Granted, most people don’t keep their tooth brush in the living room, nor their cooking pans in the bathroom. But if you stored them there, it would not be “harmful,” just considered unorganized. I field questions all the time about the best locations to place both common and unusual items, including: personal safes, kitty litter boxes, urns with cremation ashes, guns, meditation altars, and other items large and small.
When it comes to books, there was a very misguided “rumor” circulating in the 1990’s that books should not be in a bedroom. Some Feng Shui novice determined that books in a bedroom would undermine “romance.” How silly! And yet, this New Age superstition persevered.
Maybe the perpetrators of that lie would at least allow a copy of Fifty Shades of Gray on the bedroom nightstand.
Not everyone has a special room in their home solely dedicated as a library. Yet many people truly cherish their books and would rather have a real book to read than a Kindle screen. Over the years, I have given away most of my books, but always keep those that I think I might read again or use as a reference. Is there any superior location for books in a house, according to Feng Shui principles? The answer is an emphatic “NO.”
When you think about it, books can be welcome in both conventional and non-conventional locations. Books in a kitchen can be just as practical as a living room, especially if you like to read in a nook or at a table with some tea or a snack.
Books and magazines have always been popular in bathrooms and not just because some people “need” to read while on the throne. Some people even like to read while soaking in a bath!
I keep books that I might need for my business in my office for easy reference, but all the rest are sprinkled throughout the house, including a small stack in the guest bedroom for overnight friends. Books and bookshelves can be used as whimsical décor items and you might even find a creative way to use a bookcase to manipulate the qi flow from one area to the next.
Books, in and of themselves, do not represent anything good or bad in Feng Shui theory. In fact, the art work in your home might have a bigger impact for the images and colors they transmit in a room. Books, made of paper, might be associated with the Wood Element, but no more so than all the wood furniture in your home. And while there are certain ideal places to dwell in a home if you are a writer, you can read almost anywhere that is well-lit and comfortable.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Architecture and Design Blog Series
