Whether it be through coincidence, common sense, or mystical power, feng shui, the ancient art and science of furniture placement, is efficacious--from fixing a shaky marriage to promoting a multimillion-dollar deal. Feng shui consultants have been hired by the Hong Kong offices of Chase Asia, famous artist Milton Glaser, and the Asian Wall Street Journal. Feng shui (pronounced "fung shway") is being applied to all styles of interior design. Miraculous results often have been achieved at minimal cost.
Literally translated "wind and water," feng shui uses principles of ecology, spatial arrangements, interior design, and mystical teachings to suggest where and how man should build his shelter.
"The object of feng shui is to channel the energy, or ch'i, in one's environment so that the inhabitant's energy flow becomes more balanced and smooth," says Sarah Rossbach, the only known Western feng shui expert and author of two informative and practical books on the topic published by E.P. Dutton. "For example, if you have three or more windows or doors in a row, ch'i is funneled too quickly. Your family may have physical difficulties, or many opportunities may go out the window. On the other hand, ch'i can become blocked. When you open your front door and the first thing you see is a wall or a coat closet, this can cause depression, like the feeling of continuously coming up against a brick wall."
Ch'i, Your Vital Energy
An Asian concept of energy, ch'i is the vital force that breathes life into all living things and the motivating force of all creation. It causes trees to blossom, rivers, to flow, and man to act. "Ch'i determines your movements, your destiny and your essence," says Rossbach. "And feng shui is one way to enhance it. Man's ch'i is strongly influenced by the ch'i of the atmosphere".
Rossbach "feng shuied" the two-room office/home apartment of Bob Marks, a New York resident. "She said my loft was like a large oppressive pet that was sitting on me; and it was also darkening my 'money corner,'" Marks said. She instructed him to partition off the office section of his main room, to choose furniture below waist height so that it would not dominate his small apartment, and to keep his "money corner" lit at all times. (See sidebar "Ba-gua.") His business increased by 15 percent, and his place looks and feels better, he says.
New York interior and industrial designer Clodagh works with Rossbach, both on blueprints and at her clients' sites. "We know a lot about the ergonomics of chair design and table height, and how light and air affect the person; feng shui is another aspect that can positively affect my clients' use of their space," she says.
"Anyone can 'feng shui' his home using the principles in Rossbach's book," says Clodagh. "You can use and rearrange the things you have." Feng shui is effective with any style of interior design, and it need not give an Oriental ambience.
Among Rossbach's suggestions for Clodagh's apartment were to move her Le Corbusier-style sofas close together to make the living room more conducive to entertaining, to put a mirror over the bed to draw in light and collect small beams of energy, and
...
Read Full Article
|
