It would be common sense to assume that you can “warm up” your house with what are traditionally considered warm colors. Shades of yellow, orange or brown will definitely feel cozier than stark white on every wall.
And yet, most people have white walls, which is fine as a neutral back drop to your other furnishings and art. But what if your house feels cold and sterile? Not in the literal sense, but in terms of how it makes you, your family members or guests feel emotionally.
There is a formula that can be applied in traditional Feng Shui theory that begins with the orientation of your house. This theory also applies to apartments or commercial buildings. All structures are referred to as “houses” in Feng Shui. And the house type that you live or work in is identified by its sitting position. The sitting position is the back or the spine of the house. Once that has been established, then you can build on the formula.
The formula is based on Five Element Theory and it is similar to the formula I dispensed in my second book, The Feng Shui Matrix, for the exterior of a house. It is based on a concept of adding an element, (in this case the color associated with the element) which nurtures the house type. This is the Productive Cycle of Five Element Theory.
Here is an example: Let’s say your house “sits” Northeast or Southwest. Both of those directions are related to the earth element. Within the Productive Cycle, fire strengthens earth. This means that for this house type you can use red color in the house to nurture the house type and it will “warm” it up. Now, this doesn’t mean that you plaster the house with red color everywhere! Once again, you have to either know the Flying Star school of Feng Shui, or hire a professional who does, so that you can have the fire colors placed strategically in only the specific areas where the fire element will not cause harm in that part of the house.
Another example is a house that sits in the South. This is a Li House, associated with the fire element. Since wood nurtures fire and wood can be represented with any shades of green, the Li house can be warmed up with green color in the interiors, where it is appropriate to place green, according the Flying Stars of that particular house.
Remember, there is no such thing as placing certain colors in certain directions for a guaranteed result. One has to factor in the age of the house as well as its orientation. If I were to put green color in the southeast part of my house (because southeast is initially associated with the Wood element), it would not necessarily be appropriate for you to do so.
Every house has a sitting direction and an element associated with it and then a nurturing element which you can represent with color, to feed the house, to make it more balanced inside. The effect should be felt by all the occupants.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Feng Shui Theory Blog Series
