The Feng Shui of Window Treatments

Decorating choices are not merely a question of aesthetics; proper placement of a sofa or mirror can affect your health, happiness and overall well-being. If you believe this, you are like many influential designers, celebrities and an increasing number of average Americans who are using the principles of feng shui as a basis for home design.

Feng shui, Chinese for "wind" and "water," centers around the notion that every space has an invisible energy (chi) flowing through it that is affected by a number of factors. The chi must be able to move freely through the home, lingering at times, but never stagnating, in order for its force to have a positive impact on the inhabitant. The layout of the space can be enhanced by proper furniture placement that facilitates the movement of positive energy. Hunter Douglas Window Fashions consulted interior designer and feng shui practitioner Susan Dudics-Dean of Celestial Designs in Martinsburg, W.V., on how window treatments can be used in accordance with the principles of feng shui to enhance your home.

Placement of Objects
"The most important truth behind feng shui is that everything — animate or inanimate — has energy; the key to success is understanding the movement and control of that energy," says Dudics-Dean. Chi must flow through your home like a river. If the space is too open or linear, chi will flow in the front door and directly out the back; conversely, if the space has too many oddly placed walls or furnishings, the chi may become trapped in the house and stagnate. It is important for chi to linger in the home without becoming a static force.

When thinking about purchasing window treatments, Dudics-Dean suggests you consider the following: Is the window in a space where the energy will become stagnant? Or is it in a place where it will leave too easily? For example, if you have a window that faces your front door, the chi is very likely to enter and exit too quickly, darting straight back out.

A good window treatment here would be one that keeps the chi from escaping too easily, such as Duette® honeycomb shades. Duette's energy efficient honeycomb construction "traps" air, thus insulating against heat and cold and deflecting chi to other areas of the home. Vignette® Modern Roman Shades are also a nice alternative to traditional heavy draperies, featuring gently contoured fabric folds that easily roll up into a sleek headrail. And if a window is in a place like a bathroom, where you need both privacy and light, try Brilliance® Privacy View or Duette Duolite® Shades. These treatments offer the option of having two different fabrics on one shade - for example, an opaque fabric on the bottom coupled with a sheer fabric on top - and are good for areas where chi must be deflected, but where light is still an important priority.

On the other hand, closed spaces can cause the chi to stagnate, fostering uneasiness in the inhabitant. Windows located in corners or hallways benefit from a sheer window treatment that opens up the space, such as Silhouette® window shadings, with the Signature S-Vane™, that combine the light filtering softness of a sheer with the privacy control of a blind. Country Woods® Wood Blinds or our Lightlines® aluminum blinds are also good solutions for problem areas. The functional design of these blinds offers both maximum light and maximum privacy, and is therefore extremely versatile in terms of controlling the flow of chi.

Connect and Balance
According to ancient Chinese wisdom, the yin-yang relationship represents all the opposites in the universe. Yin signifies that which is female, cold, dark, soft, rounded, small, ornate, wide and horizontal; yang represents that which is male, warm, light, hard, angular, large, plain, narrow and vertical. With feng shui, achieving balance in the yin-yang relationship is essential, as chi is able to flow best when there is a harmonious flow of opposites. When the yin elements in a room (rounded edges, ornate or floral prints, horizontal lines, etc.) dominate the yang elements (angular edges, plain surfaces, vertical lines, etc.) the chi moves too slowly; when yang dominates yin, it is moving too quickly.

If the movement of energy in a room needs to be adjusted, Dudics-Dean recommends balancing the yin and yang objects for good feng shui without sacrificing the design goals for the room. She stresses the importance of connecting various design elements of the room to the treatment while, at the same time, balancing the yin and yang for good feng shui.

For example, if your living room reflects a modern style with rigid, straight lines, geometric shapes and light colors, a soft horizontal window treatment may balance out the yang dominance, but it might also ruin the overall design of the room and foster negative energy for the disappointed inhabitant. Dudics-Dean recommends adding yin elements to a yang window treatment that would connect the design of the room to the window. Luminette® Privacy Sheers provide an excellent solution to such a window, as the vertical fabric vanes connect the yang objects of the room, while the softness of the sheer fabric face provides just the right accent of yin. A vertical blind coupled with a soft top treatment could work here also, as the yang of the blind coupled with the yin of the top treatment would achieve a nice balance without compromising the overall design.

View and Natural Light
Central to feng shui is the idea that landscapes and natural light can create a calming effect that facilitates the harmonious flow of energy throughout the space. For windows with a great view — particularly of water or trees — and good light, Silhouette® window shadings and Luminette Privacy Sheers are ideal alternatives to traditional sheer treatments, as they combine the translucency of sheers with the superior light control of a blind.

It's a Matter of Taste
The last bit of advice from Dudics-Dean: if you don't like something, get rid of it! Bothered by those orange draperies you purchased in the 70s? Tired of those blinds that never quite fit the space? Everything has energy, and disliked or unwanted objects can negatively affect the entire space. Fill your home with things you enjoy looking at and feel comfortable with.

Remember style hangs in the balance and Hunter Douglas can provide the perfect solution for any window covering dilemma.


  Return to Articles