Think Twice Before Keeping Dried Flowers In Your Home, According To Feng Shui

Dried flowers are a popular decor element that incorporates a natural touch inside the house without necessarily needing to take care of a living plant. However, the simple fact that these dried flowers are preserved and are no longer living makes them an undesirable addition to a room, according to traditional laws outlined in feng shui. An interior design trend that exploded in the western zeitgeist in the 1990s, feng shui is the historic, practical art of environment-crafting in China. While traditionally, the art was deployed to determine the optimal positioning of village landscapes, the style of architecture in an area, or even the orientation of burial spaces, today feng shui is reimagined as a decorating technique that aims to craft a home space with plenty of positive energy flow.

As a child of immigrant parents who regularly practiced a form of feng shui, I remember how my bed couldn't be oriented in certain ways or how I wasn't permitted to bring certain things into the house. It disrupted energy flow, and it could mean bad luck in the end. Feng shui — which translates to mean "wind and water" — emphasizes balance in one's surroundings, as well as a promotion of the "qi" (pronounced "chi") energy. The main elements as identified in feng shui practice (water, earth, fire, wood, and metal) must work in harmony with one another to achieve said balance. The qi energy, meanwhile, represents the life force energy present in all living things; it is with qi and a perfected combination of the elements that one may craft a living space that promotes good fortune. However, dried flowers have negative qi, making it one of the things that you should never have in your home, according to feng shui experts.

Since dried flowers are, effectively, a non-living entity that once was alive and filled with qi, bringing something "dead" inside the home is considered taboo. At the very least, the energy in dried flowers is considered stagnant, which works against the principles of positive qi flow that's central to feng shui. At the worst, dried flowers may actually even impart negative energy into a space, actively working to counter any good fortune you may have. 

Dried flowers aren't the only culprit, either; dried plants may accidentally serve as vectors of negative energy too, including dried eucalyptus, olive branches, pieces of dried out wood, or even artificial plants or flowers. Feng shui practitioners should be particularly careful about the presence of these decor pieces in essential energy spaces throughout the home. For example, the bedroom is considered one of the most important rooms, according to feng shui experts, and placing dried eucalyptus in that space is almost like inviting death and decay into the room that's meant to be your restful, re-energizing sanctuary.

If you are looking to optimize your spaces, like your bedroom, with positive qi according to feng shui, consider bringing in live houseplants instead. Live plants are filled with positive life energy, or positive qi. Plants are also considered an essential representation of the wood element in feng shui practice, adding to the balance of your space. If you don't have a green thumb, don't fret — there are plenty of easy house plants for beginners out there that you can grow to infuse your space with that elemental presence and energy, without causing you too much stress.