The way you decorate your home can have a chilling effect on your love life, especially if you’re the sentimental type who likes to have photos of friends and family nearby.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Feng Shui expert Suzanne Butler warned that your choice of decor can derail dating success before someone even walks through the front door.
Surprisingly, family photos, friends photos, and even friend snaps can wreak more havoc on a potential romance, especially if they’re in the bedroom.
This, she says, is because the photos indicate that those in them are “vigorously caring for you,” which is not something you want when intimacy is on the table.
“I compare this to voyeurism. They shouldn’t be in your bedroom, your intimate area. Instead, move them to the east of your house, which is the ‘family zone,’ she said.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Feng Shui expert Suzanne Butler warned that your choice of decor can derail dating success before someone even walks through the front door.
A bed that’s too big can create distance, while family photos are a big no-no if you don’t want to be single. Everything should match, including lamps and bedside tables.
She added that having photos of yourself alone in your room will have a similar effect to saying, “I’m fine being single.”
The Brisbane-based expert, a finalist in the ‘Beam 2024 Small Business Awards’, Coach of the Year category, said bedroom decor doesn’t start and end with family photos.
‘It makes sense that your bedroom decor reflects the type of intimate life you want to have. “Your bedroom is your personal space and its Feng Shui should be welcoming to the partner you wish to have in it,” she said.
Items like lamps and nightstands should match, even when it’s just you in your bedroom, she advised.
“If possible, the nightstands should match; anything uneven will give an uneven energy to the relationship,” she said.
This means that tables of different sizes could be problematic, as could decoration options such as love hearts.
“Some people put three hearts in their room because it looks better; this is fine if you are happy with a partner,” he said.
Any reminders of previous lovers should also be removed from the room.
Having pictures of birds that mate for life, a queen-sized bed, and matching lamps and nightstands are important for relationships.
‘It goes without saying that your ex’s photos shouldn’t be there. Take down the soft animals you got for Valentine’s Day or the ornamental swans for your anniversary,” she said.
Other elements of the bedroom may be reducing opportunities for intimacy and dating, rather than triggering other unwanted realities.
‘At first, having the treadmill or exercise bike in the bedroom, right next to the bed, may seem like a good idea. “You might have thought you could exercise as soon as you wake up,” said Mrs. Butler.
But having exercise equipment in the bedroom can make you feel tired and exhausted, as they are associated with feelings of exhaustion.
The same goes for those who work from bed.
“If you must have an office space in this area, make sure at the end of the day you can block it off with a screen or cover it with something like a sarong,” he said.
‘Otherwise you will literally be taking your work to bed. This will not create space for the good rest or fun you want to inspire in your life.”
Women should also avoid making their space “too feminine” if they are looking for a man, as it does not invite the right energy.
“Neutral colors work best in these spaces, it’s about balance,” she said.
Art depicting single women might promote “single” energy, while having someone pull away is never good couple energy. However, neutral colors are good.
It suggests a pair of quartz hearts and images of animals that mate for life, such as cranes, not prey animals such as wolves, and figures showing intertwined couples.
Any photograph or art of people with their backs exposed (or their faces covered) inspires people to distance themselves or hide their truth, he warned.
He also said that a king-size bed could create distance in a romantic relationship. Likewise, photographs or statues of Buddha should be avoided in the bedroom, since he “took a vow of poverty and abstinence.”
Having photos of family or friends is a bad idea if you want the space to promote intimacy.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that aims to achieve harmony and balance. It operates under the principle that a home supports its occupants in a practical way.
‘The different areas of the house correspond to areas of its occupant’s life, such as relationships, money and health. The goal is to harness energetic forces and establish harmony between an individual and his or her environment,” he explained.
Beam Award winners will be announced on June 1, 2024 at the Fuchsia Fusion Festival event at The Island on the Gold Coast.