Feng Shui Home Color Guide

 

The ancient art ofFeng Shuiacknowledges  the profound affect of  color on our  physical, emotional and spiritual  well being. According to Feng Shui colors are  connected to the five elements from the natural  world; fire, earth,  metal,  water and wood and play a significant role  in balancing our living spaces.

This is called the Five Elements theory and  it is at the foundation  of Feng  Shui and Chinese medicine. These  elements also have objects, shapes,  seasons,  body organs, chakra’s and  colors connected to them, but the color component is  often the most  powerful.

Listed below are the main rooms of the home and the best wall color choices  for them according to Feng Shui principles. Keep in mind there are other schools  of Feng Shui which may differ. This list comes out of the Western Form School philosophy which  is the one that I  write about and teach.

Use these suggestions as guidelines only. Pay attention  to  your intuition. It is our inner Geiger-counter and is always  seeking  health and balance. The colors you feel passionately about are  most likely the ones that you  actually need to surround  yourself with. Make sure the colors you choose are the ones  that make your heart sing!

Bedrooms:

• Best colors: Earth tones, flesh tones pastels including  light sages, colors that are more muted.
• Don’t recommend: Bright colors, fiery colors such as bright  reds, purples, pinks or oranges. Dark colors such as black, brown, greys, navy  blue or dark green are also not recommended.
• Why? Bedrooms should be calm spaces to promote rest and  rejuvenation. The earth element is best in bedrooms to support being grounded.  Too bright colors are too active for bedrooms and too dark colors are too  depressing. We want the right amont of restfulness but not to the point that it  is depressing.For children’s bedrooms, make sure to NOT paint them purple or  pink. Use  a more restful sage green and accessorize with the purples and pinks   only. These are far too fiery for bedroom wall colors and most likely  you will  find you child will love the room during the day but won’t want  to sleep there  at night. See my article on Yin and Yang for a balanced home and Feng Shui for Children’s and Teen’s Rooms

Bathrooms:

• Best colors: Earth tones, pastels, whites
• Don’t recommend: Blues, dark ‘watery’ colors  such as  black, grey, navy, dark brown or green
• Why? Bathrooms already have a lot of the water element  represented by mirrors along with water from the pipes. More blues adds more  water, creating an even greater in-balance. Earth, however, balances the water  element in the five elements cycle and brings this very watery room back into  elemental balance.

Kitchens:

• Best Colors: Earth tones as well as brighter colors
• Don’t recommend; Reds, black, navy blue, grey, dark brown,  dark green
• Why? Kitchens should be happy active (Yang) spaces but they  also already have a lot of fire and water. The best element to balance both is  the earth element represented by earth tones and terra-cottas. These can be  bright yellow, golds, rich terra-cotta or any other brighter color. The earth  element supports being grounded. In kitchens we are working with fire and  knives, which are unsafe. Using colors from the water element such as black,  grey, dark blues, greens and browns promote a feeling of un-groundedness, they  can also be too depressing for what should be a more active and happy  space.

Dining Rooms:

• Best colors: Earth tones, sage greens, pastels, more muted  colors
• Don’t recommend: Reds, unless you want to eat a lot more… red stimulates everything, including appetite! Black, grey, navy blue, dark  green or dark brown are also too watery.
• Why? Dining rooms should be calm, peaceful spaces. Earth  tones promote groundedness, which is what we need for good digestion. Use any  color that is more muted that you love, but make sure it is not a color from the  water element such as black, grey, navy blue, dark green or dark brown.The same  principles apply here as in bedrooms.

Home Office:

• Best Colors; Brighter colors are fine for these more active  (Yang) spaces. Choose any color that you love. White and cream colors are  excellent for home offices because they represent the metal element which  supports mental clarity.
• Don’t recommend; Darker tones or any color that reflects  the water element which is too floaty and ungrounded.
• Why? Home offices should be more active so that you can get  things done. You can use the bolder colors here. This is not the room to be so  cozy that all you want to do is curl up and read a book!

Living Room and Family Rooms;

• Same as Bedrooms and Dining rooms. Make them cozy and earthy with more muted  colors.

Exercise Rooms, Laundry Rooms, Hallways, Garages, Study Rooms and all  other rooms :

• These are all active spaces and can be painted  brighter colors. Choose  the ones that you love and make your heart sing!

Tone it Down

Best rule of thumb for color is to tone it down two notches. The  color you choose on the swatch will not be what shows up on your walls.  If you  choose one or two colors lighter than that one, this will be closer to the  actual color you thought you choose once you get it on your walls,

Be careful with red. The color red comes from the fire element  which is meant to stimulate and get things moving. Use it sparingly in the rooms  that should be more calming spaces such as bedrooms, dining rooms and living  rooms. It is best to use reds for accessories, but not as wall color. If you are  passionate about having a red wall, choose a more muted red such as a burgundy  or a plum purple.

Live with it First

In working with my clients choosing color for their home, I always recommend  they get smaller cans of paint and paint the color choices (I always choose  three per room) on large sheets of construction or art paper, then tape them to  the walls and move them around. Live with them for several days so you can see  what they look like in different light. They may be considerably different  during the day than the night.

Painting is a commitment of time as well as finances. Don’t be in a hurry and  choose the wrong color. Also remember if it seems too bright for the more active  rooms, once you get the furniture in and art up, it will look very different and  may work out fine.

Go Green!

The best brand I have found for low VOC and non-toxic paint is Mythic Paint. Check them out and see if you can find a place  that carries it near you. Their ultra low odor paint provides the durability and  coverage you expect from premium paint without the off-gassing and  cancer-causing toxins that continue to emit years after drying.

If you would like a free Five Elements Color map which lists the  objects, shapes and colors that represent the Feng Shui five elements, click here, Enjoy!

By Erica Sofrina, Author of Small Changes Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western  World.

Erica Sofrina is a nationally recognized Feng Shui teacher, speaker and  author and the Founder of the Academy of Feng Shui. She is the author of the book Small Changes, Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western  World.

Erica Sofrina

Erica Sofrina is a motivational speaker, author and life coach  specializing in connecting people to their spiritual essence. She is also an  Internationally recognized Feng Shui speaker, teacher and the author of the book  Small Changes, Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western World and the Founder  of the West Coast Academy of Feng Shui.  She is also the founder of Earth Spirit  Adventure Travel which takes people on retreats to powerful energy vortexes such  as Bali and Hawaii to facilitate their deep earth/spirit connection.