The Metal Element: Focus and Completion

December 9, 2009

Fall, the season of Metal, is a time when we start nesting for the winter. It’s a great time for planning and getting organized, which is what the Metal element is all about.

Metal is also about money and finances — the coin of the realm.

Here are a few great ideas for bringing Metal into your space.

1. Paint it white

1. Paint it white.

White, the purest of hues, is the color for Metal, but it can easily become overwhelming.

In this room the impact is diminished by the dark blues of the Water element, which soften some of Metal’s edge.

 

2. Use Metal!

2. Use Metal.

Circles are also associated with Metal.

This beautiful and sophisticated silver lamp adds the incisiveness of Metal without being too hard edged.

3. Add circles!

3. Add circles.

 

 

 

 

 

I love this playful rug, which brings Metal into the space without being too “obvious.”

Note the Fire element in the red flowers and book, which “melt” the hardness of Metal while warming up this room.

 

 

Can you find ways to add this purest of shapes to your space? How else might you add Metal to your space?

Filed Under: Cultivating Personal Chi|3 comments
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  • http://www.organizinggoddess.net Sharon Lowenheim

    We’ve got some metal picture frames on our mantle. (Mixed in with some wood ones – is that okay?) Also a metal floor lamp with a Tiffany-style shade.

  • http://www.ivanexpert.com Caroline Green

    My little tip to add: In our home we have great bookshelves with metal verticals and wood shelves, so you get that glint of metal but not too much of it. Got them at The Shelf Shop on the Upper East, they can customize.

    • http://openspacesfengshui.com Ann

      Hi Sharon and Caroline — So glad to hear you have metal in your spaces :)

      The metal bookshelves sound perfect — you want the Metal element but not too much of it especially in a home environment. When Metal’s shape is vertical, like the shelf brackets and floor lamp, it “looks like” wood, too (think of a growing tree). So it sounds like you both have a good balance going of these two elements.

      Thanks for commenting!