Dressing the Exterior of Your House Using Feng Shui Principles
There is a Feng shui theory behind the best color for the exterior of your house and it is partly based on the orientation of the house. Each house has an orientation; it is facing a certain direction that can be defined by a compass. There are eight basic directions: North, South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest.
The real character or strength of a house is determined by its “sitting direction,” which can be described as the back of the house. A house that faces North, will “sit” in the South. If you as a person are facing east, then your back is to west, so it is the same notion with houses.
When you know what the sitting side of your house is, that direction is associated with an element and complementary colors. Below is a chart that defines a house based on its sitting side. You only have to remember that the sitting is almost always the opposite of the facing side because almost all houses have parallel front and back walls.
Below is a list of the Sitting Side of a House and the Ideal Exterior Colors for it:
North (Water): Supportive or matching blue, white or gray
Northeast (Earth): Supportive or matching beige, reddish tones
East (Wood): Supportive or matching or blues
Southeast (Wood): Supportive or matching greens or blues
South (Fire): Supportive or matching reds or greens
Southwest (Earth): Supportive or matching yellow, brown or red
West (Metal): Supportive or matching white, gray, yellow, or brown
Northwest (Metal): Supportive or matching white, gray, yellow, brown
The theory is that you can use an exterior color that matches the house type or a color that strengthens the element associated with it. For instance, a house that sits north is a “water” type house and any shade of blue is water. So that would be a stable color for the exterior. But in the cycle of the elements, metal strengthens water, so metal colors like white and gray are also complementary for that house type.
When a house type has a supportive exterior color, it makes the house stronger, heartier, and therefore the occupants can feel healthier and more productive.
To use the same five-element-theory, if the exterior color of a house has a dominating or debilitating effect, then the occupants will feel drained or the house may demand much of their energy and resources, like the house we call the “Money Pit” because the occupants can’t save.
Below is a chart showing the same sitting directions, but the color or colors that would have a dominating effect on that house type, and therefore not recommended.
House sits North/ Harmful Exterior Colors=yellow or brown
House sits Northeast/ Harmful Colors=greens
House sits East/ Harmful Colors= white or gray
House sits Southeast/ Harmful Colors= white or gray
House sits South/ Harmful Colors=blue
House sits Southwest/ Harmful Colors= green
House sits West/ Harmful Colors=Red tones
House sits Northwest/ Harmful Colors=Red tones.