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Feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, creates an environment that feels both aesthetically pleasing and energetically balanced. This practice has been helping people create harmonious living spaces for thousands of years, according to The Spruce.
Using the five guiding elements: water, earth, fire, metal, and wood and incorporating these elements through natural materials and colors brings a sense of harmony and transforms your space into a sanctuary. Discover how to include the five elements of feng shui for a well-balanced home and life.
Earth
In feng shui, the earth element represents stability. It brings in a sense of calmness, peace, and security, and adding earth-inspired accents to your home helps invite those qualities into your life.
The Den Garden newsletter suggests using materials made from the earth, like clay, pottery, terracotta, crystals, brick, and stone. You can also include heavy objects such as sculptures or large planters that invoke the sturdiness of the earth.
When it comes to color, find earth tones that resonate with you, such as brown, beige, gray, rusted reds, yellows, sand, and dark greens. Landscape paintings or photographs capture the earth element, too; find artwork that compliments your surroundings, whether the beach, the mountains, or desert. Bring the centered and grounding energy of the earth into your home!
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Wood
Unlike the earth element, wood in feng shui focuses on the vibrant, growing aspects of nature. It symbolizes expansion, creativity, and health.
Close your eyes and call to mind the images that appear when you think of wood. Maybe you think of lush jungles, dense evergreen forests, or tropical palms. Connect to the images that speak to you, and let that inspire the wood accents in your home.
The Spruce recommends shades of green and plenty of plants. You can also incorporate furniture and wall accents made out of wood. Or, create tall vertical silhouettes inspired by trees, including columns, vertical stripes, and tall skinny objects like curtains.
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Fire
Light up your space with the vibrant, energetic energy of fire! According to Medium, including the fire element brings a sense of warmth throughout the home. It also inspires creativity.
Fire has many applications when it comes to decor. Lighting has a big impact on any living space. Get creative with different tones, levels of brightness, positions, and fixtures. Consider the purpose of each space. Do you need bright light for work or reading? Perhaps dimmer, mood lighting would create a warmer atmosphere when friends and family gather.
Add a flare of fire using flame colors, like red, orange, yellow, blue, or white. You can also include the element in literal ways, with candles, fireplaces, or artwork depicting fire.
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Metal
Metal conveys clarity and strength in feng shui. Its unwavering structure inspires a sense of confidence, precision, focus, and resilience.The Rural Writer blog suggests incorporating metal to gain the self-discipline and determination to achieve your goals.
Metal provides a great accent, particularly in the hardware of the kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom. Consider the type of metal like copper, brass, or wrought iron. The variety of colors provide beautiful counterpoints to colors throughout the home.
Anything made of, or incorporating metals in its design, adds to the power of this element. Think of small details like metallic thread embroidery, drawer handles, or decorative trays to increase the energy of metal into your home. Furniture can also include metal, like table bases or wrought iron patio sets.
Metallic picture frames, wall art, vases, and candle holders add unexpected accents and reflect light in interesting ways. You can also invite the metal element through sound with metal chimes and singing bowls.
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Water
Water symbolizes flow and fluidity in feng shui. The Design Swan blog recommends adding more water-inspired elements to your home to channel wisdom and tap into your intuition.
You can start literally by installing pools, fountains, or ponds. Artwork of oceans, rivers, lakes, and sealife add a touch of water to the home. Mirrors also emulate the reflective nature of water.
Colors associated with this element include shades of blue, gray, or black. Look for shapes inspired by water, too, like curving edges or wavy silhouettes. Think of ways to imitate the shapelessness and movement of water through lighting fixtures, sculptures, furniture, throw pillows, tablecloths, and linens.
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