The use of Feng Shui Colors can often be elusive and complex. Most books do not have it right.
It is important to remember that Feng Shui colors are mostly used for interior decoration in your home and offices, to create an harmonious and comfortable environment, and that for maximum efficacy, they are personalized upon a person’s energy.
As we delve deep into the spring season many of us feel the need to bring some color into our homes. Colors are the easiest and least expensive way to bring a new look into our house and work place, and in light of this current day and age of “challenges” it can help lift even the lowest of moods with just a small budget. Using Feng Shui Colors theory is a sure way to create harmony in your house and office.
In general, to create a psychological sense of stability and harmony it is better to choose a more classic selection of colors in an environment. Having a lot of contrast– though it may be eye-grabbing– provides a sense of “unsettledness,” though it can work for advertisements (so it’s there we should leave it’s use for now).
For a home– or a hectic office where stress control is a priority– a more harmonious choice is always preferable because after all, you’re going to be looking at it for several hours every day for weeks, months, and years. So the goal is really to have color embrace you, not punch you all the time.
A few accents of darker or saturated colors are acceptable, but the overall feel for the room should be of lightness and comfort.
Highly saturated colors (such as with “higher” density or darker) usually provide a high contrast and painting the entire room with one of them– or more than one– may not be the best solution. De-saturated colors (such as those “lighter” or more in the “pastel” color family) are easier on the eye and make you feel immediately comfortable.
In addition they reflect the light and bring more luminosity into a room, hence maximizing natural light rather than dimming it down and making it necessary to use artificial lights. You can understand right away how a dark room is not that inviting.
One of the most popular color trends today is the extensive use of grays or gray-based colors. One of the major paint companies just launched a line of gray-based colors with the tag line “anybody can mix and match them and still make them work”. As enchanting of a concept as that is (“easy” always seems to do it) most of the colors in the fan deck looks like rain, fog, and mud. And you do not need to be living in California to appreciate a sunny day.
If you look around in nature on a sunny day the colors are all clear and vibrant. However, on a gloomy, rainy, or foggy winter day everything takes on a tinge of gray. Most of us cannot help complaining after a few days of winter weather as we wish for the sun to come out again. And countries in Northern Europe (such as Scandinavia) have gray winters that last for months where people often become depressed and even suicidal because of the sad mood that a gray landscape brings on over time. So why are we subjecting ourselves to gray-based colors?
I have been in many buildings in my profession, as you can imagine, including historical buildings that have been the homes of kings and queens and I never saw any gray-based wall colors, tapestries, or upholsteries. The Feng Shui color palette was always composed of clear colors like aqua, pinks, reds, azure, turquoise, greens, yellows, and gold– no browns no grays.
In an office, gray-based colors can easily have adverse effects, not only in the mood, but also in the creativity, focus, and productivity of anyone from the receptionist to the CEO. The only offices that can really do well with the use of gray-based colors are those in which people spend the majority of their time staring at a computer screen. In this case the off time from looking at the computer screen with a gray-based color wall helps with the “balancing” of the eyes. But other then that, no grays– not on the walls, not on the floor, not on the ceiling, not on most of the furniture.
To find the most suitable colors to enhance the Feng Shui of a building that accommodates multiple people is really the work of an expert, as it is defined by many variables and becomes a wide scope that can’t just be discussed in an e-mail.
However, to further assist you in choosing your personal ideal Feng Shui colors, I have created a list below based on your Feng Shui Gua. Your Feng Shui Element is based on your date of birth. If you do not know your Feng Shui Gua, you can find it in the chart posted here.
Once you have identified your Feng Shui Gua you can wear these colors as well as include them in your house or office by painting the walls, choosing a sofa, chairs, curtains, etc
| Feng Shui Gua | Natural Element | Colors |
| Zhen | Wood | Aqua Green, Bright Green |
| Xun | Wood | Aqua Green, Bright Green |
| Li | Fire | Red, Vermillion, Cadmium |
| Ken | Earth | Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre |
| Kun | Earth | Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre |
| Xian | Metal | White, Gold |
| Dui | Metal | White, Gold |
| Kan | Water | Lavender, Blue, Azure, Black |
Ready to change the look of your home and office? Then start by these general tips:
Overall, I’d suggest for you to pick clear colors rather than grayish ones. Also a lighter, not very saturated color would be preferable. Also remember that this is your ideal color so it can be the dominant one in a room, but it doesn’t mean that the entire room should be this color. It is preferable to have more than one color in a room to have balance.
Particularly, once you have identified your Natural Element you can use the colors that are related in a productive sequence to give it variety while at the same time creating harmony and comfort. The productive sequence of elements goes this way: wood- fire- earth- metal- water – wood (and back from the beginning).
Once you’ve identified your element you can choose colors from the element that either precedes or follow yours. So if you’re a fire element, for example, it would be great to introduce some wood colors or earth colors as well with the “fire red” to create some variety.
Have fun getting help from Feng Shui!
Request a Quote for Your Feng Shui Project
If you would like more information or a project quote, please contact us or call (310) 860-8989 to discuss the most effective possibilities for your scope of project. We’ll be happy to assist you.
Read more about the consulting services we offer.