How to Use Color to Create Good Feng Shui Rooms?

Color is everywhere and it affects us all the time. How can we use colors correctly in house Feng Shui to pursue good fortune, avoid disaster and bring us good luck? Generally, we should abide by the following five principles:

1. Conforming to the Element of the House Owner
The colors conform to the five elements of the house owner are beneficial to the owner's luck. In general, if the owner’s lucky element is fire, the suitable color will be red, purple, etc.; if the owner’s lucky element is wood, the suitable color will be green, light blue, etc.; if the owner’s lucky element is water, the suitable color will be black, dark blue, etc.; if metal is the owner’s lucky element, the suitable color will be white, golden, etc.; if earth is the owner’s lucky element, the suitable color will be yellow, gray, etc.

2. Distinguishing the Primary and the Secondary
Yang is the primary while Yin is the secondary. Distinguishing the primary and the secondary is required to balance the Yin and Yang in the house Feng Shui. Generally speaking, this principle in color Feng Shui mainly includes two aspects: firstly, a house shall have only one primary color which shall account for at least 50% of the entire house decoration color; secondly, the primary color shall cover at least the living room and the master bedroom.

→ Please click Color Taboos in Feng Shui to check which colors could be used as primary colors and which should be avoided.

3. Generation among Five Elements
This principle means that the secondary or matching colors which have the mutual generation effect with the primary color shall be chosen. For example, if the primary color is green which belongs to wood in five elements, the red or blue series can be chosen since both red and blue belong to fire which generates wood. The principle of Generation among Five Elements embodies the flow of five elements in Feng Shui, which is beneficial to the energy flow of the owner. Therefore, the owner will be full of vitality and have good luck.

Each Feng Shui element is represented by some specific colors:
Metal: White, Apricot, Golden
Wood: Cyan, Green
Water: Black, Blue
Fire: Red, Purple
Earth: Yellow, Brown

Generating and Controlling Cycle of Fiver Elements:
● The Generating Cycle: Wood makes Fire burn; Fire creates Earth; Earth bears Metal; Off of Metal runs the Water; Water makes Wood grow.
● The Controlling Cycle: Fire melts Metal; Metal chops down Wood; Wood breaks the Earth; Earth soaks up Water and blocks its flow; Water controls Fire.

Color Match Theory:

Main Colors	Matching Colors
Green, Cyan	Blue, Black, Red, Purple, Yellow, Brown
Red, Purple	Green, Cyan, Yellow, Brown, White, Apricot, Golden
Yellow, Brown	Red, Purple, White, Apricot, Golden, Blue, Black
White, Apricot, Golden	Yellow, Brown, Black, Blue, Green, Cyan
Blue, Black	White, Apricot, Golden, Green, Cyan, Red, Purple

The application and matching of colors based on five elements have been in people's life since ancient times:
● Forbidden City: the walls are in red while the glazed tiles above and the top of many palaces are in yellow, reflecting the generation between fire (red) and earth (yellow) in five elements. After hundreds of years, the Forbidden City still stands majestically.
● Swastika: it consists of red, white and black. In terms of five elements, it violates the principle of Generation among Five Elements: fire (red) is incompatible to metal (white); water (black) is incompatible to fire (red). The Nazism was perverse, ruthless and tyrannical, thus perished finally.

4. Light Heaven & Dark Earth
Light heaven creates the spacious feeling while dark earth symbolizes steadiness. The heaven is a symbol of career, so the light heaven is a symbol of the hopeful and promising career; the earth is a symbol of foundation, so the dark earth is a symbol of the solid and long-term career foundation. If the heaven is dark while the earth is light, it will be like the top-heavy people, thus inharmonious and full of negative energy. In color Feng Shui, light heaven refers to the light and simple color while dark earth refers to the dignified and dark color. In Chinese Feng Shui, ceiling is the heaven, floor is the earth and wall means the human. The ceiling shall use the lightest color and the floor shall be in the color darker than the ceiling; otherwise, people living in the house will put the incidental before the fundamental in work. The walls shall use the color darker than the ceiling but lighter than the floor.

5. Cool Up & Warm Down
As is known to all, color generally can be divided into warm and cool ones. Cool belongs to Yin, so the cool air is sinking; warm belongs to Yang, so the warm air is rising. The principle of Cool Up & Warm Down means Yin up and Yang down to form the perennial effect of sinking cool air and rising warm air.

In house Feng Shui, the proper color and position of furniture and decorations are required.

Red in the East
Red is a symbol of happiness, enthusiasm, boldness and progress. In Feng Shui, east symbolizes youth and adventurous spirit. Therefore, putting some red furniture and decorations in the east will make your family full of energy and benefit your work and study. Red shall be the ornamental color or be used in a small area.

Green in the South
In terms of Feng Shui, south dominates inspiration and social skills; green is a symbol of vitality. Placing green plants in the south can make your house beautiful and improve your interpersonal relationship. If you want to decorate your walls with green, you should use it in a small area and reduce its purity and lightness.

Yellow in the West
Yellow has been regarded as a symbol of wealth; west is regarded as a direction dominating career and fortune. Placing some yellow furniture and decorations in the west can bring you flourishing wealth and successful career. In home decoration, the yellow cloth decorations or little furniture are suggested. If you want to decorate your walls with yellow, you should improve its purity and lightness.

Orange in the North
North dominates the conjugal relationship while orange symbolizes an outburst of enthusiasm. If you want to have a better conjugal relationship, you can place an orange lamp or rug in the north of your bedroom. Where orange is used to decorate your walls, you should improve its purity and lightness.

Other directions and matching colors:
White in the northwest can improve the luck with the benefactor;
Dark brown/soil color in the southwest can increase the stable energy in the house;
Yellow droplight in the southwest can improve your luck with the opposite sex.

Related Reading:
Feng Shui Kitchen Colors Feng Shui Bedroom Decoration Ideas