If you’ve heard of Feng shui, you already know that it’s the ancient Chinese philosophy of arranging living spaces in harmony with the natural environment. By following Feng shui, you are essentially creating good ‘chi’ or life energy, in your home. And there’s no one who doesn’t want that!
According to this philosophy, the kitchen is considered to be a particularly significant room in every home, since it is the primary source of nourishment for everyone in the family. The food you cook and eat affects your energy and well-being. The kitchen is also the place where you store groceries and cooked food, and it’s very important to ensure that the Feng shui of this space should be in balance.
Feng shui not only lays out rules for positioning various elements in your rooms, but it also talks about the most favourable colours to use in each room. If you’ve been wondering how to pick the colour palette for your kitchen, then you’ve got your answer—turn to Feng shui!
Creating the Perfect Balance in Your Kitchen
Feng shui talks about five elements—fire, water, metal, earth and wood—that should be present in every space, and should be energetically balanced for the most harmonious living. If even one of the elements is missing, then it will affect the smooth flow of energy; and the ‘way of nature’ as conceptualised in the Tao will be askew.
In a kitchen, the first two elements—fire and water— are always present, so we can consider adding colours that represent the other three elements to create a harmonious whole. It’s best to avoid adding more fire and water colours to the kitchen, as too much representation of one element will tip the scales. A fiery red (fire) or dark blue (water) kitchen, therefore, could be frowned upon by Feng shui, unless they are balanced by using white (metal) or green (wood).
You can choose your kitchen colour palette with a good mix of primary colours representing the elements, and by using secondary accent colours in the crockery, napkins, or small appliances.
Matching Colours and Elements in Feng Shui
To make it easier for you, here’s a list of colours associated with each metal.
Earth: Light yellow, light brown, sandy or earthy colours
Water: Black, dark blue
Metal: White, grey, silver, steel
Fire: Red, orange, dark or saturated yellow, purple, pink
Wood: Green, blue, dark brown
Adding the Metal Element
Metal is symbolised by white, grey, silver or steel in Feng shui. To add the metal element to your kitchen, opt for cabinetry and countertops in white or grey, or just add stainless steel, silver or brass handles to the cabinets. The chimney above the cooktop can also be in steel, as also the cooktop itself and the sink.
White is considered to be pure and clean, and is one of the best colour options for a kitchen that ticks all the Feng shui boxes!
If too much of pristine white isn’t your thing, do try a two-tone combo of white and wood. Here, we have a lovely balance with white representing metal, and light brown standing in for the earth element. Dark brown on the floors and ceiling creates the energy of wood, while fire and water are already present in every kitchen! Note that even if you cook with electricity, the energy is the same as that of fire.
Adding the Earth Element
All sandy or earthy colours, light yellow and light brown and of course, wood itself make up the earthy colour palette in Feng shui. This stunning mahogany kitchen gets the earth element just right! Note the wicker pull-outs below the stove, also weighing in on the earthy side.
This charming transitional kitchen uses a lemony yellow with white trim on the walls, adding both metal and earth energies, while the dark brown floor laid in chevron style symbolises the energy of wood. Lighter shades of yellow are said to moderate and appease too much fire energy, while dark yellow and hues that are closer to orange increase its potency.
Adding the Wood Element
It’s important to note that blue is surprisingly not the right colour for the water element, but is considered to represent wood in Feng shui. Blue, green or teal kitchens are a great way to introduce the wood element in your kitchen.
In this kitchen, Shaker-style green cabinets balance out the white walls and countertop (which represent metal, as we have seen) and the brown floors add the vital earth element.
Light blue walls (wood) and white cabinetry (metal) make a refreshing combo in this lovely kitchen. Earth elements are represented by the potted plants all around the room, as well as the biophilic artwork on the walls. Interestingly, the multi-hued rug on the floor combines colours that speak to all these three energies!
Feng shui experts believe that if your home is lacking in one or more of the elements, it’s possible to create balance and harmony just by adding the appropriate colours to that space. Would you like to apply this philosophy to your home and see whether it can work its magic in your life? HomeLane’s Feng shui experts are ready to step in and do their thing. All you have to do is give us a call, and we’ll help you to welcome good ‘chi’ into your home!
