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Feng Shui Fireplace Tips: Decor, Uses, Meaning, Plus Do’s and Don’ts!

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Do you have a fireplace in your home?

Or are you in the middle of remodeling and considering putting one in?

Are you curious about the feng shui rules for a fireplace and what it represents in your home?

If so, you’re definitely right that a fireplace can affect the energy in your home, both positively and negatively!

Let’s discuss fireplace feng shui and how to work with it!

feng shui fireplace tips

What Does a Fireplace Represent in Feng Shui?

In feng shui, fireplaces represent the fire element.

The fire element is the catalyst for change.

It speeds up energy, attracts attention, and increases passion and heat.

With the fire element, a little goes a long way.

Just think about how quickly an unattended or uncontained fire can spread and how much destruction it can cause.

All you need is a little spark and you can have a full-fledged flame.

In our homes, fireplaces tend to be warm, cozy areas where your family and guests can gather and spend time together.

They have plenty of practical uses – everything from heating your home, cooking meals, or just creating an inviting ambiance.

And they also have lots of decorative uses – giving a focal point to a room and creating a room full of comfortable and relaxing vibes.

All of these uses help give the fireplace meaning in feng shui, because they translate to how the energy feels and moves through your home.

fireplace in a log cabin with candles and wood mantel

Fireplaces and The Five Elements of Feng Shui

When it comes to the five elements, one of the basic rules of feng shui is that it’s better for the elements to be balanced in a home.

Balancing the elements means energy flows evenly throughout the home.

It doesn’t move too fast, too slow, or get stuck for long periods of time.

Balanced energy flow means that good Chi (life-force energy) moves through your home, and brings along good fortune, good health, and abundance to everyone in your family.

If energy moves too quickly, your life can feel rushed, hectic, and overwhelming.

If energy moves too slowly, your life can feel slow, stagnant, and stuck.

You can see, then, how fireplaces can be confusing in feng shui.

As we discussed, a little fire element goes a long way in feng shui.

And fireplaces tend to be large, taking up whole areas of your home.

This is part of what lends fireplaces a bad reputation in feng shui.

But if you have a large fireplace (especially in an area where it would seem inauspicious) don’t worry!

You can easily balance the elements and even use your fireplace as a positive influence in your home, helping you to attract everything you’ve ever dreamed!

One thing it’s important to remember about your fireplace is that it can be made of many different materials that also represent some of the five elements.

If your fireplace has a metal insert or cover, for example, that represents the metal element.

If your fireplace is made of brick or ceramic tile, that represents the earth element.

The color of your fireplace can also help balance the elements.

If you have a black mantel, for example, that represents the water element, which can slow down the fire energy.

For more information about the elements and how to balance them, you can check out these posts:

living room fireplace with tv over mantel

The Do’s and Don’ts of Feng Shui Fireplace Decor

There are a few general guidelines when it comes to feng shui and fireplace decor.

Do: Mirrors can be great above a fireplace. They represent the water element, which can slow down the fire element energy.

Do: TV’s and electronics can also be great above a fireplace. They represent the fire element and have active energy in the same way fireplaces do.

Do: Use plants to soften the energy of the fireplace. If you have one in your bedroom, for example, placing plants in between the fireplace and your bed can help soften and stabilize the fire element.

Do: Use water element artwork or photographs above the fireplace if you don’t want to use a mirror! Water element artwork or photos can be of actual water (like waterfalls, lakes, or the ocean) or even artwork with blue and black colors.

Don’t: Place pictures of family members, pets, or spiritual figures on the mantel above the fireplace. Symbolically, it “lights a fire” under those relationships and can cause irritation, arguments, and frustration. It can also just make the energy around those people or pets move too quickly, causing discomfort and hot tempers.

Don’t: Place a mirror directly across from the fireplace. Mirrors double the energy of what they reflect, which can cause too much fire energy!

electric fireplace with round mirror over mantel

A Fireplace Directly Across from the Front Door

If you have a fireplace directly across from your front door, it can cause the beneficial energy that enters your home to get “burned up” and released up the chimney, which stops it from circulating in your home.

To counteract that and keep the energy circulating, you can hang artwork above or next to the fireplace.

The artwork should represent the water element, which means it can be a painting or a picture of water or even artwork with lots of blue and black colors.

You can also use plants around the fireplace to soften and redirect the energy around the fireplace.

This will slow down the energy as it enters your home and move it around the room so it doesn’t go directly into the fireplace.

Avoid hanging a mirror above the fireplace if it’s directly across from the door.

Even though using a mirror can activate the water element, mirrors also bounce energy.

So not only will the energy coming in your front door be burned up in the fireplace, but what’s left of it can be bounced right back out your front door.

decorative fireplace with candles, mirror, and mini lights

Feng Shui and an Unused Fireplace

Even if you don’t use your fireplace, it still contains fire element energy.

The same is true if it’s completely blocked or doesn’t work.

If you never use your fireplace, make sure you keep the damper closed so energy doesn’t flow up and out of your home.

Also, make sure you keep your fireplace clean so that it doesn’t attract stagnant energy!

Decorative Fireplace Mantels

If your fireplace is decorative only and doesn’t contain a chimney, the fire element will not be as strong as it would be with an actual fireplace.

If you want to activate the fire element even more, you can use candles around your decorative fireplace mantel to activate it and help the energy move.

How to Use Your Fireplace and Feng Shui to Attract and Activate Your Dreams

Because your fireplace represents the fire element in feng shui, you can use that to your advantage! The fire element activates energy and can attract attention from the Universe. This can lead to change, new beginnings, and extra manifesting power! This means you can use your fireplace to help you activate energy and supercharge your intentions.

To use your fireplace for manifesting:

Write your intention on a slip of paper or even a bay leaf. The more specific your intention, the better. If you’d like to manifest money, for example, it’s better to have a specific amount than it is to write something like “I want more money.”

Spend a few moments feeling the feelings of having what it is you want. Take a few deep breaths, knowing that the Universe is paying attention and is going to send you what you want.

If you have a wood fireplace, you can burn your intention immediately, or place it somewhere near your fireplace and burn it the next time you use your fireplace.

If you have a gas or enclosed fireplace, place the intention statement on the mantel or near the fireplace. You can even light your fireplace for a few moments every day for the next 9 days to draw even more power to your intention.

If you have a purely decorative fireplace, you can place your intention under a candle and place it near your fireplace. Light the candle for a few moments every day for the next 9 days.

It is done! You can burn your intention statement, plant it somewhere (like in a potted plant or in your yard) or even place it on your vision board or in your manifestation journal.

Now that you know all about fireplace feng shui, you might also want to know:

feng shui tips for your fireplace
how to feng shui your fireplace