Feng Shui Colors (For Interior Designs)
In Feng Shui, there are 5 elements working together to bring peace, harmony, prosperity, and health to your space. One of the easiest ways to express these elements is with color. A few simple tips on where to put these colors will help you bring a little bit of that Feng Shui magic into your life.
Feng Shui Elements and Colors
Here are each of the five feng shui elements and their corresponding colors:
- Fire – Red, Orange, Strong Yellow, Purple & Pink
- Earth – Light Yellow, Sand & Light Brown
- Water – Blue & Black
- Wood – Green & Brown
- Metal – White & Gray
Using the Fire Element
The Fire Element brings energy, strength, and passion into your space and is great for use in your home office, your bedroom, or anywhere that you want an extra bit of high energy. You aren’t limited to red though, orange, purple, pink, and strong yellow are all colors in this element. Visit this page for more about feng shui bedroom colors.
Paint the bookshelves in your office a rich, brick red to bring focus and energy to your projects. Pile pillows on your bed in the sunset shades of purple, pink, and orange for a little jolt of extra passion. A strong yellow vase or window treatment in the southwest part of your living room will bring a sense of warmth to the room.
Using the Wood Element
The Wood Element, in lush tones of brown and green, expresses healthy, prosperity, and vitality meaning that every room in your home can benefit from this element. The easiest way to bring these colors into your space is with live plants. Not only do they purify your air, they bring the healing properties of the Wood Element into the entire space. A brown leather sofa, leather-covered books, and natural wood furniture are also great ways to bring those grounded, earthly brown tones into your space.
Using the Earth Element
Helping your inner peace, health, and relationships is the Earth Element. Tones of sand and light, buttery yellows represent the Earth Element. Fill a beautiful glass vase with sand from a memorable beach vacation.
Paint your guest room a pale, toned-down yellow, use natural Maple or Birch furniture to bring in the sandy, light brown. In your bathroom, natural, light-toned driftwood piled into a pale yellow ceramic vase brings an even larger sense of calm to a relaxing bath.
Using the Water Element
Water is the element of freshness, calm, plenty, and purity. In Feng Shui, water is seen as a way to ensure that wealth is bought into the home. Blue and Black are the colors for water and the use of mirrors and fountains help to reflect these colors, increasing their potency.
From black subway tiles in your bathroom to flowing blue velvet draperies in your largest windows, Water lends itself to the most dramatic and stunning design elements. Frame all of your artwork in black frames to bring calmness to every room in your house.
Using the Metal Element
The 5th element in Feng Shui is Metal. Metal brings precision and clarity into your space and allows for increased efficiency in your daily life. That doesn’t mean that you need to fill your house with actual metal, the colors for this element are grey and white.
A white tray on your breakfast table, topped with a vase of lovely white lilies and a few candles will get your day started with clarity and focus. White ceramic lamps on your bedside tables can help clear your mind before bedtime. Pearly grey walls in your study may even help you get to those deadlines ahead of time!
Feng Shui Meanings
Attribution: ShandiGP from Wikimedia (Creative Commons License)
How to Read the Feng Shui Bagua Map
Think of the Bagua as an energetic floor plan that lays nine key life areas over your home or a single room. Each sector is linked to a compass direction, a dominant color, and one of the five elements (plus the three “nature forces” of mountain, wind, and heaven that appear in classical trigrams). By enhancing a sector with its associated color, material, or shape, you “turn up the volume” on that life theme.
Quick set‑up tip: Stand at the main entrance looking inward. The wall directly ahead marks the South / Fame sector; the wall behind you is North / Career. Work clockwise or counter‑clockwise from there.
South – Fame & Reputation
Element: Fire | Color cue: Bold reds & fiery oranges
Show off a little! Use vibrant red accessories, candlelight, angled or triangular décor, and warm lighting to spark recognition, visibility, and a solid professional reputation.
South‑West – Relationships & Love
Element: Earth | Color cue: Soft pinks, peach & warm neutrals
Double up on décor here—matching nightstands, pairs of artwork, or symmetrical cushions—to cultivate harmony between partners. Natural ceramics, terracotta, and rose‑toned textiles steady the energy.
West – Children & Creativity
Element: Metal (Lake) | Color cue: Crisp whites & metallic accents
Encourage imagination with white walls, sculptural metal pieces, round shapes, or playful art supplies kept in shiny containers. It’s the go‑to spot for family photos, craft tables, or brainstorming boards.
North‑West – Helpful People & Travel
Element: Metal (Heaven) | Color cue: Charcoal, silver & greys
Display travel souvenirs, mentor photos, or a vision board of destinations here. A metal lamp, chrome tray, or iron sculpture magnetizes supportive allies and smooth voyages.
North – Career & Life Path
Element: Water | Color cue: Black, deep navy & ink‑wash tones
Introduce mirrors, glass, undulating shapes, or an indoor fountain to set your professional path in motion. Keep clutter minimal so ideas—and opportunities—flow.
North‑East – Wisdom & Knowledge
Element: Earth (Mountain) | Color cue: Tranquil blues & earthy taupes
Create a serene study nook with books, meditation cushions, or natural stone décor. Soft lighting and matte paint finishes invite contemplation and skill‑building.
East – Family & Ancestors
Element: Wood (Thunder) | Color cue: Fresh greens & florals
Solid wooden furniture, leafy plants, and family heirlooms anchor stability and growth. Vertical stripes or tall bookcases subtly echo the upward movement of healthy wood chi.
South‑East – Wealth & Abundance
Element: Wood (Wind) | Color cue: Royal purples, emerald & rich jewel tones
Add thriving plants, a polished wooden bowl for spare change, or amethyst accessories to keep prosperity circulating. A small tabletop fountain here symbolizes money flowing in—not out.
Center – Health & Balance
Element: Earth | Color cue: Sunny yellows & warm neutrals
Keep this zone open, bright, and clutter‑free. Yellow accents, earth‑toned rugs, or clay pottery ground all eight outer areas and harmonize the home’s overall energy.
Putting It All Together
- Map first. Lightly sketch your floor plan, divide it into a tic‑tac‑toe grid, and label each sector.
- Start small. One color pop or material tweak in each area works wonders—no need for major renovations.
- Layer thoughtfully. Combine color, shape, and element for a multiplier effect (e.g., a red triangular lampshade in the Fame sector).
- Refresh regularly. Energy stagnates over time; swap décor seasonally, dust plants, and keep pathways clear.
Putting all of these elements together doesn’t mean that you have to have every color in every room of your house, but exposing yourself to all of the elements on a daily basis helps you achieve balance in your life.
Fresh cut flowers, throw pillows, your child’s artwork, and seasonal décor are all great temporary ways of bringing Feng Shui into your home if you aren’t ready for a huge commitment or change right now.
Attribution: Brandopedia from Wikimedia (Creative Commons License)
You can also look at what you already have and decide how you want to supplement it with color. If you have dark brown leather or wood furnishings, bring balance by bringing in blues, greys, and whites in the form of throw pillows or a new area rug. Layer in reds with accessories such as a small candy dish or mid-century ceramic vase. The color footprint doesn’t have to be large, small and subtle often does the trick and allows for greater creativity when deciding to bring Feng Shui into your home.
It sounds a bit like a movie. Fire, Earth, Water, Wood, Metal, – Feng Shui! Instead of the action and craziness of a movie, feng shui aims to bring all of the elements together in the right balance to ensure that you don’t have too much of any one element. A balanced home will result in a balanced life, hopefully one with a little bit of extra wealth and glowing good health.
[expand title=”Show Image Sources” swaptitle=”Hide Image Sources”]Brandopedia from Wikimedia (Creative Commons License)
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