16 Good Luck Charms for Your Home That Boost Good Fortune

An aquarium or fishbowl

What type of luck it brings: Prosperity, abundance, a flow state and good health

According to feng shui, water plus fish is a winning combo. “In Chinese culture, water is associated with money,” says Maureen Calamia, founder of the Luminous Spaces Feng Shui School and author of Creating Luminous Spaces. As for the fish, they keep the water moving, which is a plus because we tend to equate moving water with vitality. For best results in bringing your house luck, place your aquarium or fishbowl where it can be visible upon entering your home and make sure to keep it clean and well-tended. Happy and healthy fish make for a happy and healthy life for you too!

A fountain

What type of luck it brings: Prosperity, abundance and a flow state

Not into the idea of having a pet fish? You can still get the good luck flowing with a fountain. “Fountains are popularly used outside of a front entrance, with the water either spilling equally around the spout or toward the front door itself,” says Lisa Alban, a certified feng shui design professional and chair of the International Feng Shui Guild. But indoor fountains work too, including small tabletop ones.

Don’t have access to flowing water? No worries. Hanging a serene painting or photo of a river or fountain can also invite good fortune into your home.

Mobiles and wind chimes

What type of luck they bring: Harmony with the natural world, abundance, positive change and personal growth

You might not think mobiles and wind chimes have a lot in common with water, but they do share a key element with it: movement. Like water, they “direct and move energy” as they sway with the air’s movements, Calamia explains. And, she adds, fortuitous opportunities are more likely to present themselves in the context of movement and energy.

To maximize this potential and bring your house luck, hang a silent mobile either just inside or just outside your front door. Wind chimes, however, should go outside to “disperse negative energy and diffuse negative sounds such as traffic or machinery if nearby,” according to Alban. It’s also a pretty patio decor accent that will naturally blend with any setup.

Crystals

What type of luck they bring: Wealth, abundance, protection, healing, good health and balance

Some New Age folks believe that wearing a zodiac birthstone is the ultimate good luck charm. Others prefer to hold a palm-sized crystal whenever they need a little boost. Likewise, you can leverage the power of crystals for good luck in your home by hanging them in a window. Alban recommends using a red string cut to a length that’s a multiple of nine to suspend the crystal. (Both the color red and the number nine are considered lucky in Chinese culture, so that’s a triple whammy!)

Calamia suggests another approach: Simply scatter quartz crystals around your home for protection and to attract positive energy. According to interior designer Kathy Fielder, clear quartz in particular is widely associated with healing properties. As for other kinds of crystals to consider for the home, Fielder says that amethyst is associated with protection and good health, turquoise with balance and rose quartz with love and trust in relationships.

Plants

What type of luck they bring: Balance, harmony, vitality, abundance and general good fortune

Like crystals, plants introduce elements of nature into the home, bringing good luck and banishing bad luck. “Because we have that evolutionary desire to connect with life, houseplants do a wonderful thing to bring more peace, harmony and a feeling of vitality into the home,” Calamia says. The key is to keep them healthy, of course, since dying plants won’t bring the same juju to your space. Luckily, even just one thriving plant will draw in positive fortune, Calamia adds. That said, a bamboo plant is particularly popular for those looking to nurture wealth and abundance, and it’s incredibly easy to care for (and hard to kill).

Alternatively, you can attract the same kind of good energy through artwork depicting forests, meadows or flowers, notes Amanda Sophia, founder of the International Feng Shui School.

Acorns

What type of luck they bring: Good health, strength, physical safety and protection

Often used as a good luck charm that you pick up off the ground and stick in your pocket, acorns can also work their magic in your home. Think: a bowlful of acorn goodness to bring abundance (and a little bit of nature) inside.

The root of its purported luck? The acorn is a nut that has the potential to grow into a magnificent, oxygen-producing oak tree. It is considered a good luck talisman in a wide range of countries, including China, Scandinavia, Greece and England. In England, incidentally, the survivor of a late-19th-century shipwreck also attributed his good luck to the acorns in his pocket. Much like a four‑leaf clover, the acorn has long been revered as a timeless symbol of good fortune.

Pi Yao figurine

What type of luck it brings: Good health, strength, physical safety, protection and wealth

The Chinese mythical creature known as the Pi Yao (also spelled Pi Xiu) is half dragon and half dog, according to Laurie Pawli, founder and director of the Feng Shui School of Chicago. Others say it’s also part horse and part unicorn. What most can agree upon, however, is that with its gaping mouth and needle-sharp eye-teeth, the Pi Yao looks downright terrifying. Nevertheless, the Pi Yao is regarded as an agent of magical goodness, according to Pawli.

Superstition says that, when placed with its mouth facing your front door, the Pi Yao’s formidable breath will blow back any germs that try to enter your home. The Pi Yao is also sometimes associated with wealth and good relationships.

Good luck cat figurine

What type of luck it brings: Abundance, wealth and good fortune

Perhaps you’ve seen a “waving cat” figurine near the cash register of your favorite Chinese restaurant. Well, it’s there for good luck, and it might just bring good luck to your home too—particularly in the form of money. What many don’t realize, however, is that this good luck cat isn’t Chinese in origin; it’s Japanese. Moreover, the maneki-neko, as it’s known in Japan, isn’t waving, but beckoning you toward it.

Also known as the welcoming cat, money cat and happy cat, the maneki-neko dates back to Japan’s Edo period (1603–1867). Chinese feng shui principles have something to say about how to leverage its powers. Specifically, you’ll want to place it in the southeast corner of your living room, also known as the wealth corner.

A solid headboard

What type of luck it brings: Security, emotional and physical comfort, and stability

According to interior designer and feng shui consultant Anna Cowan, every object you have in your home represents a form of energy, but how any particular object resonates with you and your family can be personal. For example, while a good luck cat figurine is generally considered auspicious, if you happen to have a deep-seated fear of cats, then it may not be a way to get good luck into your home. But where you can rarely go wrong, Cowan says, is in making sure that your bed is firmly attached to a solid and sturdy headboard.

Positioning your bed against a solid wall is already optimal because it offers solid support, both physically and metaphorically, and having a solid headboard reinforces that. And by solid, Cowan means that you shouldn’t be able to see light through it. In other words, wrought iron may not bring you the same good fortune as wood or fabric. While you’re decorating your bedroom, you also may want to consider your zodiac power color, which can give you an added boost.

A reflective surface over your stove

What type of luck it brings: Wealth and prosperity

In Chinese culture, your stove isn’t just about making food; it also represents your ability to make money, according to Cowan. So like your finances, your stove should be kept clean and clutter-free. To maximize your money-making potential, Cowan advises installing a mirrored surface behind your stove so the burners can be seen in the reflection. Why? Because multiple views of your stove’s burners equate to multiple ways of making money, Cowan explains. If installing a mirrored backsplash isn’t in the cards, you can always use metallic paint or a fire-safe reflective mosaic.

Dala Horse

What type of luck it brings: Good fortune, strength and dignity

Since Viking times, the horse (as in the actual living, breathing animal) has been considered both holy and auspicious in Sweden. But starting in the 19th century, artisans in the Swedish province of Dalarna began making them available to the general public as good luck talismans (not to mention highly desired children’s toys) in the form of these handcarved wooden horses that are now known as Dala Horses.

The Dala Horse became known internationally in the mid-19th century, when it appeared as part of the Swedish display at the Paris Exposition. It then made its way into the United States during the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Handpainted, most Dalas are orange-red with splashes of blue, green, yellow and white, but these little figurines are still considered good luck if painted primarily blue, black, white or natural.

Elephant figurine

What type of luck it brings: Quiet strength, wisdom and wealth

In Africa, the elephant is regarded as a symbol of power, strength and stability. Throughout Asia, but especially in Thailand and India, the elephant represents all that plus wisdom. In the United States, the University of Alabama and Tufts University are just two of the many institutions of higher learning that have chosen the elephant as their smart and stalwart mascot. Indeed, elephants are associated with good luck and good fortune in many cultures throughout the world, and having an elephant figurine in one’s home is thought to harness those positive vibes for the benefit of the entire household.

But not just any elephant figurine will do for this purpose. A good luck elephant should have a trunk that faces upward, Calamia tells Reader’s Digest. This keeps its magic from “slipping out.” Ideally, you’d want to place your good luck elephant figurine in such a way that it is visible to, as well as directly facing, the front door.

Hamsa

What type of luck it brings: Protection, happiness and harmony

Throughout the world, but particularly in the Middle East, one of the most ubiquitous good luck charms you’ll find is the Hamsa. Shaped like an upturned palm, the hamsa is thought to represent the hand of the divine, which, in turn, symbolizes divine intervention. While the Hamsa is often worn as an amulet in the hopes of bringing good luck to the wearer and/or safeguarding the wearer from misfortune, people also place hamsa imagery in their homes to protect all the members of the household.

Hamsa imagery for the home may come in the form of either a sculpture or two-dimensional art. In either case, there’s some debate over whether to display it with the fingers pointing down or up. Fingers pointing down is said to attract good luck, whereas an upward-facing hamsa is believed to offer protection from bad luck.

An iron horseshoe

What type of luck it brings: Prosperity, fertility and protection

Another cross-cultural good luck charm, the iron horseshoe is typically hung on the front door of one’s home. Some attribute its magic to its crescent shape, which ancient people from Chaldea (in the Middle East) to Ireland believed would terrify evil spirits and cause them to flee in fear. Others maintain the mystique lies in the fact that horseshoes were originally forged from iron. And iron, which is magnetic and highly durable, was thought by ancient people to have magical powers.

As with the Hamsa, there’s some debate over whether the horseshoe should be pointing up or down to bring your house luck. Those in favor of the upward orientation believe the closed side of the horseshoe acts as a “container” for good luck. Those in favor of the downward orientation believe the closed side helps keep bad luck from entering the home.

A display of citrus fruits

What type of luck it brings: Health, wealth, abundance

Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and pomelos are among the Chinese New Year foods associated with good luck. But regardless of the time of year, a bowl of citrus fruits placed in the center of one’s kitchen, dining room or living room can attract “an abundance of health and wealth,” as Alban puts it. Specifically, you’ll want to have nine pieces of fruit (because nine is an auspicious number in feng shui). To double your good fortune, Pawli recommends placing the bowl of fruit on top of a mirror or other reflective surface.

A red front door

What type of luck it brings: Prosperity in all forms

Feng shui practitioners consider the front door to be the primary place where energy—whether positive or negative—enters one’s home from the outside. In Chinese culture, red is considered an auspicious color. As Calamia tells Reader’s Digest, it’s not uncommon for brides to wear red in China or for family and friends to exchange red envelopes on holidays and at important events. Accordingly, a red front door is believed to attract good energy into the home.

If this resonates with you but painting your front door red seems impractical, Pawli offers the following DIY alternative: Cut a 5-inch arrow out of red paper, and place it on the floor at your front door, with the point of the arrow facing into the house. Place a total of nine coins on the arrow (five on the length of the arrow and two on each of the two sides of the point), and cover it with an area rug or mat. Feng shui practitioners also recommend removing things like cacti from your home for better luck.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Maureen Calamia, co-founder of the International Feng Shui Guild, founder of the Luminous Spaces Feng Shui School and author of Creating Luminous Spaces
• Amanda Sophia, feng shui master, Celtic priestess, inspirational speaker and founder of the International Feng Shui School
• Lisa Alban, certified feng shui design professional, board chair of the International Feng Shui Guild, owner of Cloud 9 Feng Shui and a co-founder of the Intrinsic School of Feng Shui
• Kathy Fielder, interior designer and stylist
• Laurie Pawli, founder and director of the Feng Shui School of Chicago
• Anna Cowan, interior designer, staging expert and feng shui consultant