Coffee tables play an important role in a feng shui living room or den. While some feng shui practitioners recommend using round or oval coffee tables, square and rectangle shapes are the best choices if you're looking for an auspicious living room design.
Square or Rectangle Coffee Tables
The coffee table is considered a vital part of the socializing aspect of a living room. It is the centerpiece of a living room, similar to that of a dining room. Some people serve meals, tea, coffee, and desserts from coffee tables. Families gather around coffee tables to play games. The linear lines help radiate the chi energy throughout the seating area.
Round or Oval Coffee Tables
While a round or oval coffee table may eliminate concerns about poison arrows created by table corners, both shapes are inauspicious for a coffee table. Round and oval coffee tables can generate a circular movement of chi energy that can weaken the auspicious benefits of chi energy. This whirling motion can, in many instances, create a chaotic energy in the living room, making it an uncomfortable and even confrontational energy.
Coffee Table in Bagua Arrangement
In the book, Lillian Too's Basic Feng Shui: An Illustrated Reference Manual, the feng shui guru advises the living room furniture should be arranged to symbolize the bagua. This is done by placing the coffee table in the center of the grouping that includes a sofa, loveseat, side chair and end tables.
Pool of Chi Energy
By setting the coffee table directly in front of the sofa, a connection is established between anyone sitting on the sofa, loveseat, and chair. This allows the chi energy to radiate through the bridge that the coffee table creates. The connection encourages energy exchanges, such as conversations between those sitting within the auspicious bagua-shaped arrangement.
Four Celestial Animals
The living room furniture placement is most auspicious when the four celestial animals are activated. According to feng shui guru Lillian Too, the coffee table represents the phoenix. The furniture arrangement she suggests is believed to bring protection to the family along with good fortune. This is accomplished by using the coffee table to complete this furniture representation.
The furniture layout should be as follows:
- Black Tortoise: Set a sofa that seats three or four people against a solid wall.
- White Tiger: A chair is placed to the right of the sofa.
- Green Dragon: A loveseat is set to the left of the sofa.
- Phoenix: The coffee table is placed directly in front of the sofa.
You can further create the bagua shape with end tables placed between the sofa, loveseat and chairs.
Repeat Elements in Coffee Tables
You can capitalize on the element for a specific sector when you select the type of coffee table for your living room or den. The square shape is the symbol for earth element, and the rectangle shape represents the wood element. Beyond the shapes, you can select a material that repeats the sector element.
For example:
- East and southeast sectors (wood element): Add a wood coffee table.
- Northwest and west (metal element): Add a metal coffee table.
- Southwest and northeast (earth element): A stone or marble coffee table activates the earth element.
- North (water element): Metal attracts water, so you can use a metal table here.
- South (fire element): Wood fuels fire; use a wood coffee table in this sector.
Glass top tables are inauspicious and said to intensify negative chi energy (sha chi).
Coffee Tables Complete Feng Shui Seating
Adding a coffee table to your living room or den seating area will complete a feng shui gathering area. Regardless your décor and furniture style, feng shui guidelines for coffee tables will improve the chi energy in this room.
