How to Choose Paint Shades Based on the 5 Elements of Feng Shui
Color can completely change how a home feels. Designers Benjamin Stelly and Tanya Selway explain how the five Feng Shui elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) help create balance, flow, and personality in any room.
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If your home feels off, it might not be the furniture. It could be the color on your walls.
In Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of creating harmony between people and their surroundings, color plays a key role. Each shade connects to one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. When they work together, they help a room feel calm, balanced, and alive.
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Principal Designers Benjamin Stelly and Tanya Selway of Stelly Selway say color and materials work hand in hand to shape how a room feels. “Certain tones and materials naturally carry different kinds of energy. Warm, earthy shades like clay or terracotta bring a sense of grounding and stability, while deep blues or greens can feel more calming. Brighter more dynamic tones, think warm reds or bold oranges, can inject energy into a space,” they say. They like to think of these elements as a mix, not a formula. “We love exploring how these ‘influences’ interact, rather than treating them as rigid rules. Unexpected colors together can create a healthy tension that feels alive, and translates seemingly contrasting elements into subtle harmony.”
Their own projects reflect that playful balance. “For example, we love juxtaposing a bright, almost neon tone with a more neutral, muddy shade. It can feel counterintuitive, but the result is completely alive. In our Jersey Road project bathroom, a bold blue with a lime undertone sits alongside soft, earthy tiles. It makes for a room that’s playful, layered, and unapologetic.”
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How Light and Direction Affect Color
Where a room faces can change everything about how a color looks. “Light and orientation naturally shape how a room feels, but it’s also about how you want to experience the space,” say Stelly and Selway. “In a north-facing room, which tends to be cooler, we might introduce warmth through natural elements like wood paneling, rawer reclaimed floors, or textured fabrics on walls. Conversely, if you want to embrace the cooler light, we go for softer-toned wood elements, cool colors, and love adding in reflective surfaces to engage the natural brightness.”
They recommend testing paint right on the wall. “For paints, we always test our choices in situ under both daylight and artificial light, to gauge how the colors shift throughout the day. But ultimately, it’s less about following rules and more about creating a space that feels right for the people using it, whether that means cozy and enveloping, or freeing and airy.”
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Using Paint With Other Materials
Color alone isn’t what makes a room feel balanced. Stelly and Selway see paint as one piece of a larger picture. “Paint is amazing as a backdrop to a layered design scheme, yet it rarely works in isolation. The spaces we love to create are punctuated with contrasting textures and material combinations, and furniture that feels surprising. From a wildly vibrant rug to a sculptural object or perfectly oversized furnishing, these elements interact with paint color to create a distinct framework for life lived in each room. It’s about the sensation of tactility and movement, with the actuality of calm and utility.”
Too much of one color can throw off a space...but not always in a bad way. “It depends entirely on intention,” they explain. “Immersing a room in one color or pattern, including furniture, can feel celebratory rather than overwhelming. What matters most is aligning the space with how someone wants to feel in it. A room should reflect personal expression and the energy you want to inhabit, not any hard and fast rules on balance, or what someone else’s notion of ‘what’s right’ is.”
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Mixing Elements Without Losing Balance
In Feng Shui, balance doesn’t mean sticking to just one element. In fact, mixing them often creates more interest. “The most memorable rooms are those where materials, colors, and eras interact thoughtfully, rather than being forced into a single category,” say Stelly and Selway. “We love mixed-media environments. We are prone to layering different materials and elements, bringing to life a composite of senses that feels inexplicably satisfying.”
They say this kind of mixing can go in many directions. “A room can be drenched in a color or pattern for a bolder, theatrical experience. Or it can be a careful interplay, for example using warm woods against cool painted surfaces and slightly reflective metals, and pairing it with heavier textures to root the lightness.” Their advice is to create contrast with purpose. “Another way to mix elements without compromising sophistication is to contrast design eras. It grants a subtle sense of ‘unexpected’ but, when done right, still feels entirely buttoned-up. For example, in our Chiswick Lane project, a contemporary Bonacina chair sits alongside a scrolled-arm antique, creating a dialogue between past and present. Or, in our Cervantes Place residence, we custom ordered a curved, 1970s-inspired sofa and placed it in conversation with antique French leather club chairs.”
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What Each Element Means
Each of the five Feng Shui elements represents a certain type of energy. Wood stands for growth and creativity, reflected in greens and browns. Fire represents passion and transformation, found in reds and oranges. Earth brings a feeling of steadiness with beige and clay tones. Metal connects to clarity and communication, often through whites and grays. Water is linked to flow and calm, seen in blues and blacks.
You don’t have to feature all of them. The goal is to pick what energy you want most in the room and build from there.
Your Guide to Painting by the Elements
Wood: Root Your Most Lived-in Spaces
The Wood element is tied to growth, vitality, and renewal, reflected in both greens and natural brown tones. Muted sage, mossy hues, and warm wood finishes work especially well in living rooms and kitchens, where energy is constantly moving and evolving. Together, these shades echo the outdoors and strengthen a connection to nature. Stelly Selway says that the most memorable rooms are those where materials, colors, and eras interact thoughtfully, rather than being forced into a single category. For them, blending natural greens with wood tones creates a seamless flow of energy — pairing earthy woods with soft greens not only grounds a room but also enhances its vitality, making the space feel rooted and alive with movement.
Fire: Spark Creative Spaces
Red and its extended family (orange, fuchsia, coral) are inherently high-energy, making them ideal for creative zones, lively dining rooms, home gyms, or any space where boldness is welcome. The key, the duo behind Stelly Selway emphasizes, is intention. “Immersing a room in one color or pattern, including furniture, can feel celebratory rather than overwhelming,” they explain. “What matters most is aligning the space with how someone wants to feel in it.”
A bright red dining room can encourage animated conversation, while a persimmon accent wall might spark motivation during workouts. And to keep Fire energy from tipping into overstimulation, you can balance saturated tones with warm neutrals, softer lighting, or cozy textures. Done thoughtfully, fiery shades can inspire without overwhelming, bringing a sense of passion and celebration into everyday life.
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Earth: Get Grounded
Warm, earthy tones like beige, ochre, and clay-toned taupe bring a sense of stability and calm. These colors are ideal for bedrooms and entryways, spaces you want to feel grounded and secure. But earth tones don’t have to feel flat. Layering textures and sculptural pieces can create movement without losing that feeling of calm.
As the design duo explains, “From a wildly vibrant rug to a sculptural object or perfectly oversized furnishing, these elements interact with paint color to create a distinct framework for life lived in each room. It’s about the sensation of tactility and movement, with the actuality of calm and utility.”
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Metal: Create Clarity and Focus
White, off-white, and light gray tones are tied to the Metal element, representing focus, clarity, and efficiency. These shades are especially well-suited for home offices, study nooks, and bathrooms, where clear thinking and calm energy are key. Metallic accents can enhance the look. Stelly Selway puts it, “We are prone to layering different materials and elements, bringing to life a composite of senses that feels inexplicably satisfying.” Using reflective surfaces and polished metals can help keep a space sharp and open.
Water: Serene Serenity
The Water element is associated with flow, intuition, and emotional depth. Blues and blacks can help create a sense of serenity, making them ideal for bedrooms, bathrooms, or any quiet space. But serenity doesn’t have to feel predictable. Using contrast to keep water-inspired spaces dynamic is another way to mix elements without compromising sophistication is to contrast design eras, the designers explain. “It grants a subtle sense of ‘unexpected’ but, when done right, still feels entirely buttoned-up.”
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Where to Begin
If you’re curious about Feng Shui but unsure where to start, Stelly and Selway recommend beginning small. “The biggest misstep is following rules too rigidly. Spaces feel most alive when materials and colors converse intuitively. Our tip: think in terms of interplay, soft versus hard, warm versus cool, tactile versus smooth. A space feels most confident when each element has a role in the dialogue.” That could mean one painted wall, a piece of furniture in a new color, or a mix of textures that feel good to live with. What matters most is how it feels when you’re in it.
Feng Shui isn’t about rules. It’s about creating a space that feels balanced and alive.
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