5 Trends You're Using in Your Home That Are Actually Creating Bad Feng Shui in 2026

These aesthetic concepts might look pretty, but they won't do the energy of your space any favors

Amiya Baratan's avatar
By
published
in Advice
A bright kitchen with a tiled backsplash, a steel countertop, windows by the sink, vases of flowers, fresh produce, a red kettle, and a pair of hanging rice paper lamps
If you believe in Feng Shui, these trends might not be worth the renovation. (Image credit: Gibeon Photography. Design: ALI & SHEA)

Finding your own taste in a world of trends that sprint in and out of fashion can be tricky. But what's worse is hopping on a trend that might be draining your home of all its good energy. And according to the principles of Feng Shui, some current aesthetics will do just that.

Don't get me wrong, I love taking inspiration from the latest interior design trends just as much as the next home enthusiast. However, if, like me, you have painstakingly adjusted your home to welcome good energy in the name of Feng Shui, you don't want a simple trend undoing your hard work.

So, when it comes to prioritizing Feng Shui in your home, these are the trends that are worth amending or ditching altogether.

1. Color Capping Your Ceiling

A dining room with a yellow ceiling, and mustard walls, a red chair, a patterned rug, and a wood dining set with a low-hanging white pendant lamp

DO INSTEAD: Restrict color capping to spaces that are catered to entertaining and not resting.

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Maxine McKenzie, Feng Shui practitioner and co-founder of Yinteriors, tells me that color capping can affect the energy in your home. "This trend has been everywhere recently, and it can be visually striking," she says.

"But from a Feng Shui perspective, because the ceiling is symbolically the ‘heaven’ or protective sky of the home, painting it a very dark color can subconsciously weigh on the occupants."

She explains that this can create a sense of limitation or heaviness and disrupt restful sleep in a bedroom. Instead, she recommends restricting color capping to rooms with very high ceilings, lots of natural light, or where it suits the mood, such as a Feng Shui dining room.

A woman with salt and pepper hair swooped back, in a maroon long sleeve blouse by a Chinese money plant
Maxine McKenzie

Max McKenzie is a double-qualified Feng Shui practitioner and member of the International Feng Shui Guild. With a 30-year career in brand and marketing, a large part of which was spent with the Royal Institute of British Architects, Max understands how people interact with their environment and how good design can influence behaviour and improve lives. She is also the co-founder of London-based interiors consultancy Yinteriors, dedicated to creating balanced and harmonious residential and commercial spaces. By integrating Feng Shui, color psychology, and design psychology, Yinteriors helps clients optimise their environments to support health, wealth, career, relationships, and overall well-being. The company's name, Yinteriors, is a celebration of the divine feminine (yin) energy, reflecting their philosophy of balancing yin and yang for effortless flow and beauty.

2. The 'Lived-In' Look

A living room corner with banquette seating a tiled green wall, a pair of wall sconces and a painting beside a white wall with a yellow armchair, a white wall sconce and a potted jade plant in a brown planter

DO INSTEAD: Opt for cozy, wabi-sabi design choices and keep clutter at bay.

(Image credit: Colin Way. Design: Mera Studio Architects. Contractor: Rawlyk Developments)

This year, the concept of rooms that feel cozy and lived in is everywhere. And while Maxine is all for spaces that reflect their inhabitants, she's not so much for letting the trend go so far as to clutter your home.

"You can still do a regular audit and let go of once meaningful things that no longer serve your current self. Also, well-loved and well-worn can be beautiful, but broken things are not good Feng Shui," she says.

And if you love thrifting furniture and vintage items, Max finds that it's always worth giving them a little energetic cleanse when you bring them into your home. This will keep the character of your home while protecting it from any lingering negative energy.

3. Overwhelmingly Earthy Palettes

A dark wood powder room with an oval mirror, a marble sink with a vase of flowers and a pendant lamp

DO INSTEAD: Consider softening an overly grounding palette with richer shades.

(Image credit: Nicole Franzen. Design: Jessica Gersten Design)

Contrary to popular belief, Max tells me that an all-earthy palette is not good Feng Shui. Since this ancient Chinese philosophy is all about balance, it's better not to tip the scales in any direction — even when it reflects the natural world.

"These colors are warm, grounding, and on trend. But paired with heavy, large-scale furniture, you might end up with a space that feels a bit too static. That’s classic ‘too much Earth’ in Feng Shui terms," she warns.

"Instead, I recommend adding Feng Shui houseplants for your living room or botanical prints to symbolize the wood element, good lighting to introduce fire, metallic accents, and mirrors or glassware for water to create balance and stop the vibe from getting too sluggish."

4. Maximizing Yin Energy

An arched built-in study with coral walls, a floating desk, storage, and a coral chair

DO INSTEAD: Balance the energy in your home, based on the task of each space.

(Image credit: Roger Davies. Design: Studio Emblem & Co.)

One of the biggest home wellness trends for the year is spaces for stillness. "This is more than a trend — we think it’s a much-needed shift in how we relate to our homes. But be mindful of creating too much Yin energy," she warns.

"Especially in living spaces where you need to feel active or alert. A Feng Shui bedroom should absolutely feel soft and calm, but an overly cozy career area or home office can result in procrastination and a lack of creative drive, feeling stuck or sluggish."

She also points out that your hallway and home office need a bit more life. "Balance the sanctuary energy with more dynamic chi where it’s needed, so that opportunities and motivation can still find you."

5. Open Shelving Everywhere

A bright kitchen with wood shelving and cabinets, a tile backsplash, a terrazzo countertop, and green cabinets, by a terrazzo top kitchen island with a vase of stems, a stack of books, and a row of woven stools

DO INSTEAD: Mix open shelving in while prioritizing closed storage for better energy.

(Image credit: Colin Way. Design: Mera Studio Architects)

When it comes to shelving ideas, open and floating is the trend of the moment. It looks effortless, bespoke, and light. However, it's not the ideal storage concept for good Feng Shui.

Open shelving is a common source of clutter, and it requires regular cleaning to keep up appearances. Rather than lead with open shelving in all of the rooms in your home, it's better to sprinkle it into your space while balancing it with closed cabinets and sideboards, too.

This way, you can enjoy the elegance of an open shelf without having it be a contributor to clutter and mess — both of which are major Feng Shui mistakes experts always notice.

Feng Shui Books to Shop

To better Feng Shui your home in 2026, I recommend looking at our guide to the rules for the year of the horse. It'll help the energy of this year's mascot gallop in abundance.

Amiya Baratan
Amiya Baratan
Home Wellness Writer

Amiya is a Home Wellness Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London, and has lent her words to beauty, fashion, and health sections of lifestyle publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health. Her experience as a research analyst has equipped her with an eye for emerging trends. When she’s off the clock, she can be found reading, listening to music, or overanalyzing her latest Co-Star update.