The five-element theory is one of the underlying concepts in the ancient art of feng shui. Wood, fire, earth, metal and water are all associated with their own different colours and energies.
Similarly, each room in your home goes hand in hand with a specific colour range. Bathrooms are a water element and therefore associated with blues and turquoises. Kitchens are earth, hence the use of browns, reds and yellows. Bedrooms are Yin so no place for cold, metallic tones but rather pale pinks and delicate peach hues.
Before applying feng shui colour solutions to your home, be sure to check how your colour choice changes throughout different times of the day and see how they look at night too, under artificial lighting.
- Fire: reds, pinks, pumpkins. Brings joy, festivity, fun.
- Earth: yellows, earthy, ochre, brown. Stability, tradition.
- Metal: white, silver, gold. Generates seriousness, rigidity, sadness.
- Water: black, blue, turquoise. Spirituality, depth.
- Wood: green. Creativity, fertility, originality.
Feng shui encourages you to apply different depths of colour. Hyperactive and nervous personalities, for example, should avoid Yang tones (reds), especially in rooms where you spend a long time. Opt of Yin tones instead, like light blue, soft green, earthy shades and whites. Melancholic personalities should stay away from greys, blacks, dark blue, and dull greens and choose light, bright colours to lift their mood, like spring yellows and salmon and rose pinks.