Issue 8 - August, 2005
Feng Shui Colors: creating the changes you want with Feng Shui Colors!
How to pick the right feng shui decorating colors to create the exact ambience you are looking for in your home
Using Feng Shui colors is a sure way of creating effective and long lasting change in your home.
Color creates mood and establishes atmosphere when you first walk into a home. It can either lift or dampen spirits or have a calming or vitalising effect.
Take a moment to think about the expressions we use in relation to color. "She sees everything through rose
tinted spectacles," or "She saw red," or "He was green with envy," or "I feel sad and blue today". This shows that color has a powerful effect on your emotions (even if you are not aware of it).
Color therapy has been used since the beginning of time, firstly by the ancient Egyptians and then by the Greeks who assigned specific colors to specific illnesses.
Even today, you'll find pink rooms in the cells of some
prisons in the U.S.A. to sedate violent prisoners.
Similarly, the healing qualities of green have been
used in UK hospitals to foster a sense of nurturing.
We don't necessarily have to see color to benefit from
its different properties. Research carried out in
Russia showed that blind people could identify color by touch. Red, for example, was perceived as warm and rough whereas blue was cool and smooth. This again indicates that color does more than just affect your mood. It also affects your energy field at a deeper level.
This is why Feng Shui colors are so important. They
determine the overall ambience of your home influencing energy patterns within. This, in turn, affects your own energy and experience of your home.
With a little bit of knowledge, you can use Feng Shui colors to create the environment you desire - a restful place for eating, a stimulating office to foster creativity and innovation or a lively dining room for upbeat conversation and fun social gatherings.
So, let's take a look at those all important
Feng Shui decorating colors and what they represent:
* Red
It's not without good reason that red is used for
traffic stop signs. Red is great for grabbing attention
and can increase brain activity and your pulse rate. It is, therefore, great for spaces with lots of activity and
explains why you'll see so many Chinese restaurants
and shops painted out in red.
Red is great for creating a party atmosphere or adding a sense of drama to a space. Note the preferred color of curtains, seats and carpets in a traditional theatre.
Red is also associated with passion and fire and so can be used to stimulate and intensify emotion. If you need to spice up your love life introduce a small amount of red in the bedroom and see what happens!
Warning! You should use red sparingly! Red is such a
powerful color that too much of it will overwhelm.
You can feel moody and aggressive if you stay in a room that is intensely red for too long. So, use red as an accent color rather than the dominant color in a room.
Red can add warmth to a dinghy corner and make rooms feel more cosy and intimate. It is, therefore, a
popular choice for dining rooms.
Add red to a room if you are feeling depressed or
suffering from anaemia or tiredness and need a
stimulating or uplifting boost of energy!
* Orange
Orange, not unlike red, is a stimulating color and
is often associated with enthusiasm, sociability and
optimism. It is, therefore, the ideal color for
a dining room or any space where you receive
visitors and/or entertain.
Orange is a welcoming color for hallways which can
often be dark or north-facing rooms that need warming up.
Orange has traditionally been used by color therapists
to reduce tiredness, depression and pain and help with disorders such as gout, constipation and alcoholism.
Orange is great for unblocking emotions and creating
a sense of joy in your life.
As with red, avoid too much orange in the bedroom as it can over stimulate but don't be frightened to use
orange in other areas. It doesn't have to be an
overly bright orange. Consider using knocked back tones of orange such as Provencal earthy tones or introducing terracotta vases into your space.
* Purple
Purple is known as the psychic color linked with
activities such as meditation and healing. It's often
the preferred color of mediums and those who are in
touch with their spiritual side. It's, therefore, a
great color for a spa or retreat.
Purple can have a calming and restorative effect in a
bedroom as it encourages introspection which is key at night time when your energy needs to be focused inwards.
Use purple or violet shades if you feel emotionally
out of sorts and crave a more stable work-life balance. Alternatively, use purple to enhance intuition or if you are embarking on a spiritual journey.
* Yellow
Yellow is a great Feng Shui color which I seem to
recommend over and again to lift spirits, raise energy
levels and dispel negativity. You can use yellow in
kitchens, hallways, living rooms, play rooms and offices but again avoid bedrooms as it may prove too energetic and intense.
Yellow is particularly good for focusing the mind
and encouraging intellectual progress. I remember moving from a green office to a yellow one. The difference it made in terms of improved memory, judgment, concentration and logic was amazing. Our overall performance greatly improved.
Color therapists use yellow when working with illnesses such as jaundice, arthritis, immobility, depression and skin problems.
* Pink
Pink is the ultimate feminine color of nurturing and
love. It's great for creating a haven of calm and has
sedative qualities if you have hyperactive children or
are encountering sleeping difficulties.
Pink is also great if you are recovering from a
divorce or need to move beyond relationship troubles.
* Green
Green is associated with peace and calm and lies at the centre of the color spectrum. It is calming, reassuring and promotes feelings of safety (chosen as the color of the international safety code).
The balancing, restful qualities in greens makes for an
obvious feng shui decorating color choice for bedrooms, living rooms and places of retreat (not home offices or studies).
It's also a great color to use if you are experiencing
wayward teenagers or people who seem out of balance on an emotional level.
Color therapists generally use green to reduce stress,
ease headaches, migraines and gastric ulcers or
balance mood swings.
Although a restful color, green also represents growth
(be it financial or personal). If you choose a bright
green it can bring abundance to you and urge you to
take positive action. Green is the color favoured for decorating the South East corner of the ba gua = wealth.
* Blue
Blue is the ultimate soother giving off serene, tranquil
vibes. Blue can reduce stress and tension and is useful to calm negative emotions when tempers are running high.
Imagine looking out to a shimmering azur sea surrounded by deep blue skies. What feelings are stirred within you? Personally, it helps me switch off and relax and take one step back from life's great treadmill.
Blue is also associated with effective communication and clear thought and is great for focusing the mind and intellect.
Too much blue can be cold and depressing so avoid it
if you are prone to moodiness and low mood swings.
Color therapists tend to use blue to combat hernias,
back problems and muscular defects. It is also said
to lower your blood pressure and heart rate.
* Black
Black absorbs all other colors and so needs to be
used with care. It is great as an accent color for
accessories such as picture frames or curtain rails.
In this way, it provides a striking backdrop for other
colors.
Black can be perceived as intriguing, bold, sexy and
independent. It also creates a sense of magic as it
has great depth to it. However, too much black
can be oppressive and depressing and should be
avoided in children's bedrooms, dining rooms and
kitchens.
* White
White is associated with purity and cleanliness and
can be useful if your senses are overloaded and
you need to clear down emotionally.
It is also useful for bouncing light and energy around
a space and can often be seen in communal hallways to keep decor looking fresh.
However, white can also be stark and difficult to live
with long term. It can sap warmth and energy from an environment if used in isolation and needs to be combined with other colors to be truly effective.
This is why off whites tend to be more popular for
home decoration.
* Brown
I never recommend browns as Feng Shui decorating colors. Although brown is quite a popular home decoration color at the moment I associate brown with stagnation and depression.
Possessions and furniture can tend to go brown with age so it can make a space feel tired and old. OAPs seem to favour the color brown oddly
enough.
If you do need to bring browns into your home think
wood! Soft oak gives off a warm and stabilising
energy whereas beech can introduce more vibrant tones.
* Grey
Grey is the color of indecision - neither white nor
black. It can often look grubby giving off dismal or
depressing vibes.
If you insist on grey house paint colors ensure you repaint regularly to keep it fresh-looking.
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How to pick your feng shui house paint colors
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Of course, not all the colors of the spectrum have
been mentioned. There is a multitude of different
shades, hues and tints to choose from.
If you are finding it difficult to pick
suitable Feng Shui colors for your home consider
the following top tips:
* Imagine different feng shui colors in different rooms in your home. How do they make you feel?
* Try to close your eyes and feel the energy of the
different Feng Shui colors. Which one suits your
present emotional state and frame of mind?
* Go to your local D.I.Y. shop and ask for color
swatches to bring home. Try to pick two or three
favourite colors that speak directly to you. You
could then invest in a small tester pot and cover
a small portion of the wall you intend to paint.
Live with it for a couple of days before making
your final decision.
* Think about what mood you are trying to create.
Are you looking for a calm space or one of
lively communication for friends to gather in?
Choose your feng shui colors according to the mood or atmosphere you are trying to create.
* What are you drawn to when flicking through
home decoration magazines? Cool Swedish
Room colors that exude tranquility or lively
Provencal reds and orange which have a
stabilising, earthy feel?
* Look to nature for inspiration! Pick out feng shui
colors that appeal to you personally using
flowers and Autumn leaves as a guide.
Sometimes nature surprises and will put purples
and oranges together for a dramatic but
appealing look that you wouldn't necessarily
think of.
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Final Thoughts
***************
So, just for it! Be bold with color. If you
don't like it you can always paint it out and
start again.
When choosing Feng Shui colors, try to ascertain
their effects on you as an individual. What emotions
do they bring to mind? How does color affect the
mood of the room?
If you do implement some of the above Feng Shui color tips, I'd be delighted to hear your results! Just
email me at clare@easy-feng-shui.com.
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