Feng Shui and Color

Feng Shui is the Chinese tradition of home and office design, and is based on the concept of harmony and balance of "Chi", the Chinese term for vital force.

The use of color in Feng Shui decorating is symbolic, rather than fashionable. The five elements used to balance Chi are associated with colors: earth=yellow, metal=silver, fire=red or orange, water=black or blue, and wood=green and brown. By adding one of these colors to a space, you introduce the associated element to that space. There are some areas of the Bagua (Feng Shui map of your home or office space) which call for a particular element, and therefor the element's particular color would be auspicious in that space.

Since a particular color comes in a variety of tones, shades, and even pastels, one can find which ever version of that color best suits one's individual taste, and use that. It is important to chose a color that is pleasant to look at, and not only traditional, when designing a space you spend time in. The positive effects of the element would be negated if the color made you feel bad or turned you off. You change the intensity of a hue by controlling the saturation, brightness, and purity of that color. You can lighten it by adding white; if you add enough white, it becomes a pastel. Or, you can darken the shade by adding black to it. Experiment until you find a version of the color that makes you feel well when you look at it.

Now for the tricky bit....

Where should you not put a particular color? Since colors represent elements, and elements either enhance or weaken other elements, you must know where not to put a color representing a particular element. An example of this is wood, represented by green and brown. Just as trees drink up water, wood depletes the water element. While that would be perfect for balancing the chi in a place with too much water, like a bathroom, it would be the wrong thing to put in a place where you need more water energy, like an entrance way. Water in an entrance way symbolizes blessings and opportunities for your career and life path, so the use of black and blue are auspicious for doorways.

The use of too much green or brown in an entrance would deplete the water energy there, thereby depleting the blessings and opportunities entering your home. Conversely, wood feeds fire, so the use of green and brown accent colors in a part of the home or office that is ruled by the fire element, would be helpful in enhancing the fire Chi, symbolized by red and orange. An example would be to have diplomas, certificates, and trophies framed in red or on red scarves, and supported by a brown shelf next to a green plant, on the wall that is on the opposite side of the home or office as the entrance. This other side of the building or room is associated with fame and reputation, and enhanced by fire Chi. Having plenty of red and orange here is even more effective when you add green and brown in moderation, because the wood energy feeds the fire energy.

Each of the five elements has a nemesis, and an aide, so find out how each of the 5 elements relates to each other element. This is often mapped out in an element wheel, shown as a dynamic cycle of creation and destruction held in a balanced state. When you've sorted out what part of the home or office would benefit or suffer from a particular combination of elements according to the Bagua, you can then apply those principles to your choice of colors for that room, or to an area within it. In this way, you help to bring balance and harmony into your space, enabling you to be healthier and more successful.