Even though curtains are not given a lot of attention in feng shui, they can often have a strong presence in living space.
If you have seen as many residences as I have, you’d know exactly what I mean as they can sometimes pop out like a centerpiece in a piece of art.
Windows are part and parcel of any house and are entryways for energy into the premises.
Because of this, curtains can sometimes play major roles in the feng shui of a house, which includes the bedroom and living room.
It can act as a filter of energy just like how a basket keeps tea leaves from getting into the teapot itself. You only want to enjoy a cuppa without having to pick the loose tea leaves out of your teeth.
The notion of energy entering from windows can be further emphasized when we refer to the 7 star robbery formation of stars in flying star feng shui where window or door openings are required for the special star alignment to take shape.
So there is no debate about this.
When feng shui concept is applied to curtains selection, it is all about the relationship between the elements.
The 3 main criteria for choosing curtains with feng shui inclinations are:
- Color
- Design
- Shape
Other than space energy enhancement, don’t forget that curtains can also help one to block sha chi from the window view.
But that was discussed in another article. This is about the choice of curtains for your home.
Let’s run through these curtain options before discussing what types of curtains are good for which part of the home.
Color
The colors which are associated with the 5 elements are:
- Wood – Green
- Fire – Red
- Earth – Brown
- Metal – White
- Water – Blue
When homeowners think about which curtains to buy, the first thing that comes to mind is what color to get.
While the color of choice would be influenced by interior design, choosing a wrong color can adversely affect the dynamics of energy in the area where the window is.
For example, if the living space we are talking about is the living room and it resides in the east sector of the house, then energy entering from the living room window is of wood elemental base (assuming the direction the window faces is also east). In this case, the elements water, wood, and fire are in harmony with this space. While earth and metal are in conflict. The east sector is also associated with the Chen trigram in the later heaven arrangement of bagua. This implies that conflicting energy in this space can cause bad luck to the eldest son and even bad health problems.
There are a lot of other implications we can discuss, but there is just so much to write about when conflict of energies occur in particular sectors of the house.
This is why it is best to achieve harmony than to try your luck with energy conflicts.
Shape
The form factor also plays a critical role in what types of energy a particular set of curtains emit.
The below are the shapes which the 5 elements are associated with.
- Wood – Rectangle
- Fire – Triangle
- Earth – Square
- Metal – Circular
- Water – Waves
While most people would probably know curtains as squares or rectangles, that is like saying a smart phone’s screen is black. That is until you switch it on.
The shape of the curtain should be judged by assessing in what shape it is when configured to it’s most frequent shape.
For example, even though a curtain might be squarely shaped when drawn, it might actually spend most of it’s time tied up to the sides to let light in… taking on a round shape.
So what exactly is the shape of of the below curtains and what elements does it symbolize?
Instead of giving you an answer, I suggest that you make you own judgment so that you can judge your own curtains at home.
The shapes and forms of curtains can enable a homeowner to enhance the conditions for favorable energy to prosper without having to do anything else in that particular spaces.
For example, a house facing NW1 from the period of 8 would have favorable water star in the southeast sector of the house. This is the wealth star 8 which is fundamentally earth based. A curtain at a window in this location would energize the wealth energy as soon as it enters the house. Waking it up so that it can get to work immediately in bringing the residents money luck. 😀
When we consider elemental conflicts, then one must ensure that the color and shape of curtains do not create a conflict by itself.
An individual would not be able to focus on work if he is having personal issues troubling him. This is the same with inner conflict of furniture and furnishings.
Design
Even though most households use curtains with solid colors, there is a growing trend for more funky designs.
When evaluating the elemental nature of designs, both the colors and shapes printed on a set of curtains must be factored in.
For example, below is one of water element with it’s blue color and wavy lines.
This would be ideal for the north area, provided the north is not an unfavorable sector of the house caused by feng shui ailments.
For fancier designs with no clearly identifiable shapes or colors in the prints, then go back to assessing the main color and shape.
For example, the below curtain contains very creative prints.
Can you determine what elements it represent?
What types of curtains are suitable for different space
As mentioned earlier, the types of curtains for different areas of the house depends on the elemental relationship between the residing element and the elemental energy the curtains bring.
In this sense, the below is a general guideline assuming there are no other conflicts present to consider.
| Sector | Harmonious Element |
| North | Metal, Water, Wood |
| South | Wood, Fire, Earth |
| East, Southeast | Water, Wood, Fire |
| West, Northwest | Earth, Metal, Water |
| Northeast, Southwest | Fire, Earth, Metal |
Firstly, identify the sector of the house in which the window is. Then select curtains representing elements that are in harmony with that sector.
