Feng Shui Your Home With Natural Materials
Photo credit: @obakki
As we move into a new year, Feng Shui offers a thoughtful way to reset the energy of our homes. Rather than focusing on rigid rules, modern Feng Shui emphasizes intention, balance, and the use of natural materials to support how a space feels and functions. The objects we choose, their materials, and where we place them all influence the flow of energy, or chi, throughout a home. Below are five grounding material categories to help bring clarity, warmth, and balance into your space for 2026.
Ceramics and Pottery for Grounding
Earth Energy
Handmade ceramics and artisan pottery hold an important place in Feng Shui because clay comes directly from the earth, making it one of the most grounding natural materials you can bring into your home. Ceramic forms are associated with stability and nourishment. Bowls symbolize receptivity and abundance, while vessels and vases offer containment, balance, and visual weight. Placed in entryways, kitchens, or living spaces, a handcrafted ceramic vase helps anchor a room and encourages energy to settle rather than scatter. Pieces like the Earthenware Bowl by the Potters of Akiliba, featured below, bring this grounding presence into the home through their form, material, and intention.
Photo credit: @gillianstevens for @obakki
Natural Textiles to Soften and Balance
a Room
Textiles bring softness into Feng Shui, helping to balance rooms that feel too sharp, cold, or visually rigid. Natural fiber textiles such as wool, linen, and cotton soften hard surfaces, absorb sound, and create a sense of warmth and ease. In winter especially, heavier natural textiles add comfort and a feeling of protection, making them ideal for bedrooms and quiet living spaces. Even when not featured as a specific product, woven rugs, throws, and textiles act as visual and energetic buffers that support rest and inward energy.
Photo credit: @obakki
Wood and Sculptural Objects for
Movement and Flow
In Feng Shui, wood represents growth, movement, and renewal. Sculptural wood objects help introduce gentle motion into a space without creating visual noise. Their organic grain and natural variation guide the eye, encouraging energy to move smoothly rather than stagnate. When placed intentionally, wooden bowls, trays, and sculptural accents bring rhythm and warmth to shelves, dining tables, and living areas. Hand-carved walnut pieces from Morocco, including sculptural bowls and candle holders, are especially well suited to this role, adding quiet movement and grounding presence through natural material and form.
Photo credit: @emaphotographi for @falkenreynolds
Glass and Reflective Surfaces to
enhance light
Glass and reflective surfaces are used in Feng Shui to encourage clarity, brightness, and the healthy circulation of energy. These materials help light move more freely through a space, lifting areas that feel dim or heavy without adding visual weight. Mirrors are powerful Feng Shui tools because they reflect and amplify energy. When used thoughtfully, they can visually expand a space and brighten interiors by reflecting light or meaningful views.
Photo credit: @mi.lamont
Rather than overwhelming a room, sculptural mirrors and softly reflective surfaces can be used to gently expand transitional spaces. A piece like the Caralarga mirror, handcrafted in Mexico with a feathered frame of recycled cotton, can be placed in hallways or stairwells to help widen the flow of energy, guiding movement through areas that might otherwise feel narrow or compressed.
Incense and Scent Rituals to Clear
Stagnant Energy
In Feng Shui, scent is used to clear stagnant energy and reset the flow of chi within a space. Burning incense for cleansing or meditation helps move energy that has become heavy or emotionally dense, especially in entryways, living areas, and transitional spaces.
Photo credit: @obakki
At the beginning of a new year and during winter months, these daily rituals support reflection, clarity, and energetic renewal. Natural, handmade incense is often preferred, as it aligns more closely with Feng Shui principles rooted in intention, purity, and balance. Simple ritual objects, such as a candle, incense holder, or small ceramic bowl, can become visual anchors for these practices. Traditional Japanese incense, like our Kayuragi with warm notes of sandalwood, offers a gentle way to clear space while creating moments of calm and focus.
FENG SHUI HOME ESSENTIALS
Related Posts
Feng Shui Your Home With Natural Materials
As we move into a new year, Feng Shui offers a thoughtful way to reset the energy of our homes. Rather than focusing on rigid rules, modern Feng Shui emphasizes intention, balance, and the use of natural materials to support how a space feels and functions.
The History of Glassblowing
Glassblowing is an ancient craft with roots stretching back more than 2,500 years. Invented by Syrian craftsmen, early glassblowing techniques allowed molten glass to be shaped into functional vessels for the Roman Empire.
Inside the Studio of Nathalee Paolinelli
Inside Nathalee Paolinelli’s Vancouver studio, nothing is rushed. This journal takes you behind the scenes of her intuitive ceramic practice — from working slowly with clay to embracing imperfection, movement, and time as part of the creative process.