The Feng Shui of Color

Without light, we cannot see color. When we see color, it is light reflected back to us. Color is light, and light is a form of energy with its own frequency and wavelength. That's why thinking of color through a scientific or physics lens is often more helpful. This energy (color) is not static. It fluctuates and changes, reflecting the light conditions at the time and responding to the other colors (energies) surrounding it. 

Every color has only one complement. The complementary pairs are red & green, blue & orange, yellow & purple. Each of the primary colors’ complements is a combination of the other two primary colors. Complementary colors (similar to complementary angles in geometry) make a complete whole, and what they complete is the spectrum of light: between the two colors in the complementary pair, all hues are present. Thus using a balance of complementary colors and relationships allows us to experience the full spectrum.

In each complementary pair, one of the colors is classified as a warm color and the other a cool color. When complementary colors are seen together, they actually enhance each other’s energy and appear brighter and cleaner. We often say that they appear to sing together. The colors energetically lift each other and are more luminous. 

We can create this same energetic enhancement by using a balance of warm and cool colors. This basic principle is what makes our color work unique and operating in a different dimension than just how the color designs look. Using a balance of warm and cool colors makes our color designs feel incredible because of the energy they produce together.

Fortunately, feng shui, the ancient Chinese system used to balance and enhance environmental energy, has increasingly been accepted as a valid and beneficial solution for improving lives in our culture as well. Fundamental to feng shui is the common sense understanding that harmony and balance, especially with nature, have healing effects. As our culture is awakening to what ancient Eastern cultures have known for thousands of years, we are witnessing the success and healing effects within people’s homes. 

When observing Mother Nature’s use of color, we experience the inherent balance of warm and cool tones and the energy to which so many of us are attracted. For example, while the main color of wood is warm, on very close inspection, the grain is typically a cool color. The way in which the tones dance together on a deep level--that we often do not perceive--is the reason we believe so many of us desire wood decor and architectural finishes in our homes. We don’t necessarily see the complementary relationships, but we feel them. Humans are also animals of the Earth, and the energetic balance that resonates with us outside is possible to be brought inside our homes to support us most effectively. 

Color Theory, the science behind Mother Nature’s divine plan, has been a very effective tool to educate people about this basic principle of feng shui. Color Theory illustrates that by balancing complementary colors, we can create an energetic whole much greater than the sum of the parts.

Undoubtedly, the architectural application of color is an infusion of energy. We at Color in Space know how to manipulate and balance that energy to better support us. Educating our culture about the energetic depth of the architectural application of color--the full spectrum--not only benefits us individually. The benefits ripple out to our greater collective whole. On a mass level, we even have the ability to heal the Earth with the conscious and intentional use of color, especially when we relieve the anxiety and confusion surrounding it for so many.

As Lin Yun Has Stated:

“According to feng shui, our life and destiny are closely interwoven with the workings of the universe and nature. All permutations, from cosmic to atomic, resonate with us. The force that links man and his surroundings is called ch’i (translated as human spirit, energy, or cosmic breath)."

“The point of feng shui is to harness and enhance environmental ch’i to improve the flow of ch’i within our bodies, thus improving our life and destiny. Harmony and balance are both crucial factors in feng shui – they pervade the process linking man and the universe."