Can a Small Room Be Painted Dark in Feng Shui?

Feng shui, the Chinese art of placement, focuses on balance. Rather than dictating strict rules, feng shui recommends creating an equilibrium between dark and light colors, or between dark and light rooms in an entire house. To decide whether to paint a particular room a dark color, consider the room's use, its location in the house and what feels right to you.

Yin, Yang
In Chinese thought, yin represents the feminine principle, portrayed visually by darkness. Choosing a dark wall color makes a room heavily yin. This might be appropriate for a room that you want to feel quiet and restful, such as a bedroom or study. You could prevent the room from feeling too yin, or too dark and depressing, by incorporating yang elements for balance: white trim, brightly colored rugs and furniture, a fire in the fireplace, bright reading lights.

Elements
A different color represents each of the five elements in feng shui. Many of the colors are dark or come in dark shades: water is black or dark blue, earth brown or yellow, wood green and fire red. Consult a feng shui book with a bagua map to decide which element would be best to emphasize in your particular room, depending on the room's use and its location in your home. In a centrally located living room, you could emphasize earth, for example, because the earth element governs the center of the house. Then it might be appropriate to paint your living room yellow or brown or use brown paneling on the walls.

Balance
The principles of feng shui prevent the overwhelming use of one color or material. A living room with a wood floor, wood paneling on the walls and wood furniture might be an overdose of the wood element, for example. By adding a coffee table of metal and glass, you restore balance by introducing different elements and colors. You would accomplish the same balance with red upholstery on the sofa to represent the fire element.

Optimal Use
The ideal room in feng shui would have all five elements represented, with a preponderance of one element that best suits its purpose and location. As long as you choose an appropriate dark color and balance it with lighter and brighter accessories in varied materials, there is no reason not to use dark-colored walls in feng shui.