Original article featured in Cambridgeshire Agenda April 2009. Photography courtesy of Mark Scott and Spike Powell.

The Chinese art of Feng Shui inspires many dedicated followers and a host of sceptics. Cate Burren of Angel and Blume takes a look at the ancient tradition from an interior design perspective. Feng Shui is based on the idea that the environments in which we live have an effect on our emotional and physical well-being. When we walk into a building or a room, we can either get a sense of harmony and comfort or we may feel a tension or unease – different places make us feel different emotions.

We know from Quantum Physics that all matter is made up of energy and the idea with Feng Shui is that the movement of this energy affects every aspect of our lives. Within the home, different arrangements will affect the movement of energy and will in turn have an impact on wealth, business opportunities, health, relationships, career, and so on. When thinking about the design of your home, it is incredibly tempting to start by looking at paint colours, furnishings, fabrics and all the lovely products we see in magazines and on the high street. However, the design of every home should be individual to the people that live there, and every household is different so good planning of the space that you have is crucial.

Who uses it?

Feng Shui dates back over many hundreds of years originating in China when the inhabitants were looking for suitable land to farm and to live on. As the world evolved, Feng Shui advice was used for all kinds of buildings and townscapes and until the middle of the last century, there was a strong tradition of its use in mainland China. When the communists came to power it was banned as a superstition but the practice flourished in Hong Kong and today it is widely practised in many Far Eastern countries.

Although the practice of Feng Shui is fairly new to us in the West, having been introduced into this country around 30-40 years ago, it is used by many well known companies internationally when building or furnishing offices and homes. When Disney built their new theme park in Hong Kong, Feng Shui masters were brought in at the planning stage to advise on layout, positioning of the park, entrance locations, pathway placements as well as designing the layout of the two hotels built to accommodate visitors. The Standard Chartered building in London has been designed with Feng Shui principles in mind – including having no fourth floor. The number four is an unlucky number in the East and having a fourth floor means that positive energy could be prevented from entering the floor, dampening productivity. Some years ago, controversy was caused when a Feng Shui expert was brought in to change the layout of the home dressing rooms in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. It was said that the away dressing rooms had a better ambience about it and changes were duly made. Sadly the changes didn’t kick in straightaway and the first team to use them, Cambridge, lost to Blackpool 4-1!

What can it do?

Feng Shui is not purported to be a magic wand that can change buildings or the lives of those in them in an instant but I believe that the general idea that our environment affects us in many ways, and that bringing harmony to a home or office is possible by making changes to that environment, is not an outrageous one. Many of the principles of Feng Shui are about achieving balance and simplifying the way that we live and work and in our overly cluttered, hectic lives, this would seem to be a positive approach.

Although each building and situation is different, there are some general principles of Feng Shui which can be applied to most environments. As an interior designer, many of these seem to make a lot of sense when applied to our homes. One of the first principles of Feng Shui is to avoid clutter, which is not to say that we all need to live in minimalist homes but is about not hoarding things that are not used, required or even liked. It is generally recommended that furniture should be positioned so that you have the broadest view of the room and doorway. This includes a desk in an office, the bed and also placing a shy guest in a place at the table where they can see the door to make them feel more comfortable. In Feng Shui the front door is very important and recommendations are to make sure that it is welcoming, well lit and if possible opening into a spacious and well lit hallway. These and other general principles of Feng Shui work seem to make very good sense when planning the interior design of a home or office.

How to get advice

As with any consultant, it is very important to find someone who has a genuine training and understanding of the discipline but also someone who you feel comfortable with and who is prepared to listen to your requirements. Most Feng Shui consultants will need to spend some time with you, ask questions about your lifestyle and family and will crucially need to see and spend some time in the space you want to improve. The Feng Shui Society in the UK has a list of consultants who they have assessed and accredited and will recommend someone in your area or who will travel. A fixed fee should be agreed for a consultation and a written report is normally supplied on completion of the work.

Feng Shui is similar to any discipline that requires an initial element of belief – it really can work if you let it but for the sceptic within us, it is easy to ridicule. However, because it is based on such a positive approach, there is little to be lost and much to be gained.