What Does Feng Shui Say About a Back Door?
Although the emphasis in Feng Shui is typically on the front door, the back door also has importance. It symbolizes flow and circulation that can occur in a home; without a back door there’s a potential for stagnation. In our society, a secondary door is often the one that people use the most because it’s convenient. The garage may be in back of the house so carrying groceries and other items from the car to the closest door makes sense. It’s also hard to make an argument about using the front door when the garage is attached and there’s a door leading directly into the house, located only a few feet from the car. No one would walk around to the front with bags and boxes, ignoring the side door right in front of them.
Despite the fact that the front door represents the place where good luck and opportunities arrive and should be used as often as possible, the back door also has its purpose. Here are some Feng Shui suggestions for the back door to help make it Feng Shui-friendly without competing with front:
1. The back door can be a fun and playful color but should not be the same color as the front door not should it “upstage” the front door in any way. You never want to diminish the importance of the front of the house.
2. The back door should open easily and be free of clutter. If it is your main way you enter your home, you don’t want stuff stored behind the door, making it difficult to get the door open all the way. Entering your home frustrated and annoyed can set a theme as to how you typically feel when inside your home.
3. Have an attractive welcome mat by the side or back door to symbolically welcome you into your space.
4. If there is no back door in your space because you live in an apartment or condo, then create one with a painting or poster of a scene that takes your eye to another location (a seashore, a forest, etc.), symbolically transitioning you out of your space. A full-length mirror can also do this. Hang the poster or mirror near the back of your space where a door might logically be located.
5. One of the reasons back doors are problematic is because they lead you into your house through the kitchen, the laundry room or a mud room. Be sure these areas are picked up and pleasing to your eye.
Even though you want to make any entry you use attractive and appealing, a secondary door should never replace the front door. If you use your back door almost exclusively, a good Feng Shui experiment is to walk around to the front once in a while and enter your space through your front door. You will have a whole new perspective on your home and on your life.