The dining room is a primary space in your home where people gather to share conversation, food, and time. In order to create a space that is conducive to that concept – one of sharing – then we’ll need to turn our attention to the main player in the dining room: the dining table. In this article, we’ll discuss a variety of things to consider when using feng shui for your dining table.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Choose a round dining table.

This isn’t necessarily the norm in common dining table options these days, but a feng shui dining table will be round rather than square or rectangular. This is because a round dining table provides a level of equality – everyone seated around the table is no more or less than everyone else seated around that same table (as opposed to the “head” of a rectangular table). Eye contact and conversation are improved with a round dining table.

In addition to the functionality of a round dining table over an angled one is the feng shui concept of harsh angles and their negative impact. “Poison arrows” come from angles, which shoot out negative energy. When a dining table has no hard corners or angles, this negative impact is minimized or altogether omitted for a much more healthful dining experience.

An oval dining table is preferred after a round one, if the room is long and narrow and simply can’t accommodate a round table. Square dining tables come next in line (because of the increased equality or unity among diners), with a rectangle dining table being the least preferred dining table shape in feng shui. Sharp corners are simply not as safe or as comfortable as corner-less-ness.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Use a wood dining table.

Feng shui balances all the five elements in all spaces, but it leans more heavily toward wood pieces as grounding and stabilizing, both aesthetically and psychologically. (The same is true for a wood headboard in the bedroom.) A high quality wooden dining room is the preferred material for a feng shui dining table, although using a table that is in keeping with the rest of the dining room’s style is important. Make sure that the dining table is of high quality wood.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Avoid glass dining table tops.

Glass tabletops are chic and sleek, to be sure, but they aren’t conducive to good feng shui on a dining table. Glass dining table tops are believed to be a conduit for nervous (negative) energy, which is to be avoided.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Make sure the dining table is big enough for everyone.

Few things say, “You’re not welcome here,” like a table with insufficient space for all invited. Be sure that the dining table can comfortably accommodate all diners. Sometimes, this doesn’t require a change in dining table as much as it does a change in the size of the dining chairs.

Feng ShuiDiningTable Tip: Avoid positioning the dining table directly between two access points.

Whether your dining room has a window and a door, two doors, or any combination of doors and windows, it is poor feng shui to position the dining table directly on that line between the access points. This is because good luck, health, and happy energies are believed to float away from the space.

If it isn’t possible to reposition your dining table in the dining room differently, consider this feng shui solution: hang wind chimes or bells or a pendant light or some other device to redirect the flow of positive energy back through the interior of the home.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Avoid positioning the table against a wall.

In the feng shui dining room, the dining table will never be up against a wall. This implies that additional people are unwelcome. Instead, float the table in the room so that anyone can sit comfortably on any side of the table.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Position the table so nobody’s back is toward the door or window.

A huge part of successful feng shui is establishing a sense of security and comfort, and people are not comfortable when they don’t know what is behind them. As is the case with a window or door – both present potential for the unknown – in the dining room; be sure everyone can be secure in their surroundings. If it’s not possible to seat everyone in this way, hang a mirror or other reflective surface so that those with their backs toward the door can still be aware.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Correlate coasters with tabletop shape.

This is a seemingly small detail, but it’s important enough to be addressed in feng shui: when you use coasters, be sure that they match the shape of the dining table. So, for a round table, round coasters are best. Same for square tables – use square coasters. Even oval and rectangular and hexagonal tables will benefit from this corresponding tip, as it adds an element of continuity to the entire dining experience.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Use feng shui colors on the table top to add energy and vitality to the dining room.

Remember that dining tables can easily accommodate a variety of textiles and accessories – napkins, tablecloths, glassware, other tableware, and even centerpieces. And color can be included not just on the table itself, but in the surrounding elements as well – dining chairs, for example, and a rug under the dining table.

In feng shui, color is significant and strategic, as is the position of things in the home. If the dining table is located in the northern part of the dining room, feng shui recommends that the dining table area emphasize the color blue in its décor, whether on the table itself or in dining chairs.

For the dining table that is located in the eastern part of the dining room, or even of the house in general, feng shui recommends green colors be utilized. Both greens and blues are excellent colors for appetite and palate and, consequently, great for dining areas.

For those diners who prefer the elegance and/or simplicity of white or dark tables, you can still adhere to the color-enhancing advice of feng shui by incorporating more subtle colors into the tablescape via flowers, candles, napkins, vases, etc.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Use an even number of dining chairs.

In feng shui, in general, even numbers are more structured and, therefore, more comfortable than odd numbers. Even numbers allow for symmetry, which is another important aspect of feng shui. So, whether you’re dining for two or ten, keeping an even number of dining room chairs around the table is best.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Position chairs so diners will not face a bathroom door.

In feng shui, the sight of a bathroom door is believed to affect the health and overall well-being of the family. What’s more, when the bathroom door sighting occurs at the table, it will affect appetite as well. Whenever possible, dining tables should be placed as far from bathrooms as they can in order to maximize optimum health.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Hang a mirror in the dining room that reflects the dining table.

In feng shui, mirrors play an important role in promoting positive energy in a space – qi bounces around in a room with mirrors via reflection and benefits the home doubly. When a dining table is reflected in a dining room mirror, prosperity is enhanced.

Feng Shui Dining Table Tip: Always keep something on the dining table.

Whether it’s time to eat or not, it’s good feng shui to keep something on the dining table. If that something is edible, all the better, although if it’s something just for beauty like a plant or flowers, that’s fine, too. Having something on the table gives the dining table a sense of purpose and invitation. (Although it is bad feng shui to store dried flowers on the dining table, as they signify deterioration.)

Amateur Corner: Real-Life Application for a Feng Shui Dining Table

For this dining table, feng shui principles discussed in this article were utilized over the course of five minutes to create a more welcoming, appetizing dining experience overall. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of this ordinary dining table setup, with regard to feng shui.

This is the dining table as it regularly exists. There are seven people who live here and eat at the table regularly. Notice the layout of chairs: three on one side, two on the other, and one at each “head” spot. If the dining table looks unbalanced in this photo, that’s because that’s how it is in real life. The two adults eat side-by-side on one length of the table, and the five children are scattered around on the other chairs. The negative feng shui aspect to deal with first is that poor diner at the end, with her back toward the sliding door.

The dining table is neither oval nor rectangular; it’s some softly-angled hybrid of the two. The corners are there, but they are rounded. For feng shui, this is neither good nor bad. For me as an amateur feng shui implementer, I’ll take it. (Although I’m now on the hunt for a nice round dining table that will accommodate eight.)

The first adjustment I made was quick – move the chair with its back toward the sliding glass door to the side with two chairs. This not only eases the comfort of the diner in that chair, but it also provides an actual walkway between the table and the door at that side of the table. Surely feng shui is pleased with this.

There is still one chair at the head of the table, with its back to the entryway. I recognize this isn’t ideal, but it is the best we can do in this space. Also, there are an uneven number of chairs around this table. While six would be best, it would leave one child out from family dinner (not okay). Eight would be too many at this table, plus it would put a chair right back into that sliding glass door spot. So we’re going to cut our losses with seven. But it’s quite stark and bleak and boring right now.

I quickly grabbed some oranges from the fruit bowl and set them on the table, along with a vase of fall flowers from our front yard.

The dining table really hasn’t changed much and, like I said, it took less than five minutes to make these changes. But, in all honesty, the feng shui principles work – the table feels inviting and appealing and appetizing. It’s now a warm space that welcomes whoever stumbles into the dining room.