How to Incorporate the 5 Feng Shui Elements in Your Home

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Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice focused on creating intentions within a space to attract certain energies and find balance in the home dweller’s life. And these universal energies, also referred to as “chi” or “qi,” are meant to help you find a healthy balance in everything you do, flowing naturally through five elements. These elements, also represented by colors and orientations, are wood, fire, earth metal and water. 

But how exactly do you use this traditional Chinese practice and bring ancient energetic elements into your own dwelling in order to improve your life and find balance? From adding decorative wood accents and finishes to bringing in indoor potted plants, here is how to incorporate the five feng shui elements in your home to invite the energies of the universe.

Wood Element

While, yes, it’s true that your entire home is mostly built of wood, it still helps to bring in additional wood elements into each room and area. Specifically, associated mostly with the East, Southeast and South bagua areas, these spaces elevate the wood element’s energies and help to improve your natural growth and health. So, within these bagua areas is where you want to focus. 

There are countless ways you can incorporate the feng shui wood element. For starters, you can add a lovely piece of antique wood furniture or mount some rustic wood shelf brackets. Add wood statues and figurines or a woven reed basket of throw blankets. Have a southern facing entryway? Place a wooden bowl to catch keys as you arrive home. 

Since the wood element is symbolized with brown and green colors, alternatively, you can also incorporate potted plants, trees and other such greenery. Plus, not only will the greenery invite the wood element’s energy, but it can also purify the home and create healthy indoor air quality. 

Fire Elements

The feng shui fire element is all about igniting–igniting energy, passion and creativity. The bagua areas most enhanced by the fire element are the South and Southwest, which means they can benefit from home features such as fireplaces and even a decorative candle collection. 

Like wood is associated with plants, the fire element is associated with angular shapes such as triangles and stars. The best way to recall this is to remember that our stars are actually burning suns miles away. Add decor with triangle- and star-shaped patterns and motifs throughout the space.

As you might guess, the fire element’s colors are just like the flames themselves: bright reds, bold oranges and brilliant yellows. Sometimes, the fire element’s color is symbolized with purples and pinks, too. Adding these shades can be as easy as painting a focal wall in a deep eggplant or maroon or throwing down a few gold-hued, velvet throw pillows to a sofa or bed. Want to double your fire energy efforts? Add a red-colored candle to any of the bagua areas!

Earth Elements

Like the ground you walk on and the food it grows, bring nourishment, knowledge and stability with the earth element. Obtain the most of these energetic qualities you possibly can when you place the earth element in the Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, West and Center bagua areas of a room or home. Squares are most associated with the earth element, too. 

Essentially, the earth element is anything based around rocks, stones, crystals and the like. One of the easiest ways to invite earthy energies into the home or room is to use earthenware, such as terracotta bowls like pots for indoor plants. You can also add a natural salt lamp or a large chandelier dripping decorative crystals. And with jagged-like crystals and stones, add square shapes like subway wall tiles and rectangular-shaped rugs. 

The earth element’s color hues fall within the neutral spectrum, ranging from a light sandy yellow to a coffee-like brown. Throw down a light rust-colored tapestry or paint a room in a latte color.  

Metal Elements

Like the material itself, Feng shui’s metal element invites strength, which is matched by focus and independence. North, West and Northwest areas are this element’s ideal placements. Like the triangle and star are symbols of the fire element, round shapes symbolize metal. Metal is also associated with white and gray colors. 

You can invite this strong and resilient energy and metal element into your home in various ways. Crisp whites and neutral grays make exceptionally easy colors to work with, so paint walls with this base, allowing the flexibility to complement it with other hues and balancing it with the other four elemental colors. Bronze sculptures, stainless steel fixtures and brass lighting can also lend a touch of metal to an area of a room. Metal wall decor, like framed photos and clocks, can also invite focus and independence. Alternatively, it can be as simple as a metal candle holder or vase. 

Water Elements

Like fluid and flowing rivers, feng shui’s water element rushes in all the energies of wealth and abundance. Ideal for the North, East and Southeast bagua vicinities, the water element can be much more than a trickling fountain. Its various symbols include fluid wavy shapes like draped curtains and window treatments, as well as a textured or patterned pillow or rug. 

However, the best way to incorporate a water element is with water. Consider adding a bouquet of flowers with a clear vase or a bowl of water with floating tea light candles. Water can also be added through images, such as a photograph or artwork depicting the ocean.

Like the depths of the ocean, deep navy blues and blacks are this feng shui element’s colors, although some bright Caribbean water-hued turquoises do the job well, too. Similar to a serene, calm lake where you can see your reflection, the water element is also matched by mirrors and like materials. Add decor with polished surfaces and finishes. For example, you could add a glass table or hang a mirror on a wall in one of the three bagua areas.