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Feng Shui set for Britain's next big trend

With news that David and Victoria Beckham have splashed out £350,000 on a Feng Shui makeover to bring peace and harmony into their lives, DIY store, B&Q predicts the ancient Chinese tradition will be Britain's next big trend.

Posh and Beck opted for Chinese-style sofas, lighting and exotic plants - so fans everywhere are likely to follow suit in a bid to try and bring positive energy back into their lives too, claims the store.

Feng Shui, meaning 'wind and water' in Chinese, has been practiced for thousands of years in Chinese society, helping build up the most appropriate environment for a harmonious life as well as creating 'Chi' (energy) to enhance your life.

In relation to DIY, positioning items and using particular designs in the home or workplace can help create a harmonious atmosphere. For example black and blue colours symbolise wealth (and represent water), and are used in the North, East and South East part of your home. Also to avoid 'backstabbing' problems at work, your desk in the office should be arranged to face the door.

Entrance and Hallway

The entrance hall is very important in terms of Feng Shui, as it is the place in your home where people stop when entering and leaving, and therefore the place that people can feel energised by the chi that flows through it.

If your entrance hall has no windows or is enclosed in any way, it can cause chi to stagnate, so make sure that you have mirrors on the walls or maybe a small water fountain on a side table to prevent this from happening.

Also, if the back door is visible from the front door, chi can flow straight through your home without circulating. Placing a large potted plant or a screen in between the two will break up the straight lines and help to deflect energy into the other rooms downstairs.

Living Room

This is the place reserved for relaxation and interaction between partners and is therefore considered to be the heart of the home in terms of Feng Shui.

Flat ceilings are best for energy to flow around your living room, however, if you have a sloping ceiling or exposed beams you can place windchimes, bamboo flutes, flowers or potted plants in your room to help. Avoid overcrowding the room with furniture and do not use harsh colours on the walls. Soft pastels are great for harmonising the room, but always check the definition of the colour you have chosen before starting to paint:

• Yellow = authority
• White = purity
• Green = longevity
• Blue = heavenly blessings
• Red = happiness

Dinning Room

When arranging your furniture in the dining room ensure that the chairs around your tables do not restrict the doorways. Make sure there is space to walk around the table without having to move the furniture.

If your dining room has no windows try putting up a chandelier or a ceiling fan to help the energy flow, and use soft lighting as well as soft colours, such as shades of green or yellow.

Kitchen

The kitchen sink represents water and your stove represents fire, so ideally these two elements should not be installed side-by-side. Good lighting and ventilation by the stove will reduce the flow of any negative energy.

In terms of colours to choose for your kitchen, white is the best colour to go for as it symbolises purity and therefore promotes good health from food. A toilet next to a kitchen produces negative energy. Keeping the door closed and the toilet lid down will help prevent this.

Bedroom

It is important that you generate a relaxing atmosphere in the bedroom, so the colours you choose should be peaceful and tranquil - too vibrant a colour will excite Chi making it difficult to relax. This also applies to the lighting in your bedroom so try lowering the wattage of the light bulbs. Don't put up more than two mirrors on your walls as this can also excite Chi, and avoid placing a mirror at the foot of the bed or opposite a window.

Finally, the bed should not be facing a doorway or directly towards a window as the glare can attract negative energy.