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The Power of Color in Feng Shui: How to Use it to Enhance Your Space and Life
Color plays a crucial role in feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of creating balance and harmony in the home. Different colors represent different energies and can influence our mood, emotions, and overall well-being. Choosing the the best colors is important whether you are a home builder, resort hotel, or just looking to add color to your own home or office.
In feng shui, the use of color is an important tool for creating the desired energy and atmosphere in a space. I’ve gone over colors in a previous post, but wanted to dive into the individual colors a little more in-depth here.
- Red: Red is a bold and powerful color that represents passion, energy, and vitality. It is often used in feng shui to bring warmth and excitement to a space. It is also believed to attract good luck and wealth, making it a popular choice for the front door. Be sure to use it in areas where you want to promote your fame & reputation. Be careful, though, because too much red can be overwhelming and create a chaotic atmosphere. It’s important to use red sparingly as an accent.
- Orange: Orange is a vibrant and cheerful color that brings joy and happiness. Orange is also believed to promote good digestion and healthy eating habits, making it a suitable choice for the kitchen.
- Yellow: Yellow is associated with creativity and is a great choice for artistic spaces or areas where you want to encourage new ideas. Yellow is also associated with learning and can be a good choice for a study or library. However, too much yellow can be overwhelming and cause feelings of anxiety, so it’s important to use it in moderation.
- Green: Green is a calming and refreshing color that represents nature and growth. It is believed to promote healing and balance, making it a suitable choice for a bedroom or relaxation area. Green is also associated with financial abundance.
- Blue: Blue is a calming and soothing color that represents tranquility and peace. It is believed to promote relaxation and clear thinking, making it a great choice for a meditation space. Blue is also associated with communication and can be a good choice for an office or study.
- Purple: Purple is a color that represents royalty & luxury, features of prosperity & wealth. In feng shui, purple is a great choice for areas where you want to attract abundance. However, too much purple can be overpowering, so it’s best used as an accent color.
- Pink: Pink is a gentle and nurturing color that represents love, marriage, and intimacy. It is often used in feng shui to create a romantic atmosphere, making it a great choice for bedrooms and spaces where you want to promote intimacy.
- Black: Black is a powerful and grounding color that represents protection and career. In feng shui, it is often used to create a sense of depth and to anchor a space. Because it is associated with the water element, black can be used to enhance the career and life path areas. However, too much black can create a heavy or oppressive atmosphere, so it’s important to balance it with lighter colors.
- Grey: Grey is a neutral and balanced color that represents stability, calmness, and sophistication. In feng shui, it is often used to create a serene and elegant atmosphere, especially to promote helpful people & travel. Grey is also associated with the metal element and can be used to enhance clarity and precision in a space. It is a versatile color that can be paired with other colors to create a harmonious environment.
- White: White is a pure and clean color that represents clarity, creativity, and new beginnings. In feng shui, it is often used to create a sense of openness and to promote a fresh start, so it is great to use in areas where children will spend their time. White is also associated with the metal element and can be used to enhance creativity. It is a versatile color that can be used in any space to create a bright and uplifting atmosphere.
While the energy of colors can be powerful, please make sure you align them fairly well within your space by observing the feng shui bagua. For instance, if you insert a lot of blue objects in your Fame & Reputation Area, you will figuratively douse the flames of your success.
In feng shui, the use of color is an important tool for creating the desired energy and atmosphere in a space. By understanding the energies associated with different colors, you can use them to enhance the energy and overall well-being of your home or office. Remember to use color in moderation and consider the desired energy and atmosphere when choosing colors for your space.
Keep in mind that color is only part of a holistic view of the feng shui energy of your space, and should be used together with the five elements, materials, the bagua, proper lighting, etc.
If you need more specific and custom guidance to improve your space and your life, I’m available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a virtual consultation. Better feng shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation feng shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with feng shui. Contact me today!
9 Tips for Living in a T-Intersection Home
When I work with home builders, we often find ways to prevent T-intersection homes from being built. If you are already living in one, though, I know it can be challenging to many aspects of your life, including your health, wealth, and career. If you can’t move, here are a few simple feng shui tips to improve your life while living in a T-intersection home:
- Use a convex bagua mirror over your front doorway to deflect overwhelming energy from the T-intersection.
- Add fencing at the outside edge of your yard in front of your house, at least.
- Place heavy objects like boulders or deep metal posts in your front yard to block vehicles that might miss their turn.
- Inside, place furniture and décor in a way that promotes a sense of calm and tranquility.
- Incorporate plants, crystals, or soothing colors to bring a sense of peace to the space.
- Use blackout curtains or blinds at night to block out excess light from car headlights.
- Use soundproofing materials to reduce noise from the intersection and/or a white noise sound machine to drown out the noise while sleeping.
- Keep the home clean and organized to promote a sense of calm and clarity.
- Regularly practice stress-reducing activities, such as meditation or yoga, to maintain a sense of peace.
While these tips will help make things a little better, my first piece of advice is to find another home as soon as possible. If that doesn’t work, we may be able to use more advanced techniques for your particular situation.
If you need more specific and custom guidance to improve your space and your life, I’m available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a virtual consultation. Better feng shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation feng shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with feng shui. Contact me today!
Consumer Reports: Feng Shui Tips for Every Room in Your Home
I was just sourced for an article in Consumer Reports about feng shui. Here it is:
Feng Shui Tips for Every Room in Your Home
How to channel positive energy throughout your home and reinvigorate your life
By Perry Santanachote
It’s springtime, finally! For many people, that also means it’s time for spring cleaning. But if you haven’t already, consider also applying feng shui principles to your home. You don’t need to buy anything—all it requires is an intentional approach to your surroundings.
Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) is an ancient Chinese discipline that literally translates to “wind water” and focuses on how to optimize the flow of positive energy—known as qi (pronounced chee)—in your home. “It’s basically considering how energy flows through your house as water or air naturally would,” says Jessie Kim, a feng shui consultant in California. “You want your home to be a space where you can relax and retreat, and feng shui is all about creating that space to make you feel recharged and rejuvenated so you can tackle the world the next day.”
The theory of feng shui is that the layout of a home and the placement of objects can maximize energy flow and improve your health, prosperity, and luck. But it’s also about balance. Master Pun-Yin, a feng shui consultant in New York, says that in order to increase the flow of qi, the five elements—water, earth, fire, wood, and metal—need to be in balance with each other. Think of it like a yin-yang quality, but five ways.
- Water is tied to intuition, sensitivity, fluctuation, and the flow of emotions.
- Earth represents practicality, stability, conservatism, and responsibility.
- Fire is associated with action, passion, ambition, and courage.
- Wood symbolizes organization, growth, persistence, and creativity.
- Metal assists with confidence, creativity, materialism, and making friends.
“You might realize something is off if you’re lacking clarity, motivation, serenity, or success in life,” says Pun-Yin. A feng shui consultation can offer more personalized insights, she says, incorporating Chinese astrology and an individual’s inherent five-element profile, but a good starting point is to follow some general rules.
Make Feng Shui Work for You
Talismans, such as dragons, tortoises, and laughing Buddhas, are associated with the commercialization of feng shui and are not necessary. “Unless you get to the root of the energy imbalance within your mind and your space, no crystals or tacky trinkets can alter your destiny,” says Pun-Yin.
“Just because you read somewhere that a golden toad is a great thing to have for prosperity, don’t have one in your home if you don’t like frogs,” says Kim. “Feng shui has to work for your personality and your décor. Creating a good feng shui space doesn’t mean it has to look like a Chinese restaurant exploded in your house.”
The things in your home should mean something to you (they should spark joy) and represent where you want to be in your life—kind of like dressing for the job you want. Some things from your past are fine to display, but don’t let them take over your space. “Be intentional about what you put inside your home and relentless with getting rid of junk,” says Kim. “Looking forward to the future will keep you growing as a person.”
Create Energy Pathways
Think of energy going through your home like a wind current or water stream. Look for potential blockages and leakages. One major leakage would be a front door that lines up with the back door. “You don’t want energy coming in the front door and immediately draining into the backyard,” says Kim. “You want that energy to meander through the house and refuel people living in it before making its exit.” Room dividers, bookcases, and tall plants are all great ways to divide up a room and create clear energy pathways.
Also, open the windows at least once a day to let in fresh air. “Make sure you get good circulation going,” says Kim. “Air conditioners, fans, and air purifiers are fine, but fresh air is better. And don’t let these appliances overrun your space or get in the way. Make sure they’re not blowing directly at you when you’re sitting or sleeping, too. It weakens your energy.”
Feng Shui Tips for the Entryway
Make an Entrance
Level up your front door, especially if you live in a condo or apartment building where yours is one of many. Kim says to make your door stand out so it attracts good energy by hanging a wreath or setting out a fun door mat. If your homeowners association doesn’t allow any fun, at least wash your door, making it cleaner and shinier than your neighbors, and make sure the numbers are clearly marked. “If people and qi can’t find you, it’s like good opportunities passing you by,” says Kim.
Declutter
The front door is the energy portal to your home, says Kim. Proper entranceway feng shui will make it feel welcoming. Make sure the area is clean and clutter-free, as in no pile of shoes or packages.
Set the Tone
The first thing you see when you open the door sets the tone for the entire home, so have pleasing objects on the major meridian positions to welcome you home with warmth and comfort, says Pun-Yin. These positions include the wall facing the entry, the corner diagonal to the entry, and the end of the hallway.
Feng Shui Tips for the Kitchen
Safeguard the Stove
Kitchens are seen as the prosperity and health hub of the house. “You fuel yourself and your family in the kitchen, so you want to make sure your flame—in this case, the stove—is protected,” says Kim. “An open window or doorway next to a gas stove weakens the flame, and that’s less energy going into your food.” For the same reasons, you also want to keep your stove clean and in good condition.
Feature Fruit
Place a bowl of fruit in the middle of your kitchen island or dining table to attract prosperity and health energy to that space, says Kim.
Coordinate Your Cookware
Having cookware and small kitchen appliances in coordinated colors or textures tie together and ground the kitchen’s energy field, says Pun-Yin.
Feng Shui Tips for the Living Room
Rethink Your Seating Arrangement
Each room has a commanding position, which is essentially an anchor point that allows you to control the energy in the room. It’s always farthest from the door but not in line with it, so you should be able to see who’s coming without being able to see directly out the door. Your sofa and main chairs should be in this commanding position, says Kim. You want to avoid configuring seating that forces people to have their backs to the door.
Soften the Edges
Remove anything with sharp edges or shiny surfaces that instantly get fingerprints and smudges on them. “The idea is to make this room soft, comfortable, and welcoming to your family and guests,” says Kim. “Make it conducive for people to gather, not like a sterile museum.”
Clear off the Coffee Table
A clutter-free coffee table is ideal, but if that’s unavoidable, Pun-Yin says to at least include something that soothes your mood. Fresh flowers or a plant, for instance, might induce good relationships in your life. (Take note: Dried flowers and dead flowers will do quite the opposite. Fake flowers are better, but they’re still not emitting the same kind of energy that fresh blooms would.)
Feng Shui Tips for the Bedroom
Reposition the Bed
Avoid having your headboard under a window or on the same wall as the door. “You want to be in the commanding position, so make sure you can see the door without being directly in line with it,” says Kim.
Only Calm Energy Allowed
Bedrooms should only be for sleeping, resting, and reconnecting with your partner. Electronics, books, bills or paperwork, and plants—anything that produces active energy—should not be in the bedroom. (Plants become active at night to produce oxygen, so they’re considered active energy.)
Even for kids, make sure to create a space for them to recharge and rest so they can grow healthy. Kim says active items, like toys, stuffed animals, and video games should be in the living room or another playroom. If it has to be in their bedroom, put it in a cubby or a cabinet that they can close up and put away at night.
Be mindful of where you place mirrors in your bedrooms, too. Kim says to make sure your body’s not being reflected in the mirror while you’re sleeping because mirrors are constantly reflecting and moving, just like water. “When your body is reflected in the mirror, you’re basically next to a wave that it is constantly crashing into you,” she says.
Propagate Parity
“If you share a bedroom with a partner, create an even ground,” says Kim. “Make sure both bedside tables are the same size, and use the same light fixture. You want to create a balanced relationship of both of you helping each other out.”
Feng Shui Tips for the Bathroom
One-Way Traffic Only
“When you dump things in a bathroom, you don’t want anything to come back out—literally or figuratively,” says Kim. Keep bathrooms clean and keep your toilet lid closed. If it’s a bathroom that is not in use regularly, keep the sink drains closed. Some people put river rocks in the sink and shower to cover up the drain, but it’s still usable.
Clear the Air
Pun-Yin says to avoid stagnant and humid energy in the bathroom by using a dehumidifier. Alternatively, keep the door partially open.
Have Fun With It
“People tend to view the bathroom as the last thing to decorate, or they shut the door and try to hide it,” says Kim. “But it is there, so why not make it fun and exciting? Meaning, energetically colorful, bright, and sparkly. Make it a space that you and your guests enjoy as well. Make it part of your home.” Plants, paint, towels, and decorations are all fair game.
Feng Shui Tips for the Office
Be a Boss
Again, prioritize the room’s commanding position and place your desk there. “Try to avoid having your back to a window,” says Pun-Yin. “If you can’t, counteract the energy imbalance by placing a plant behind your chair or hanging a piece of jade from the back of your chair.” Jade is a stone that is believed to improve the balance of energy.
Keep an Eye on the Prize
Place objects that represent your past achievements behind you, preferably on a bookcase, and place something that motivates you in front of you, so you’re always looking toward the future.
If you need more specific and custom guidance to improve your space and your life, I’m available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a virtual consultation. Better feng shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation feng shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with feng shui. Contact me today!
6 Tips to Use Feng Shui to Improve Your Career and Finances
Feng shui can be a powerful tool to help improve your career, which in-turn can improve your financial success. By sprinkling a little feng shui into your home and workspace (even a home office), you can create a supportive environment to help you achieve your goals. Here are six tips that I often give on consultations for how to use feng shui to improve your career and finances:
- Activate your Career Area: In feng shui, the area of your home or office that represents your career as part of the bagua is located in the front-center of the space, just as you enter through the front door. To activate the Career Area, try hanging a picture or a painting of calm water that seems to flow into your home.
- Enhance your Fame & Reputation Area: The Fame & Reputation Area of your home or office is located in the far back center of the space when you enter through the front door. To enhance this area, add strong symbols like pictures of tall mountains, trees, etc. You can also use the colors of fire like red and orange. This can also be a great spot for other symbols of fire, like a fireplace or candles.
- Use the “command position”: In any room, the command position is the spot that allows you to see the door and have your back to a solid wall. You’ll feel more in-control and supported, which can be beneficial for your career, and thus your financial success. Try to sit in this position whenever possible, especially during work or study time.
- Keep your desk organized: A cluttered desk can block the flow of positive energy, which hinders your career and financial success. Make an effort to keep your desk organized to allow for a smooth flow of energy.
- Add symbols of success: Surround yourself with symbols of success, such as awards, certificates, or mementos of past achievements. You can even put up symbols of future success: pre-print that diploma or put up a fake Oscar award for now! They can help remind you of your accomplishments to provide motivation to continue striving for success.
- Invite in positive energy: Keep your home and office well-lit, which invites in positive energy. Open windows to let in fresh air and consider adding a water feature or plants to bring in a sense of abundance.
If you’re already familiar with feng shui, you might be wondering why I didn’t mention the Wealth & Prosperity Corner. We need to walk before we run. Be sure to get your career and basic finances figured out first.
Remember to keep an open mind. Have fun with the process so you can create some positive energy to improve your career and finances. The most important thing is to create a space that feels good to you and supports your aspirations.
If you need more specific and custom guidance to improve your space and your life, I’m available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a virtual consultation. Better feng shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation feng shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with feng shui. Contact me today!
Feng Shui Your Kitchen for Health, Prosperity, and Happiness
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that can be used to create a harmonious and balanced environment. The kitchen is an important area in the home to focus on when practicing feng shui, as it is the place where we nourish ourselves and our loved ones.
Here are some simple feng shui tips for creating a kitchen that promotes health, prosperity, and happiness:
- Make sure the kitchen is well-ventilated and well-lit. Good ventilation and Bright Light in Feng Shuilighting are essential for a healthy kitchen. Make sure there is plenty of natural light coming into the kitchen, and consider installing an exhaust fan to help remove cooking odors and steam.
- Maximize your range. An oven is considered a wealth item, especially one that has more range burners, because wealthy people could afford them. Add a mirror behind your range or place a reflective tea kettle in the middle of the range to make it appear like you have even more burners.
- Don’t align oven & sink. Your oven is seriously the most important appliance in your kitchen, according to feng shui. If your oven/range and sink are directly across from each other it has the effect of all of your wealth flowing down the drain. Offset them to maximize your prosperity.
- Choose the right colors for your kitchen. The colors you choose for your kitchen can have a big impact on the overall energy of the space. Soft, calming colors such as green, blue, and purple promote a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, while bold, vibrant colors like red and yellow can bring energy and excitement to the kitchen. Be sure to align those colors with the bagua map.
- Keep the kitchen clean and clutter-free. Organization is so important! Clutter can block the flow of positive energy in the kitchen, so it’s important to keep the space clean and organized. Regularly wipe down surfaces, sweep and mop the floor, and get rid of any unnecessary items. Especially keep your oven and range area spotless.
- Bonus: Choose the right location. This is really only practical if you’re still in the home planning process. The ideal location for a kitchen is not aligned or within sight of the front door. This ensures that the energy of the kitchen doesn’t flow out of the house, but rather stays contained within the space. Even if the kitchen is already in place, use furniture, crystals, or other tools to redirect qi energy properly.
By following these feng shui principles, you can create a kitchen that promotes health, prosperity, and happiness. Whether you’re a seasoned feng shui practitioner or new to the practice, these tips can help you create a positive and harmonious energy in your kitchen.
However, there is so much more to an integrative approach of making the perfect kitchen design for feng shui to harness qi energy, including directional alignment, the five elements, layout, the placement of other appliances, plants, etc.
I am a 3rd generation feng shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with feng shui. Contact me today!
Good Fortune Boost: Feng Shui Guide
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice of creating harmony and balance in your surroundings. You can also use Feng Shui to attract good luck and prosperity. I tell my clients that a goal of Feng Shui is to increase their “surface area” for luck. That is, they can purposefully create more possibilities for positive opportunities to flow into their lives.
I really like that phrase: “increase your surface area for luck.” It reminds me that not everything is dependent upon hard work – but we also can’t leave everything up to chance. Instead, we need to apply effort towards the areas in our lives that will most increase our chances for luck.
Clear the Clutter
The best way to increase your surface area for luck is by keeping your environment clean and clutter-free. Clutter blocks the flow of lucky energy in your home. By contrast, when you keep your home organized, you feel organized and accomplished. You’re also creating more space for positive energy to flow in.
Have you ever been invited into someone’s car or home that was incredibly cluttered? At first glance, would you trust them with an important area of your life, like being your bookkeeper or managing your business? If you have clutter all around you, take a moment to think about how it impacts the perception that others might have of you. Is your clutter potentially preventing you from getting opportunities for good fortune?
Add Lucky Symbols
Another way to increase your surface area for luck is by adding symbols of good fortune to your home. For example, you can place a money tree in your home, which some interpret as a symbol of abundance. Such symbols act as a reminder of your goals so you can attract positive energy to your home.
Frankly, regardless the symbol, it needs to be something that YOU subconsciously believe is a sign of good fortune that will encourage you to take additional small steps every day to achieve your goals. I personally love and highly recommend vision boards for this reason.
Open the Door to Good Luck
In Feng Shui, the front door is the “mouth of chi.” It’s truly the main entrance for positive energy to enter your home. Keep your front door clean and well-maintained (good fit, no squeaks, etc.) to create a positive first impression, which invites in good luck. Placing a wind chime here might enhance the flow of positive energy, but it will certainly also remind you of your goals each time you hear it chime in the wind.
What’s the Color for Luck?
Choosing the right colors for the appropriate areas of your home can also increase your surface area for luck. Different colors are associated with different meanings and energies in Feng Shui and psychology. For example, red is associated with good luck and good reputation, while blue is associated with tranquility and peace. When you add these colors to your home decor, you can attract positive energy to enhance the flow of luck. Be sure to follow the Feng Shui bagua to learn about proper placement of these colors.
Next Steps
Increasing your surface area for luck is an important aspect of Feng Shui. By keeping your environment clutter-free, adding symbols of good fortune, keeping a positive first impression with your front door, and using the right colors, you can attract good luck in your life. Remember, the key to success in Feng Shui is to create balance and harmony in your surroundings.
If you need more specific and custom guidance to improve your space and your life, I’m available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a virtual consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
