Peace, balance, and harmony are the goals of Feng Shui

Asian Abode
In today's fast-paced world we'll do just about anything to achieve the mood we're after. Need to amp-up for a big project? Take an energy drink. Need to unwind? Practice yoga. In answer to the need for calming and personal spaces, more people are turning to Asian decor to create a harmonious home or office.

"We have an ever-increasing stressful world," says Cathleen McCandless, a San Diego Feng Shui consultant. "People are more stressed, and instead of seeing their home as a showcase, they are seeing it as a sanctuary. The Asian influence is a calming influence." She also says that Asian decor is a counterbalance to the post-industrial era. "With the advent of air conditioning and heat, we totally threw out nature. We live in man-made environments. People are soothed by images of nature, by natural materials."

Asian design is characterized by natural materials, like wood or stone, and has graceful lines that appeal to our senses. It appeals to the "less is more" philosophy that can help homes feel cozy and warm without feeling overcrowded and cluttered.

In the '90s, modern Japanese Zen decor was all the rage. Zen uses very stark, clean lines and geometrical shapes to project a minimal style in contemporary spaces. Although homeowners were drawn to the natural and clean-looking aspects of this decor, today many want a friendlier feel to their interior spaces. Today's Asian decor, often called Asian Fusion, is more relaxed and informal, and elements can easily be combined with other styles to create the eclectic, well-traveled look so popular in Southern California.

According to Damien Pfirsch, founder of Asian Nouveau, an online showroom of Asian decor accents, the desire for health has kept Feng Shui and Asian decor popular. The past several years have shown demand for dark lacquered styles. Today, however, designers are also seeing an insurgence of these simplistic styles in blond-stained woods. Bamboo flooring, a new favorite for the environmentally conscious, is a good backdrop to any wood furnishings when stained a contrasting color.

Some homeowners are also looking to the ancient art of Feng Shui to arrange their homes. This 3,000-year-old Chinese tradition is meant to manipulate one's inner energy, or chi, to create a relaxing environment. "Much like environmental psychology, Feng Shui is about how we experience our space," says McCandless. "It has nothing to do with religion, superstition. It's not a belief system. Everyone knows the feeling of going into a space that feels comfortable. That's what Feng Shui is - the study of an environment and how it affects people."

Feng Shui is about addressing our most basic survival instincts to feel safe and secure in our homes. Choosing and arranging furniture in certain ways can help people achieve those feelings.

"Think about when you go to a restaurant," McCandless says. "People often ask for a booth. It's because in a booth, everyone in the party is protected, there's no hierarchy, and they feel safe. When you're comfortable, you feel relaxed, and when you're relaxed, you're happy."

You can use simple Feng Shui concepts to decorate your home smartly. It's about getting in tune with your inner senses and what your psyche needs to feel comfortable in your home environment. A basic recommendation is to avoid right angles in furniture, when possible, by introducing round tables with soft curves or bevels. "A round dining table will help everyone feel on the same plane and will encourage conversation," McCandless says.

Only purchase pieces you really love. If your interior decorator has ideas that don't jibe with your gut, go with your own instincts. Chances are that the look won't grow on you. Accessories like shoji screens, Asian-style light fixtures, and plush rugs with piles of cozy floor cushions can help enhance the cozy feeling in a living room or bedroom. Don't place sofas and chairs directly facing each other. Although the symmetry might work for a space logically, putting furniture on different angles will bring a feeling of harmony and movement into the room.

Feng Shui also relates to home exteriors. "The same principles that we use inside the home can also be used outside," says Molly Olberz, a Feng Shui-certified landscape designer who owns Terra Earth Designs. "The proper placement of features, like fountains, barbecues, fire pits, and plants can make a big difference."

With people's busy lifestyles, more homeowners are incorporating meditation gardens into their landscape design. These gardens are made up of great-smelling herbs and flowers, carefully selected plants and boulders, or a water feature, depending on the location of the space. Special details like fountains can help accentuate a calming mood in any home, inside or out, according to Kurt Nash, owner of Aquascenes in San Diego. "We've always specialized in exterior water features, but now we're getting more requests for features installed inside homes and businesses," he says. "It creates a great place to sit and relax."

Like any good design, the overall result should embrace your personal preferences on color and style. "I think of it like this: when you pull into your driveway, do you feel soothed and nurtured, or do your spirits sink because you have dead plants and a neglected yard?" Olberz asks. "It helps people create and enhance their homes so that they feel relaxed by their environment." - Tanja Kern

Feng Shui Superstitions Explained
Feng Shui expert Cathleen McCandless explains the origins of a few popular Feng Shui myths.

A Red Front Door
In Chinese culture, a red front door is often considered auspicious. That's because early homes without heat would be built with a southern exposure to take advantage of direct sunlight. "They associated the sun with colors of heat, like red," McCandless explains. "If they couldn't have a southern exposure, they painted their front door red. This is how the mythology was handed down."

Mirrors
Feng Shui books sometimes say it's bad luck to place mirrors in the bedroom so that they reflect the bed. "Although it's not bad luck, it does go against the survival instinct," McCandless says. "When you're sleeping you're vulnerable. A large mirror in a room doubles the space. "You'll feel less rested in a larger space because you have a larger environment to keep track of. So it's better to sleep in a smaller bedroom."

Bathrooms
Can you really flush your good luck or fortune down a toilet? McCandless doesn't think so. "The bathroom in Ancient China or any underdeveloped nation is a hole in the floor," she says. "You're not going to flush your money down a toilet. It just doesn't make sense." Today's modern bathrooms are luxurious and don't have the negative connotations of their early predecessors. Warming up the space through paint and accessories will help you feel more comfortable.

Stairs
Feng Shui rules state that stairs should never face the front door. McCandless says there's a practical explanation for this superstition. "In many homes, the bedrooms are upstairs and are the most intimate part of the home. When you walk into someone's house and immediately see the stairs, it's like seeing someone throw a dress over their head. It's very intimate, and sometimes uncomfortable."

 

Cathleen has been featured in many national publications including The New York Times and Vogue, and has worked with such companies as Nike, the American Dental Association and Eli Lilly. She is currently authoring a book, "Feng Shui That Makes Sense.