A Modern Approach to Feng Shui for Interior Designers With Amanda Gibby Peters

Interior Design Business Podcast, Interior Design Career Podcast, Interior Design Business Mentor

As interior designers, we spend so much time thinking about how a home looks, but what if the real question we should be asking is how a home feels?

If you’ve ever walked into a space that was beautiful on paper but somehow felt off, heavy, or uninspiring, this episode is for you.

I sit down with feng shui expert Amanda Gibby Peters to explore how interior designers can intentionally work with energy, layout, and environmental cues to create homes that genuinely support their clients’ lives. We talk about why clutter isn’t just visual noise, how bedrooms quietly reveal how someone values themselves, and why the front door might be the most overlooked design opportunity in a home.

If you’ve been curious about incorporating feng shui into your interior design process, but worried it would feel too “woo,” too rigid, or too disconnected from modern design, Amanda breaks it down in a way that feels practical, intuitive, and deeply aligned with how designers already think. This episode will help you design spaces that don’t just function well, but feel grounded, supportive, and truly reflective of the people who live there.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why feng shui is not about rules, superstition, or “fixing” bad energy
How interior designers can use feng shui as a filter for prioritizing design decisions
The three most influential spaces designers should focus on first
How bedroom design reveals self-worth and impacts daily energy
Why furniture placement, light, and flow matter more than décor trends
How to collaborate with clients’ goals using environmental metaphors
Simple feng shui principles that designers can apply immediately in client projects

How Interior Designers Can Incorporate Feng Shui into Their Work

Feng shui is often misunderstood as a rigid system full of “never do this” rules, but Amanda made it clear that context matters more than checklists. Every home, every client, and every project is different.

As designers, we already understand nuance, intention, and customization. Feng shui simply gives us another lens to evaluate how a space supports—or drains—the people living in it.

Instead of asking, Is this allowed?, designers can ask, What is this space communicating? Homes are constantly sending messages through layout, clutter, light, and flow. Feng shui helps us listen more closely and respond with intention.

Start Where Energy Enters: The Front Door (“Mouth of Qi”)

One of the simplest and most powerful feng shui principles designers can use is focusing on the front door and entry. In feng shui, this is known as the “mouth of qi”—the place where energy, opportunity, and intention enter the home.

For designers, this aligns beautifully with first-impression design thinking. If a front door is neglected, blocked, or visually confusing, it often reflects how clients are showing up in their lives—overwhelmed, distracted, or stretched thin. Thoughtful entry design creates clarity, welcome, and momentum. Even small upgrades here can have an outsized impact.

Focus on High-Impact Rooms

Rather than trying to do everything at once, Amanda recommends designers focus their attention and resources on the rooms that carry the most energetic influence. Feng shui becomes far more approachable when it’s used as a prioritization tool, helping designers decide where effort will create the biggest return—for both function and feeling.

Amanda recommends focusing attention and resources on these three primary areas:

The Front Door & Entry (The “Mouth of Qi”)

In feng shui, the front door is known as the mouth of qi—the place where energy, opportunity, and intention enter the home. From a design perspective, this aligns perfectly with first impressions. A neglected or confusing entry often reflects overwhelm or stagnation, while a clear, welcoming front door sets the tone for the entire home. Even if clients don’t use the front door daily, it still matters energetically and symbolically.

The Kitchen (Health and Wealth)

The kitchen represents nourishment, vitality, and abundance. Designers already know this is one of the most valuable spaces to invest in, and feng shui reinforces why. A well-lit, functional kitchen with thoughtful layout supports both physical health and financial well-being. When designers optimize flow, storage, and ease of use here, they’re supporting clients far beyond aesthetics.

The Bedroom (Self-Worth and Relationships)

The bedroom isn’t just about rest—it reflects how clients care for themselves and how they relate to others. Amanda explains that this space quietly reveals whether someone prioritizes themselves or consistently puts their needs last. Thoughtful bedroom design—supportive furniture, clear nightstands, balanced lighting—creates emotional stability and sets clients up for better days, starting and ending each one in a space that feels grounding and intentional.

Light, Flow, and What’s on the Floor

Light plays a critical role in feng shui and is one of the most effective tools designers can use to lift and guide energy throughout a home. Amanda encourages designers to conduct a “light audit”—looking for dark or neglected areas and intentionally using lighting to brighten those spaces, improve flow, and support energy in key zones of the home.

In feng shui, light is considered a qi enhancer. It helps energy move, creates clarity, and brings life into a space. Designers can use layered lighting, lamps, and natural light to activate areas that feel heavy or stagnant. Dark corners often signal places where clients may feel stuck or unclear, so brightening those areas can create both visual and emotional shifts.

Equally important is what’s happening at floor level. Items left on the floor—shoes, boxes, sports gear, or ongoing “to-do” piles—hold energy down. When clients are constantly stepping over clutter, it creates small but compounding moments of frustration. Designers can help by creating storage solutions, defining clear homes for belongings, and encouraging routines that keep floors clear. Clear floors support ease, momentum, and a calmer daily rhythm.

Mirrors, Reflection, and Amplification

Mirrors don’t just make rooms feel larger—they amplify whatever they reflect. From a feng shui perspective, designers can use mirrors intentionally to double light, beauty, and calm, rather than chaos or clutter.

A quick mirror audit can transform a space. What is being reflected? Light? Art? Plants? Or stress and mess? Small shifts here can dramatically improve how a room feels without changing its footprint or layout.

Use the “Command Position” Principle

One of the most practical feng shui principles designers can apply is the command position. This concept focuses on how furniture is placed in relation to the entry of a room. Ideally, the client should be able to see the door while seated or lying down, with solid support behind them—such as a wall or headboard.

This principle is especially important for beds and desks. In bedrooms, a bed placed in command creates a sense of safety, rest, and support. A solid headboard against a wall symbolizes having support in life and relationships. In offices, positioning a desk so the client faces the entry (rather than having their back to it) supports clarity, confidence, and decision-making.

Amanda often explains command position as “facing your life.” When clients can see what’s coming toward them instead of being caught off guard, they feel more grounded and empowered. For designers, this principle is a powerful way to guide layout decisions—especially during renovations or space planning—before décor and finishes are even considered.

Final Thoughts

What stood out most in this conversation is how feng shui reinforces what great designers already know: homes shape behavior, energy, and identity. When we design with intention—thinking about flow, purpose, and emotional impact—we give clients more than a beautiful home. We give them support, clarity, and a space that actively works for them instead of against them.

Meet Amanda Gibby Peters

Amanda Gibby Peters is the founder of Simply Shui, a modern, mission-driven approach to feng shui that helps people design spaces that support their highest potential. With a master’s degree in professional communication and over two decades of experience, Amanda is known for making feng shui practical, intuitive, and accessible. She is the author of Simply Shui for Every Day and the host of the top-ranked podcast House Therapy.

Connect With Amanda Gibby Peters

Website: Simple Shui
Instagram: @amandagibbypeters
Podcast: House Therapy
Book: Simply Shui for Every Day

Your Next Steps

If you’re an interior designer who wants to deepen your process, clarify your design decisions, and build a career that truly supports your clients and yourself, I invite you to join My Design Mentor.

Inside the program, we focus on designing with confidence, intention, and strategy—so you’re not just making things look good, but building a sustainable, aligned design career.

👉 Sign up for My Design Mentor today.