Colours and Decorating


This is where your Feng Shui consultation comes alive. The fun bit. We have all had those occasions when we have had no idea what colours to start with, how many, or how to put them together. Starting out with little or no plan is sure to end in disaster. Perhaps we have chosen co-ordinated colours which, when put in place, still look wrong and we don’t know why. Once you know what elements belong where it will be obvious what you need to do. Using Feng Shui to decorate your home is one of the easiest and most practical applications of this science.

Even if you don’t plan on redecorating right away, a review of your colour schemes can mean you will be prepared to make informed colour choices when the time is right.



While this chart looks simple I have been amazed how many diverse decorating ideas fit into each category.

Once you have determined which elements belong in which sectors, it is possible to start applying the principles of Feng Shui without spending a cent. Firstly, take all the items in your house that are in the wrong sector and move them to the correct sector. Take sheets or table cloths or any other big pieces of coloured fabric, mats or blankets you have and cover things you can not move. For example if a sector that should be free of wood has a wooden floor, try covering the area with a rug or sheet. Do you prefer the feel of the space without the rogue element?

See how you feel about the changes to your room. Use your intuition just as you do when you are deciding whether or not to buy a particular house.

This way you get to try out the Feng Shui decorating ideas without any expense at all. You may find a great new place for some existing pieces and will be surprised how they seem to ‘work’ in their new home.

Often while doing this exercise I hear people say things like “I had a chair there when I first moved in’” or “‘I always meant to put a door on that veranda” These are examples of how your instincts were right about the house when you first encountered it, and for one reason or another you just didn’t get around to doing what the energy of the house was telling you.

I love doing this with people in their homes. It is really exciting to see the theory come together and for people to experience Feng Shui in such a practical way. At this point the science comes to life. From here, with a little help, you will be able to apply the theory over and over throughout your home, all the while checking to see how you feel about the changes. If you do not like any of the changes that have been recommended, do not use them. After all it is your home so you have the final say.

If you find a sector where you don’t want to follow your Feng Shui consultation, ask your consultant to work through it with you and together you should be able to ascertain why you are feeling this way. There maybe other influences that need to be considered or perhaps you are not ready for change to occur in some areas. No matter what, the most important thing is to trust your feelings and speak up if it doesn’t seem to work for you.

Changing and decorating your home really is an ongoing process and not everything needs to happen immediately. It was two years after the initial Feng Shui analysis of my home that we decided to repaint. Upon moving in, our most pressing problem was noisy neighbours and we were able to remedy this immediately by attending to our “Unhelpful People sector” without needing to paint that sector of the house.

When we did finally repaint, we got comments like “Something’s different, I’m not sure what it is but the place feels good.” Funny, I thought, when we had gone from strong greens throughout to equally strong yellows. I would have thought the change was very obvious, but what was obvious was how the house felt to people. From there it was other people coming into our home and commenting on the decoration that started me off on the path of Feng Shui once again.

Just a tip - If you want to gauge the effect of Feng Shui in your home, watch how the animals or children react. Are they happy and relaxed or agitated and wanting to leave? They have no agenda, their reactions are honest and their instincts are strong so they will be good indicators of the energy in your home.


Balancing the occupants with the room.

Eight Mansions Feng Shui can be used to balance the favourable and unfavourable areas of your home and while all five elements need to be present, it is the proportions of each, in the different sectors, that have the beneficial effects on your home.

Similarly the Paht Chee of the individuals needs to be assessed for each bedroom, and the elemental mix of the family needs consideration in general living areas.

Here is an example of the family element mix. Simply a summary of each person’s individual element makeup from their
Paht Chee Charts.


Here all the members of the family would benefit from additional metal element. This would be a good choice for sectors where it is also beneficial for the house and where the family spends a lot of time. Now you can see how understanding the occupants can be integrated with the household decorations to benefit both.



Decorating the bedrooms


In rooms like a bedroom, a study or any space in which you spend a good deal of time, the elements should be selected so they benefit you as well as be in balance for the house. If possible you can integrate your Kua directions too.

What if you and your partner are different elements (most often the case) how do you deal with that? These are the things your Feng Shui consultant will work through with you but to give you a bit of an idea, have a look at the example of a master bedroom and its occupants below.

Here we are looking for an element that will be beneficial to the room and both the occupants. You can see how this can be bit trickly and certainly this is where your consultant will be of value. The final decision here will depend on nature of the mansion and if there are any issues manifesting in the home. It may need to be given precedence over the occupants if that is the case. In every case there will be some things that are not perfect. We need to deal with the current issues and be aware of ones that may arise and what can be done in that eventuality.


In the Garden


For those of you who enjoy being out in the garden, you can apply the Feng Shui principles there exactly as you do to the inside of the house. This can be just as much fun and is helpful to work out where to put a fountain or swimming pool or to decide if the statue you want to place should be metal or rock, for instance. Just translate the decorating information of the elements into the things you are working with in the garden.

Remember two things with water. Firstly, water features should flow toward the house not away and looking out your front door water should not be visible on the right hand side. Keep these two things in mind and the wealth and relationships for the members of the house will be supported. Water flowing away represents money leaving and water on the right hand side can lead to infidelity, so why take the risk with either.