Originating billions of years ago inside the ultra-hot environment of stars, metals are highly-valuable substances that form the basis of all matter.
They make up the backbone of the ground beneath our feet and many of the structures and products we couldn’t live without today.
Metal is tough, but it can be cut and molded with precision. For these reasons, the Metal element in Feng Shui is associated with clarity, precision, simplicity, strength, and integrity.
When it comes to bringing it to your home, Metal is one of the most versatile elements. Its colors and qualities complement the other five elements well, and although it is an element of action, it tends to be associated more with the slow, reflective and receptive qualities of yin energy.
If your spaces—mental or physical—are feeling cluttered and chaotic, Metal may be exactly what you need to clear your mind, create structure and boundaries, and help you access more creative and fresh thinking. Harnessing the Metal element in your home can help you become organized and take action in a precise and firm way.
Use our feng shui Metal element decor guide to discover how to use Metal to make it cut through confused spaces and attitudes and help you move forward with clarity.
Feng Shui Metal Element Decor Colors
When looking to activate and bring in Metal energy, many shades and tones can work depending on your space. The colors range from dark grays and strong metallic colors to white and very pale silvers.
Gray Feng Shui Color Meaning
Gray and silver are the two main Metal element colors. Representing control, neutrality, wisdom, and stabilizing energy, they can make a space feel steady and cut through the chaos.
Gray works well as a design’s neutral color to help blend rooms and spaces. Every shade from dark to light gray can work. However, the darker the gray the more dominant and absorbing it can be.
Metallic Feng Shui Color Meaning
Metallic colors have the appearance of polished metal and therefore are associated with the metal element. Metallic colors including bronze, gold, silver, chrome, brass, copper, and nickel represent success, wealth, prosperity, optimism, and taking action.
Metallic paint, wallpaper, lighting, and finishes are all popular home decor choices to help bring the qualities of the metal element into an environment.
White Feng Shui Color Meaning
As the blank canvas upon which everything is painted on, white represents simplicity, new beginnings, purity, and innocence. It is one of the most versatile and subtlest metal colors.
White needs to be balanced out with the right colors or it activates a different element altogether. For example, white and yellow equals Fire, white and green equals Wood, white and blue equals Water, and white and gray equals Metal.
Feng Shui Metal Element Decor Lines & Shapes
As the Metal element represents simplicity, precision, clarity, and strength, the main shape associated with it is the circle.
In Feng Shui, the circle represents continuity, unity, harmony, wholeness, and the never-ending cycle of life. A circle is perfect, mysterious, and without edges or weaknesses, making it a powerful symbol and a particularly popular shape in art and architecture.
Any shapes or objects that have rounded edges and few corners can help bring the Metal element into a space. This includes spheres, polka dot patterns, curved lines, poles or columns, arches, and round windows.
Feng Shui Metal Element Decor Products & Artwork
A large rounded table or metal furniture isn’t always the best way to bring the Metal element into a space. Bringing Metal in can be subtle and is always dependent on how it balances and works with other elements that are present in the space and environment.
Here are a few ideas for activating the Metal element in your spaces:
- Round coffee tables, end tables, or dining tables
- Spheres and globes
- Circular lamp shades
- Metal light fixtures or door handles
- Metal decor items such as round vases, pillows, rugs, lamps, and dishes
- Circular mirrors or picture frames
- Artwork with circles or white, grays, or metallic colors
- Modern art with clean lines and shapes
Feng Shui Metal Element Decor Principles
Each of the five elements in Feng Shui are not separate independent things, but interconnected stages or phases. Each is a part of the same whole and is broken down by and brought into being by others.
In Feng Shui, the ways in which the five elements interact with one another are explained by three cycles: The Productive Cycle, The Controlling Cycle, and The Weakening or Destructive Cycle.
To balance the Metal element in your spaces, you need to know what nourishes, feeds, or creates Metal (The Productive Cycle), what controls Metal (The Controlling Cycle), and what exhausts or drains Metal (The Destructive Cycle).
- Metal is nourished by Earth. Earth nourishes metal by creating minerals in the soil. Bringing in the Earth element with ceramic, stones, brick, and soil can activate the Metal energy in a space.
- Metal is controlled by Fire. Fire can help to weaken or manage metal. Adding sharp, triangular shapes and warm colors helps avoid stagnation and frustrated energy.
- Metal is exhausted by Fire. Adding too many Fire element items to a space can melt Metal and cause energy to disperse and move too quickly. For instance, in a workspace, adding in too much Fire energy can disrupt workflow and lead to distraction.
There are many ways to use these three cycles and the above tips to bring Feng Shui Metal element decor into your spaces and infuse them with precision, clarity, and strength. The main thing is to be able to assess what a space needs and to be aware of how each of the five elements interact with one another.
Need expert guidance to infuse your spaces with the wisdom, harmony, and balance of Feng Shui? Get in touch to book a call with Leslie Close, our Principal Designer and California Interior Designer based here in Los Angeles.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Enter your email and receive 10% off your first order.