Ready to make your art about more than just aesthetics? With Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging environments, you can draw from the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—which can make a difference in the energy flow of your space. For World Art Day, let’s explore how you can infuse these elements into your home decor through art to create nothing but good vibes throughout your space.
Wood Element
Wood represents growth, vitality, and expansion. Where do you want creativity, productivity, and social interactions to flow? Use the wood element! Wood is perfect for the office and study, where ideas take root and flourish.
- Best Rooms: Living room, office, study
- Colors: Green, brown
- Art ideas: Choose art featuring lush landscapes, botanical prints, or vibrant green hues. Consider gallery walls showcasing nature-inspired paintings or sculptures made from natural materials like wood or bamboo.
Fire Element
Fire represents passion, energy, and transformation. The kitchen, where meals are prepared and shared, and the dining room are natural choices for adding art inspired by this element. The living room can also be a good place for the fire element—but unless you’re working with a Feng Shui expert— it’s best to avoid too much fire energy in areas meant for relaxation, like the bedroom.
- Best Rooms: Kitchen, dining room, living room
- Colors: Red, orange, magenta
- Decor ideas: Opt for abstract paintings with striking brushstrokes or photography capturing fiery sunsets. Mount fire-inspired art in areas where people gather, such as the living room or dining area, to ignite conversation and warmth.
Earth Element
Earth symbolizes stability, nourishment, and grounding. Rooms where you seek rest and rejuvenation, like bedrooms, meditation rooms, or quiet spaces, are perfect for this element. Home offices, where concentration and productivity are key, also benefit from the stabilizing energy of the earth element.
- Best Rooms: Bedroom, home office, meditation room
- Colors: Terracotta, beige, brown, yellow
- Art ideas: Choose art depicting landscapes, mountains, or pottery for a connection to the natural world. Incorporate these pieces into your gallery walls with mindful spacing and arrangement to promote a sense of balance and stability.
Metal Element
Metal represents clarity, precision, and strength. Bathrooms benefit from metal’s purifying influence, while home offices are ideal spaces for metal for its ability to enhance mental clarity and efficiency.
- Best Rooms: Bathroom, home office, study
- Colors: White, gray, metallics (silver and gold)
Decor ideas: Focus on metallic accents, geometric shapes, or monochromatic compositions. Think metallic sculptures, abstract metal wall art, or black-and-white photography with clean lines. Mount these pieces in areas associated with productivity and focus, such as home offices or study nooks, to enhance mental clarity and efficiency.
Water Element
Water symbolizes flow, flexibility, and abundance. Rooms associated with relaxation, cleansing, and entry/exit points are ideal for incorporating the water element. Draw inspiration from this element in bedrooms, bathrooms, and entryways, where energy enters and exits the home.
- Best Rooms: bedroom, bathroom, entryway
- Colors: Blue, black
- Decor ideas: Consider incorporating framed prints of oceans, rivers, or abstract watercolor paintings. Place these artworks strategically near entryways or windows to invite positive energy flow and encourage a sense of renewal and prosperity.
Bringing It All Together
Feng Shui is an ancient practice that can be very complex, but anyone can draw inspiration from the elements to improve a space’s energy. If you need help incorporating the five elements into your decor this World Art Day, there’s a Tasker for that! Find Taskers for Interior Design, Mounting, and Home Improvements near you and start balancing the energy in your home.
