Some quick and easy interior decor tips to follow for good feng shui.

• “Choose natural and textural materials for a healthier home—avoid manmade fabrics, furnishings and finishes,” says Kati.

• Consider changing out fixtures, such as kitchen handles and knobs, adding artwork, or bringing in items with various accents—say a throw pillow or blanket—to incorporate different colours in the home, advises Anjie Cho.

• “Use original art, rugs and colour to zone areas within spaces,” adds Kati.

The auspicious directions of the Year of the Rabbit will be the north, south and southwest, say our experts.

• The north will be the most auspicious direction and is favourable for growth, partnerships and the generation of wealth, while the south represents happy events and residual income, says Subberwal.

• In the north corner, place a water feature, such as an aquarium, to promote wealth, advises Subberwal.

• “If, for whatever reason, it is not possible to place a water feature [in the north], an alternative way to enhance [the energy] would be to put a speaker there and blast loud music for a few hours a day,” says Tong.

• In the south—whether at home or in the office—light a candle. “This will activate the feeling of well-being, contentment and happiness,” says Subberwal.

• Check that you are not sitting with the southeast behind you—that is, facing northwest—in either the dining area or work-from-home spaces, cautions Kati, or “you will be stabbed in the back”. The northwest and west positions are areas that can generate negativity and bad luck, she explains.

• To offset the bad luck coming from the northwest—where the “sickness star” will reside—Subberwal recommends positioning metal features in that area.

In accordance with the Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements—earth, metal, water, wood and fire—which is used to interpret phenomena across fields such as divination, alchemy and medicinal properties, the reigning element of the Year of the Rabbit is water.

• Black, which is related to the water element, as well as white and grey, which represent a combination of the water and metal elements, are the auspicious colours of the year, says Cho. “These little details make a big impact—black is a colour of elegance, wisdom and depth, whereas white is a colour of joy, purity and efficiency.”

• Blue is also in, says Tong—though he advises it is “not necessary to paint your house or room blue or black just for a year”.

• Meanwhile, Kati says that “warm, soft, earthy colours, deep blues, rich accents, plain white and luxurious metallics are great colour choices.” 

Anjie Cho, who practises a school of feng shui called Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui, takes into consideration the “commanding position” one takes in bed, at a desk and in the kitchen.

“Your bed represents you—that’s where you spend the most time; your desk is your career; and your stove is your wealth, resources and health,” she says.

When in these spaces, it is best to be in the commanding position, according to Cho: that means that when you are in bed, working at your desk or cooking, you should be able to see the doors to these spaces, though without being directly in line with the door—this puts you in an advantageous and safe position. “You can clearly see what’s coming towards you, you’re not surprised by things, and you have a chance to see opportunities and decide how you want to act, because they are right in front of you,” she explains.

While cooking, in particular—an act that “stirs qi and energy into the food”—it is crucial to be in a calm, protected state and “an advantageous state of mind”, she adds.

The characteristics of the animal sign of any lunar year will have an influence on the year ahead, says Nina Kati—and because the rabbit symbolises patience and luck, the new lunar year could well be a “happy and fortunate year for all”.

“The Year of the Tiger brought conflict with a strong likelihood of war, which indeed occurred in 2022, with dire global consequences,” she explains. “The Rabbit year could bring us a calm and placid year, with peace, possible through negotiations aimed at ending conflicts or preventing them from escalating.

“Therefore in the coming year we could see peace and success for everyone.”

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