The Right Use of Colour

There are easy things that can be done with Feng Shui – often even small changes can make a room feel better. One of them is the right use of colour and patterns. 

When you walk into a space you don’t just perceive the physical things but also the energies present. These energies (called Flying Stars) are individual to a building. We work with them during a consultation. 

Each energy responds differently to different colours. A certain colour can make a room feel good or irritating and just not right – depending on the energies present.

Our aim is to bring the colours in a room in harmony with the intangible energies present. This is what makes it feel good.

 

How to bring Colour into a Room

You don’t have to paint your walls! You can bring in colour via:

• pictures, posters and wall hangings, 
• cushions, throw rugs and rugs, 
• objects, vases and trinkets, 
• towels, tea towels and mugs, and 
• plants and coloured pots.

On a slightly larger scale you can bring in colour via:

• sofas and chairs, 
• tables and furniture, and 
• beds and bedside tables. 

We can use their colour, shape and pattern  to bring in more harmony and balance. 

 

Colours and Feng Shui Elements

 In Feng Shui we work with 5 elements. These represent stages of transformation of energy. 

Each element has a range of colours and shapes are associated with it. 

We use colour and shapes to enhance a positive potential and to reduce the potential of negative energies present in an area. We use it to provide a missing element or to mitigate any energetic conflicts. The right use of colour harmonises a space and feels good. 

 

Wrong colours can make a space feel heavy and can make us feel irritated. This happens when they inadvertently activate negative energies. 

I’ve assessed many tastefully decorated rooms that however did not work. Kids and projects may become more irritating to us or we just feel heavy there, unable to concentrate.

We can feel it and avoid such spaces.

 

The 5 Feng Shui elements

Here are the 5 elements, their quality and associated colours and shapes:

 

WATER

The quality of the water element is to be loving and gentle. It is good for communication, inspiration and it can assist in one’s career. 

In the negative – wrong place or too much – it is associated with loneliness and isolation.

Colours: black and navy blue

Shape: wavy

Examples: wrought iron lamp (wavy shape and black), wavy patterns on bedding, cushions or rugs, black or navy objects in general (pots, cups, towels), etc.

 

WOOD

The quality of the wood element is to be pushy, active and competitive. It assists with new projects and helps in overcoming obstacles. As such it is good for establishing oneself in the world and new business.

In the negative – wrong place or too much – it can be too aggressive, argumentative and intrusive and temperamental and can be associated with loss. 

Colours: blues and greens

Shape: elongated, upright

Examples: plants, stripes, decorative sticks, green and blue objects in general.

 

FIRE 

The quality of the fire element is to be radiating out in all direction. It is stimulating and good for entertainment, PR, making things happen and lightening things up.

In the negative – wrong place or too much – it is can be destructive, temperamental and can make negative things happen. 

Colours: red tones, including pink, purple, orange, mauve

Shape: triangular

Examples: any object with red tones – the brighter the more fire, triangles.

 

EARTH 

The quality of the earth element is to be nurturing and conserving. It is stable, supportive, resourceful and can thus bring good things. 

In the negative – wrong place or too much – it can be obstinate and is associated with misery and sickness, both physical and financial. 

Colours: yellow, beige, tan, browns

Shape: square and rectangular

Examples: timber furniture (brown and rectangular), any brown, beige or yellow box or squarish object.

 

METAL

The quality of the metal element is to provide focus and power. It is good for achievement, leadership, authority, decision making and career.

In the negative – wrong place or too much – it is associated with loneliness and isolation, sudden impact or stops. 

Colours: white, grey, gold, silver, metallic

Shape: circular

Examples: round white table or stools, round rugs, round objects – vases, bowls in above tones.

 

How to know what colours are right?

We need the energy chart of a building to determine the quality of energies and the elements needed existing in each area of a house. 

This energy chart is unique to a building. It is determined by its exact compass direction and 20-year time period in which it was built. It interacts with the layout and tells us the energies active in a room or area. 

Short of this, you can use your intuition. Trust yourself if a colour does not feel right. It’s not necessarily the latest look or fashion that makes it feel good. 

 

The objective with colours is to:

• enhance the positive potentials with an element that makes this stronger,
• balance any conflicting energies by providing the missing element,
• reduce the impact of negative energies by providing the element(s) that weakens this. 

The result are spaces that feel more naturally right and pleasant to be in. 

 

Feng Shui Consultation

As a Feng Shui consultant it is not my job to rattle your boat. I’m here to work within your boundaries, the amount of change you are willing to embark on at this time. 

We can work with the big things, the design and how each area is used, or we can improve an existing situation with the right colour schemes and some strategic Feng Shui cures. 

There is no perfect building. My job is to shift each building further towards the positive. Sometimes we can do a lot with a little change, at others we are able to make it feel a bit lighter. You are in charge. Let me know if I can assist. Brigitte Seum 0403 366 100

 

Image Sharon McCutcheon on unsplash.