My top 5 feng shui tips for the bedroom

Although I'm not a feng shui expert, I've found it to be a useful tool in decorating.

For those of you that aren't familiar with feng shui, it's an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to help one improve life by increasing positive qi. There are lots of books on the subject (I found Terah Kathryn Collins' book "The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in your Environment" to be helpful and interesting).

Your bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your home. It should be a place where you feel comfortable and relaxed, and where romance can blossom...

Not to sound too kooky (fine, I'm a little kooky) but... If you're not in a relationship, and want to be in one - or if you want to improve the relationship you're in (by adding balance or increasing passion) there are several things you can do when decorating your bedroom to 'attract' these things.

Here are my top 5 tips for decorating your bedroom:

1) Get rid of the t.v. (or at least hide it.) Having a television in the bedroom is like having another person in there - it's adding a lot of energy (usually negative energy) that isn't appropriate in that particular room.

2) Pick the right color. You need to find a balance that works for you. This is where you rest (so it can't be overly stimulating) - but it's also the place that you want to encourage passion. Warm hues are recommended for bedroom walls - (any shade of skin tone is ideal). Cold colors (like blue, green or silver) can "cool" romantic relationships. If you can't stand the thought of not having a blue bedroom, consider red, orange, or pink accents to add warmth to the color palette (and passion to your love life.) Flowers also contribute 'living' energy, and are a nice way to add color. But careful not to do the entire room in red or orange, as this is thought to create too much 'fire' or passion - and may encourage cheating...

3) Artwork. Make sure the artwork in your bedroom is appropriate for the space. Subject matter should be romantic or neutral, (a picture of a solitary tree, for example, wouldn't be a great choice for the bedroom, as it might give the impression of loneliness), and decorative items should be in pairs, i.e. if you want to use two candlesticks don't put them on opposite sides of the dresser, instead, place them next to one another. Also, this is not the room for photos of family and friends (you don't want them with you in the bedroom...)

4) Placement of the bed. You want your room arranged so that you can see the door when you're lying in bed. (So you don't want the bed on the same wall as the door, for example. If this is unavoidable, you can 'fix' the problem by hanging a mirror so that you can see the door from the bed.) This lets you be more relaxed (even if it's only in a small or even subconscious way) because you won't feel that you might be startled by someone coming in.

5) A red ribbon. A recommendation I was given a long time ago was to place a red ribbon underneath the mattress, running across the bed at chest level. (This symbolizes the connection between your and your loved one's hearts.)

Works for me...