pool deck design

Feng Shui and Your Backyard

In Featured Post by Platinum Pools

It’s essential to keep in mind that Feng Shui principles apply to the interior and exterior of your home.  When planning a backyard pool, you should consider some fundamental principles to maximize the benefits of your water feature.  By carefully selecting the pool’s location, shape, and surroundings, you can ensure a constant positive energy flow toward you.  Take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your home’s energy and maximize your backyard pool!

Pool Placement Using Feng Shui

In Chinese landscaping, locating a pool with a mountain behind and water in front is important.  However, locating a pool in your backyard is safe and even recommended.  Following feng shui principles, a backyard pool can be a significant investment and a powerful source of wealth energy for your house.  According to feng shui masters, a dynamic water feature in landscaping is essential to attract the chi energy of money.  To ensure your pool attracts positive energy, you must design it and the surrounding area so that it does not slope away from your house and is proportionate to the size of your home.

Here are some additional tips for situating your backyard pool:

  • Ensure the pool is visible from the windows.  It requires adequate space for energy to circulate and balance the vital water energy for dousing fire energy that supports wealth.  Remember to keep these key points in mind while designing your pool area.
  • Feng Shui recommends (but is not required) placing the pool in the southeast quadrant of the yard, also known as the wealth corner, and in alignment with the front door.  This is particularly important if it needs to include a wealth corner in the house.   In such a case, the pool can be a powerful remedy to attract prosperity energy.
  • According to classical feng shui principles, it is essential to have a shield for the back of the house, such as a raised land, a mountain, or a tall barrier.   To achieve this, building a fence around the property boundary is better.  It provides added protection to the pool and acts as a noise buffer.  It will further augment your good fortune.

Safe Pool Shapes and Remedies for Rectangular Pools

An oval or kidney-shaped pool is beneficial as the flow of chi around it is smooth and unobstructed.  When the pool curves towards the house, it directs wealth and luck energy towards you.  On the other hand, rectangular pools are not suitable for directing chi.  Any corner of a rectangular pool pointing towards the house sends a poison arrow that sharpens the cutting energy and can affect health and well-being.

However, if you have a rectangular pool, don’t worry.  You can soften the harsh edges with large, lush planters with flowers, decorative rushes, or evergreen plants.  It is essential to keep these plants thriving year-round.  You can also follow this lead for arranging patio furniture near the pool.  Avoid having too many sharp edges and opt for round tables and umbrellas.  Adjust the furniture configuration so that energy flows around the seating areas and no poison arrows are aiming at the house.

Avoid Stagnation and Welcome Sparkle

Water that remains still in the pool can trap energy and become stagnant.  Therefore, keep the pool pump going and the water flowing to maintain a steady positive pool chi.  Adding a waterfall to the pool brings a live and soothing sound, enhancing the pool’s overall look.

Also, ensure that the filter is running to clean the water.  Regular pool cleaning is also necessary to maintain its health and your own.  Keep the pool from getting overgrown with algae or clogging the filter with leaves.

It is better to build a pool away from tall trees that shed their leaves and plants that can create a mess near the pool.   Such trees and plants can turn the pool water stagnant and unclean.  It is better to place the pool in a clear area, trim any overhanging branches, and avoid planting flora that drops leaves or blossoms too close to the pool.

Emphasizing Balance with Colors and Textures

Feng shui is a practice that emphasizes balance, and this principle applies to backyard pools as well.  Since water dominates swimming pools, it’s important to counterbalance this element with others.

One way to achieve balance is by incorporating the earth element.  Surrounding the pool with earth-toned materials like cement, terra cotta, brick pavers, or slate can help accomplish this.

To create a peaceful and grounded atmosphere, consider incorporating planters in clay or wood, teak pool furniture, and cushions in colors like oatmeal, sand, and subdued yellow.  Also, various browns and beiges help to enhance the earth’s elements.

It’s important to note that a perfect pool area should have elements of every kind.  Along with earth, you can incorporate woody plants and furniture to represent the wood element, metal furniture and fencing for the metal element, and a metal fire pit to complete the metal element.

Remember fire.  Natural light is a great way to bring fire energy to the pool area.  Avoid harsh, stadium-style lighting and opt for candles, torches, fire pits, or barbecues.  These elements can enhance the fire energy without being overwhelming.

Finally, consider incorporating a canvas patio sail into the design.  A sail shaped like a parallelogram, scalene triangle, trapezoid, or pentagon can soften water’s forceful energy while adding an exciting visual element.

Plan Your Pool

A pool’s water element significantly impacts the energy of your space, even if it’s a temporary pool.  Using good taste and common sense is essential when aiming for balance.  If you’re planning to install a pool or already have one that feels unbalanced, following feng shui backyard water feature guidelines can help you make better decisions and improve the pool’s design.  Call Platinum Pools today at 281-870-1600 or visit our website for a free quote.