The Many Changing Colors of Feng Shui

Although many years ago it wasn’t a primary thing to go over unless I was doing a remodel, I was not asked much by my clients about the colors they should use.  I typically saw traditional light and pale walls and white ceilings and doors and there didn’t seem to be much of an interest in what would be “Feng Shui” colors to implement into their new spaces.

Now it is something we cover with every consultation.  People I believe are more in tune with colors and not the ones Feng Shui typically consider the “best” colors to use though out certain parts of your home or office.  I myself get confused by the contradictory books.  I read two recently that suggests painting your front door black.  Did that rule out the former principle of painting your front door Red, to bring in good fortune and auspicious chi?  And what about clients who wanted a regular white door because that is what they are comfortable with? 

I myself in the last several years have experimented much more with colors in my own space, colors that for one reason or another would not have been chosen as a “Feng Shui” Color, but I am perfectly in tune with them and love the feeling.  I think that the use of colors lifts us up and brightens us, whatever our color choices are.  And although I still have some strong suggestions for my clients, I am finding they are also more in tune with choosing colors and non traditional colors in almost every area of their spaces and they love it.

As for the front door dilemma, I would like a client to use their own good taste on what would best suit their likes and dislikes.  While it is true to grace an entrance way, if my client wants to use white they can always hang a colorful wreath around it.  And something lovely that says “Welcome” as that is what you truly wish people to feel upon entering your home.  I don’t believe your door has to be either red or black as the books suggest.  Isn’t it said good Chi follows good people?

The controversy about Feng Shui Colors for Bedrooms wages on.  Don’t use red, you are told, it is too stimulating and won’t promote good and restful sleep.  Except that the lights are off when you are sleeping and I can’t find a thing wrong with a stimulating bedroom while you are awake!  My advice to my clients is simply that bedrooms are shared rooms and should require both of the adults occupying the space to agree on a color they are both in tune with.  There are many other ways to promote the restful sleep your body needs to restore each night and I have seen absolutely beautiful bedrooms where people are sleeping well and feeling restored.

This brings me briefly to another point I came across recently.  It is a fact that energy from above you hangs down over you (be careful of the cluttered attics) and energy from below you rises up (which is why we are so careful not to cram the basement with clutter as well).  Why, then, is it said to put a Red Sheet to sleep on under your mattress?  Your body is more unprotected then at any other time while sleeping.  I do not promote putting a red, stimulating color under your mattress to have that energy rising up while you actually are trying to rest and restore.  I am trying to figure that one out, but until I do I just don’t recommend it!

I was recently asked to give a consultation at a home that was undergoing extreme renovations.  What I had not realized as we were speaking at length about different issues what the upstairs of the home was primarily done.  I have to give my wonderful clients credit for letting their children pick out their own colors for their rooms.  Long gone were the pale pinks and blues I am used to seeing and they had each chosen a brighter, more pastel color.  They all loved their rooms, slept well, did not become overactive or have any difficulties at all.  And they loved spending time in their rooms as well.

I give my client a lot of credits for letting them take a part in the very important decision process of choosing colors they wanted and felt well in.  And quite frankly, when the doors are all open upstairs and you get a glimpse of each room vibrant with color, it looks like a palette upstairs.  It also did something for the children, which was made them feel valued; their opinion counted and it gave them esteem as well as a beautiful room they could truly enjoy.

I do stick with the principles of leaving entranceways light and inviting.  Not white necessarily, but sticking to a light color in this area does make people feel warm and welcomed.  And choosing a darker color in this area can make people feel closed in and a sort of heaviness they are probably not even aware of.  It also opens up the entryway making it feel larger. 

So what then, are, proper Feng Shui Colors for any rooms? I have seen Reds in every type of room and love it.  I have seen the white ceilings done away with and loved that as well.  I have seen bright bedrooms, more vibrant shades and people truly expressing who they are through their use of color and I don’t discourage it, as a matter of fact, I am usually in tune with it myself.

Perhaps it was too many years of white, off white, cream, eggshell or any other name you wanted to use for traditional paint colors through out an entire home.  Or maybe that people are instinctively feeling what is a good color to surround themselves with.  It can be different for everyone.

My final thought on painting a new color is simply this.  Through my own mistakes, I found that light changes the colors sometimes dramatically as it changes throughout the day and into the evening.  As our lights at home are usually standard bulbs, it can make the look drastically different.  I am a huge fan of the Benjamin Moore color samples and choosing a day when you can see the color you are thinking of choosing at different times of the day and into the evening.  That way you can get all perspectives of the colors and know what your room will look like before you paint it.  And won’t have any unhappy surprises after the job is done.

Good luck with your color choices; they reflect your state of mind, enhance your moods and make YOU feel good in every room of your space!  And isn’t that what a good “Feng Shui” Color is supposed to do?