arIf you are looking to pick drape colors for your home, you may want to know the best curtain colors according to Vastu.
Vastu Shastra (or Vastu) is the ancient Indian art devoted to creating a harmonious living environment.
And one of it’s elements is the significance of colors. The appropriate color can infuse your home with positive energy, healing, and well-being.
The best curtain colors according to Vastu Shastra are blue, white or green for a living room. Peach, orange or yellow for a dining room. Red, orange, green or brown for a kitchen. Blue, green or yellow for a kid’s room. Peach, brown, or blue for a main bedroom. And light neutrals for a bathroom.
Western practitioners of Vastu Shastra sometimes refer to this science as “the yoga of design principles.” Just as a daily yoga practice enhances energy flow and restores your physical and spiritual self, so does a serene and cohesive living environment.
I was fascinated to learn how Vastu combines a study of directional architecture and color theory. Here’s what it taught me about choosing a color palette, including for curtains.
Vastu Shastra and Color Significance
This Indian philosophy is rooted in the Vedas, age-old sacred texts that teach about living in harmony with our natural environment.
According to the Vedas, following Vastu guidelines will help you experience life fully. It saturates your home and its inhabitants with positive energy, balance, and well-being. I would certainly sign up for that!
Vastu teaches that color plays a role in balancing the body, mind, and spirit. Different colors stimulate different kinds of energy, which are associated with five Vastu elements:
- Earth (Prithvi) is associated with strength and stability, and the relevant colors are earth tones like brown, tan, and yellow. These colors suit bedrooms and family areas like living and dining rooms.
- Water (Jal) relates to serenity and is associated with shades of blue. These tones can be used throughout the home, particularly in living rooms, bedrooms, and meditation areas.
- Fire (Agni) symbolizes passion and vitality. Because of their intense energy, reds and oranges are not recommended for bedrooms or living rooms. Instead, reserve red for the kitchen or as an accent in a dining room.
- Air (Vayu) stands for growth, harmony, and creativity. Signified by green, air energy is ideal for bathrooms, studies, home offices, studios, and craft rooms.
- Space (Aakash) represents purity and clarity, embodied in the color white. This is an appropriate color for any room.
Directions and Colors: Choosing the Right Curtain Colors According to Vatsu
Vastu is more complex than simply choosing a color for a specific room as the excess of a single color causes an energy imbalance.
Colors need to be chosen in Vastu-friendly combinations. I was totally blown away by how often these combinations are precisely what interior designers recommend. (More about this below.)
Another principle of Vastu is directionality or the placement of rooms according to the points of the compass. According to this principle, colors are associated not only with elements but also with directions and their energy.
Let’s examine how these three facets create a harmonious home.
The Living Room
A living room or family room represents our outward selves, our style, and the charisma that welcomes guests into our homes. This room should, therefore, make a favorable first impression, full of relaxed energy.
The best colors for a living room depend on its placement. North or northeast-facing living rooms should be primarily decorated in blue. Or at least have several blue accents picked up in curtains, pillows, and other decor.
If blue anchors the palette, include contrasting colors for accents, like a joyous yellow for harmony.
Living rooms facing northwest should also be blue but can have more neutral elements like gray, black, white, or off-white to balance the energy.
East-facing living rooms should be green, representing growth and the inspiration of the rising sun. A beige foundation color creates a serene backdrop for bright green curtains and decor.
Avoid using darker shades in a living room. Stick to bright, uplifting colors with gorgeous color contrasts as balance. Remember that white is always suitable as an anchor or curtain color.
The Dining Room
Because the dining room is where families and friends share food and bond, it is regarded as integral to your home. Dining rooms are, therefore, associated with warm colors that signify joy, happiness, honor, and devotion.
Ideally, the dining room should be facing the east or south-east. And the best colors to use are those of the rising sun: peach, saffron, orange, and yellow. These colors are also associated with the digestion and assimilation of food, so they can extend to a nearby kitchen.
Combine pinks and oranges with soothing accents of blue and green (in curtains or rugs), colors that symbolize bonding and unity. Avoid black-and-white color schemes in the dining room as they imbue the room with unwanted negative energy.
The Kitchen
This is the room where we transform raw food into human energy. So it relates to the south-east of the home, the source of fire energy.
Fire colors are red, orange, saffron, peach, and yellow. They stimulate metabolism, digestion, good health, and prosperity.
You can use natural colors like green and brown as accents, as they help whet the appetite. However, steer clear of a dark or gloomy kitchen if you want to use browns and greens.
Also, avoid a blue kitchen, as this color represents water, which is the antithesis of fire.
Kids’ Rooms
According to Vastu, rooms for children should be west or north-west-facing. Always ensure a child’s room is bright and nurtures personality and creativity. There are a couple of options that you can combine.
Pale blue is a good choice for an older child as the color improves focus for studying. Blue curtains allow for a swathe of color to keep the walls white and clear.
Light green represents growth and youth and aids in concentration. Balance the green with white curtains, representing innocence and purity.
Shades of yellow imbue a room with cheerfulness, joy, and clear thinking. Yellow curtains reflect warm-toned light into a room. According to Vastu, natural light purifies the air and encourages the positive flow of energy.
Avoid red, as it can cause aggression in an angry child, while dark blue is oppressive.
Main Bedroom
Vastu Shastra places the main bedroom southwesterly, which is ideal for rest. However, your chosen color will depend on who uses the bedroom.
For example, newlyweds should use a peach and rosy pink palette to symbolize appreciation, admiration, and gratitude. These warm, soothing shades engender mutual love and bonding rather than conflict.
Choose a mauve, purple, and violet color scheme to calm emotions and encourage sweet dreams. Good sleep habits include an airy, well-ventilated bedroom.
A color palette with orange curtains is perfect for the young professional looking for success and prosperity. However, be aware that this bright shade is unsuitable for those with a temper!
And definitely avoid a red bedroom for the same reason. (To be honest, I never wanted a red bedroom anyway. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.)
For older family members (I have to count myself in this group after a recent big birthday), go for gentle brown shades to foster good health, stability, and strength. Add accents of gold and yellow in curtains or other furnishings, representing love, prosperity, and wisdom.
Greens and blues are also lovely bedroom colors, as these shades are relaxing and serene. You can always make a Vastu-friendly color palette by combining green or blue with pink, purple, orange, or brown to balance the energy and add tranquility.
The Bathroom
Bathrooms should be faced north or northwest and are associated with the air element. Always fill your bathroom with light colors: white, beige, cream, and taupe.
These soft neutrals combine well with healing green. Blue is also an appropriate color, since it relates to water. Introduce blue and green as accents, such as through your curtains.
Because bathrooms are such compact spaces, avoid dark colors, which foster negative energy.
Final Thoughts
The color of your curtains can play a significant role in balancing the energy of a room, according to Vastu Shastra. This Indian philosophy emphasizes that different colors are associated with different forms of energy you want to attract and flow through a room or avoid. The direction of a room also plays a role in your choice of Vastu-friendly color combinations.
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