Harnessing Feng Shui for Harmonious Living with Ai Matsui Johnson
For women entrepreneurs, success isn’t just about hard work — it’s also about creating the right energy to attract opportunities and balance. Ai Matsui Johnson, founder of Ai Feng Shui Interior Consulting and author of A Little Bit of Feng Shui: An Introduction to the Energy of the Home has built her career around helping women align their spaces with their ambitions. In this interview, she shares her top Feng Shui insights to turn any space into a magnet for success, harmony and peace.
How did you get started in the field of feng shui?
Ai: I started with color therapy first and then learnt feng shui in Japan. I got certified before I moved to New York. My practice first began with volunteering to help my friends first. When they began seeing positive changes in their living spaces and their life, I received good feedback. By word of mouth and good evaluation my services spread and I decided okay this can be a business. Now, people can find my work through my book and my YouTube channel.
What are the key differences between Japanese feng shui VS other variations of feng shui?
Ai: Japanese feng shui in particular, involves a lot of cleaning and minimalism. It draws from Zen Buddhism, which is why the first thing we think of is creating an organized space to improve energy flow.
Women often juggle multiple roles — professional, caregiver, partner. How can Feng Shui help create a home environment that supports balance and reduces stress?
Ai: Cluttered spaces will give you stress, because the more things we see gives us a lot more information than we need. Decluttering is the first thing I suggest doing. The second and more important is creating a division of space. There are many different areas in the house, like kitchen, living room — each space has its own purpose. The reason why people get stressed and confused is because there are many unrelated items in one space. For example, a bedroom should be a place where you recharge your energy, so having anything active like a TV or computer can distract your sleep and prevent your relaxation.
So, out of all the spaces in a house, what would you consider the most important space?
Ai: The entry way. The door way. That is the most important area. All energy comes though the entry. If the entry area is not inviting or welcoming, if it is dirty, smelly or disorganized, good energy will want to run out. So, treat the entry with priority because that’s the first thing you see when you come home from work.
Are there specific things that are good to have in the house, according to feng shui?
Ai: Plants, mirrors and quartz crystals are good items to have in the house. Plants, in particular, are very useful and amazing. The pothos plant is one very good plant to have. It is also very easy to manage and maintain.
What about people living in smaller homes and spaces, in which one are has to double up to serve more than one purpose, how does one practice feng shui to bring harmony into their space?
Ai: Size is not as important as the arrangement of a space. It’s all about how you create energy division by being more creative with dividing the space. Maybe you can change the direction of your bed so that you don’t need to see the computer. By trying a different layout arrangement a space can have two purposes without clashing energies.
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