by Marissa Lada
Interior Design | Feng Shui | Holistic Homes | Owner of Honey Lune Hivery
We live in a hectic world, constantly on the move, both mentally and physically. It’s difficult to find time for Me-time between family, work, exercise, cooking, hobbies, life admin and socialising.
With the whirlwind of activity going on around you and in your mind, you need those special moments to unwind, relax, de-stress, and unhook from your day. Maybe you need a Zen Den.
What is a Zen Den?
A Zen Den is a space where you can relax and unwind. Typically, it’s only a small space within a room – ideally a corner – since many of us don’t have the luxury of a whole room designed for this purpose.
A Zen Den’s main function is to provide relaxation, restoration, self-care, and reflection. It can also be used as a meditation corner. Having a place you can go that instantly provides this feeling of peace is important for our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Combining interior design and feng shui (an ancient Chinese art of energy and placement), we have crafted the ultimate guide to creating your perfect Zen Den.
Why use a corner?
In feng shui, corners often pool energy.
This is typically undesirable in feng shui, since you want to keep the qi (energy) flowing throughout your room.
However, in terms of creating an intentional corner, this slow and stagnant energy can be used in your favour!
Harness this slow qi by creating your Zen Den in a corner of a room. Typically, this is a more private room such as a bedroom or office.
Easy guide to create your own Zen Den
Create an altar
One of the first steps in creating your Zen Den space is to create an altar. Altars are frequently associated with a specific emotion or energy.
An altar is not what you may ordinarily consider, which is typically through a religious lens.
An altar is your display of intention and purpose.
This is why they are more often used in religions, as many altars pay homage to a particular god or deity.
You can create your own special altar with whatever intention you have in mind.
Oftentimes, ‘peace’ is a good intention to start with, or ‘blessings’ ‘gratitude’ ‘clarity’ or ‘love’.
Once you have your intention, work on decorating your space (typically a table top or shelf) with items that have meaning to you that pertain to this energy. For example, if you want to bring in peaceful energy, try objects that calm you, such as scented candles, bath salts, and tranquil pictures of nature.
Add some house plants
In feng shui, plants add additional energy to a space, and as corners have slower qi, the house plants will help to increase the energy of your area.
House plants also hold a lot of great benefits. Studies have shown that they actually create a more calming environment. So what better reason than to add a couple (or ten) to your zen corner?
- Some good starter plants are pothos and philodendrons. Hang these in planter baskets for a jungle vibe overhead.
- Snake plants and ZZ plants are perfect to pot on the ground and can create a nice little container for the good energy in this corner.
- Corn plants and Dracaena are other good, low-maintenance plant options.
Work with scents
It's a sense that gets undervalued, but bringing in smells into your space is a very powerful tool in creating an intention and feeling for a space.
Every nose is different, and thankfully there are tons of smells to satisfy whatever your sniffer prefers.
- If you want more floral, jasmine and lavender are good for peace.
- If you crave citrus, lemongrass or orange brings in more energy.
- If you like more earthy flavours, pine, sandalwood, and amber are all smells that bring a cosy and grounding vibe.
There are plenty of options for incorporating scents. A scented candle is a classic that also offers a warm and cosy glow when lit. Diffusers and essential oils are another wonderful options, as you can change up your scent frequently.
Bring in crystals
Crystals have become popular for their beautiful structures, vibrant colours, and radiant energy. While often they are worn as jewellery or in a small tumbled stone form, you can use larger crystal specimens for crafting the perfect energy for your Zen Den.
The type of crystal is important when choosing your stones.
- Do you want more peace? Then amethyst or celestite contains some tranquil calming energy.
- Want more love? Rose quartz is a go-to.
- Looking for clarity and focus? Sodalite or Labradorite is up your alley.
Just as the type of crystal is important, so is the shape.
- Geodes will help to contain the energy in a certain area
- Clusters will radiate the vibrations in all directions
- Spheres are good for balancing energy
- Cubes are good for grounding it
Get the shape and type of crystal that suits you and your space best.
Add some squish
Since a Zen Den corner is a place to unwind, relax, and gain clarity, it makes sense that you’d be staying here for a while. It’s not very relaxing to be sitting on a hard wooden floor for twenty minutes. Try adding a nice seating option to this space to provide some cosiness.
If you are wanting to go the more traditional meditation route, a nice floor pillow will do the job. But if you are planning to do some reading, journaling, or other relaxing activities, a chair might suit you better.
How to use your Zen Den
Now that you have created your Zen Den, it is important to maintain upkeep on the space. Here are a couple of tips in using your Zen Den.
Make it a daily habit
You might have heard this before, but consistency is key. It takes about 21 days to form a habit, so for you to reap the benefits of your Zen Den, make sure to visit it every day.
It works best if you stick to a certain time, like either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Spend about 10-20 minutes (if not longer) to unwind, relax, and enjoy.
Be sure to cleanse your corner
Since Zen Dens are spaces to relax and unwind all of the stress and negativity from your day, these spaces need extra cleaning care. That’s because this energy we dump can linger and stay in these spaces. This can negatively affect the benefits we can receive from these spaces, and these bad vibes are also impacting the space.
It’s important to energetically cleanse these corners to remove these lower vibrations and to keep the good vibes flowing in. One of the easiest and fastest ways to cleanse is by using clearing herbs. Sage, Rosemary, Pine, and Lavender are all good herbs to clear a space with.
Sound is also a good method. Try a singing bowl or a chime to break up these stagnant vibrations.
Now that you have the tools needed to create your ultimate Zen Den, remember, have fun! This is your personal oasis, so add what feels good for YOU and you alone.
