes, today’s windows have infinitely superior glazing techniques with no reciprocal energy loss or entry. So you can enjoy the elegance without wasting money on heating and/or cooling.

Healthy windows

Windows are the feng shui ‘eyes’ of a home. To ensure the health of residents (and to keep your energy bills down), you must replace all flawed and broken windows. While doing my own home improvements, I accidentally cracked an eye-level kitchen window and I was very slow replacing it.

During the time I lived with this jagged flaw, my optometrist hit me with a prescription and bill for bifocals and a special contact lens! Not only that, my housemate was discovered in need of cataract surgery. So save yourself eye-doctor bills and routine eyeball liposuction and go fix your windows.

To soothe irritability or boost self-esteem, the tops of windows should be higher than the tallest resident. Rooms with a view should allow voyeurs to stand comfortably, taking in the scenery instead of stooping and craning the neck.

Wide, spacious windows support vitality, objectivity and creativity, like a friendly greeting with open arms instead of an awkward hug that includes an armful of groceries. A place with many narrow windows signals apprehension and pettiness like a limp, wimpy handshake.

Masculine or feminine?

Windows rounded at the top, or arched, give off a calming energy, reminiscent of countless churches and other places of worship. Smooth shapes are considered feminine, especially complimentary for bedroom hallways and gathering spaces.

Square or rectangular windows which are wonderful for dining and work areas, fall into the practical ‘what’s in it for me?’ macho category. A gentle mix of each works best.

Open and shut case

What are the windows in your bedroom, living area and kitchen like? Do they open from top to bottom, side to side, or are they locked and sealed? The ideal feng shui window opens outwards without disturbing anything in front or behind it, allowing you to breathe as comfortably as the home. Those that open inwards encourage timidity and weakness.

If this is your problem, place live plants like ferns and ivy or your stereo beneath them to help energise the area. Windows that tilt or French doors that open inwards are always going to be difficult to open when blinds are down or curtain-drawn, creating foe, frustration and anger.

You may have difficulty living up to your potential or give off false impressions if surrounded by windows that slide up or down but cannot open more than halfway. In this case, recycle all hanging curtains that puddle on the floor and treat windows with either brightly painted shutters, wooden shades or horizontal blinds.

Glass or wood shelves can give you a certain amount of privacy and, at the same time, they offer an excellent space to display live plants, crystals, awards or other energising objects.

Looking out at the world

Are your windows wide, narrow? Hung high, inviting panoramic views, or so low that you have to crouch? Windows with a spectacular view should be treated like picture frames and, for good feng shui, they should be painted a different colour to the walls to bring vitality and objectivity to everyone in the house.