As a follow-up to my recent article 5 Feng Shui Problems to Avoid I’ve been asked to provide some solutions for staircases that lead directly to the door.
The Problem
First let me explain more about why this is a problem in the first place. If you are a regular reader you understand that we want to have good quality energy circulating in our buildings. If you think of energy flowing like water you will get the picture. Water does not like to go uphill. It prefers to take the path of least resistance. In other words either around, down or spreading out. Same with energy.
So when energy encounters stairs it will naturally go down. If there is a wall at the bottom of the stairs what will it do? If there is a door at the bottom of the stairs what will it do? If it encounters a large space such as a living room what will it do?
A Caution
Since each situation is unique I can not give you specific remedies. What is right for you might not be right for the next person and building. I would have to actually be there to evaluate the situation before I did that. Your Feng Shui expert can help you with the solution to your specific problem.
A Solution
That said, there are some things you might consider. How far is it from the
end of the stairs to the door? Do you have room to change the direction of the energy flow? Can you permanently replace the door with wall? Are you willing to do some remodelling? Is there room to place something to redirect the flow?
One or more of these solutions might work for you. Maybe none of them will.
©Diane Kern 2010
realfengshuisolutions.wordpress.com 
Some pretty good tips for those who are able to remodel their homes. I know Feng Shui is important but I don’t think there is much I can do in my little apartment LOL.
You would be surprised at how much can be done in a small space. Remodeling isn’t always necessary. Sometimes all it takes is to move a plant, piece of furniture, or change the direction of something.
So if the door is a closet inside would it help if you took the door off and made it into a shelving set up instead with a wallpaper border above or a chair rail to move the eye to flow like a Y in a river would flow?
The issue is energy flowing from inside the house to the outside. We want energy inside to flow around the inside and not escape. So if the door at the bottom of the stairs is a closet there is no concern, if I understand your question correctly.
This might sound silly, but my ex girlfriend use to say that if your staircase leads directly to your front door, that not only that it causes energy to flow out of the home but also prosperity. I’m new to this, but thought I’d ask. Great blog.
http://tanoshiboy.blogspot.com/
I’m afraid to say your ex girldfriend was correct. Energy can be the equivalent of food for ourselves and our building’s life. It can also correlate to money. Without energy we can not grow and thrive, therefore we can not have a propserous life.
That was not a silly questions. Thanks for asking.
I have a small flight of stairs that leads to the front door from inside the house, but I solved my problem in this way: there is a small hallway in between, so I placed a chest of drawers between the end of the stairs and the door – which is a big double door anyway. We only ever open one side, so the flow is interrupted. In addition, I placed a ‘tree of life’ carpet on the way, which kind of adds softness and prosperity. I also placed cacti outside, to stop our prosperity leaving, and to halt any negative vibes from entering our house! We are quite happy with the results, and coming home feels very nice.
Rosanne Dingli – Author of puzzle thrillers
http://rosannedingli.blogspot.com
I’m glad your solutions works for you.
We have open stairs leading from the 2nd floor of a small townhome to the front door, which is only 4 ft from the steps. Below the open, see-through steps are the stairs to the finished basement where our laundry and family room are. At the bottom of the stairs to the basement is an alcove and you turn left to the laundry or left again to the family room.
The top of the open stairs to the 2nd floor hit the linen closet, then you turn right to the 2 bedrooms and bathroom to the right.
The stairs are on the northeast side of the house.
What happens to the chi in this arrangement? We do have a garage door we could go out and never open the front door.
Hi Carol
Even though you have described your situation I am not there to see it. So I can’t give specific advice to you. You could try something round like a potted plant if you have the room. You might want to check with your local consultant. But I can say that unless you were to actually seal the door, not simply not use it there is still qi leakage. Never using your front door though, is like having a scar on your face. We should use our front door when we can.
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Hi can anybody give me some advice on my front door facing the staircase. We have a large entry foyer and it approx 6 and half metres from door to the stairs (approx 19 and half feet) with doors to the left and a hall leading to the right before you get to the stairs. I have read that the larger the area the less loss of chi as it has room to circluate first. Is this correct?
Hi Sheila
I can only offer a general comment as I cannot be there to see your situation. The energy will take the first path of least resistance. If you have a larger area in front and to the side of your stairs it will tend to spread out. This will slow down the energy flow. It can still escape through the door but may do so at a reduced rate. You have plenty of room to create a diversion between the stairs and door from what you say. Hope this is helpful.
Diane
I’m looking for a small, practical and inexpensive solution(s) to a Feng Shui issue of our staircase leading directly down to the front door – there is approx. 4ft 6″ of floor area from the base of the stairs to the front door and this measures 3ft 10″ across (so very small). I have two doors leading off of this floor area (to the left and right obviously) to two reception rooms (a study and a family living area). With floor and wall spaces being minimal (there is a little free wall space available behind the front door, above a radiator) and no room to hang or site anything, I was wondering if there is anything I can try? There is a small space above the front door (3ft 3″ wide x 7″ high) and I was wondering if I could place something here (a mirror, crystal, etc.,)? I should add that the staircase is old and very steep.
Thank you for reading Autumn.
Since I am not there to see the actual situation I can only offer very general advice. Solutions are different for each situation, so it depends. Sometimes there is no solution and you just have to live with it, whatever it is. Changing the direction of the stairs by creating a landing and turning the direction to the side is sometimes an option. Placing a plant between the stairs and door or next to the door might help. But it sounds like the small space means you just live with it. Use this door less if you can.
I am considering purchasing a home where the main staircase face the back of the house.in the family room. Are there any Feng Shui comments about this?
If there is no door directly in front of the stairs it is not a problem particularly. Whether the stairs are in front or back the same theory holds. I hope that is helpful. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for the useful info. Regarding the stairs and door, how far is appropriate to have a staircase facing the front door? When the door is opened, you can see the bottom of the staircase, which is directed directly towards the door. However, there is a good amount of space between the door and the staircase… just concerned about this…
Thank you for reading. If you have quite a large space between the door and stairs then you have the option of changing the qi flow direction. As suggested in the article place something such as a leafy potted plant in a round pot in that area. It should look natural and not just be sticking out in the in the middle of the floor of course. Use common sense. Doesn’t completely solve the problem but it helps.
Hello,
Thank you for great information. Wonder what the solutions are for stairs without backing/risers facing the front door?
Thanks!
Hi Viviene
In the case of stairs with no risers, whether they face a door or not, the energy flowing down the stairs is lost inbetween the treads. The effect is sort of like going through a strainer. The energy is all broken up.
Stairs should have risers or be backed in some way. I hope that is helpful. Thank you for reading.
Diane
Dear Viviene,
Please held me. I heard that opposite the stair case not good the toilet. So how can i solve this problem. Please held me. I was born on 18.02.1974 – 00.16am. but still single. My main door face to west. Living room and bed room is in South west and north west detection. Please help me.
Dear Prash
The location of toilet is important that it not be above the kitchen or entrance. Also we don’t like it next to the entrance. You do not want your bed head against a wall with the toilet or stove behind it. I suggest you find a practitioner near you who can do an in person evaluation of your living space with regards to your birth information. That will answer your questions more accurately and in depth than I can on the internet.
Thank you for reading.
Diane