Increasing foreign investment into U.S. homes and shifting demographics has forced home builders to consider this untapped energy.
By Jessie Kim
Communities across the country are experiencing an influx of potential buyers that have a certain sixth-sense about an unseen energy. They’re not interested in square footage and upgrades. It’s about this energy. They will often walk in and immediately out of a model home – without saying a word – if this energy isn’t right. Basic model designs that had been popular for years are no longer top sellers. Large cul-de-sac or corner lots sometimes require a discount rather than fetching their normal premium. What is to blame for these recent trends? Foreign investments? Shifting demographics? Maybe FengShui is to blame.
Just what is FengShui, though? Literally translated, FengShui means wind-water. That says a lot about the 3,000 year old Asian practice of FengShui, even as it is used today in home layout and design in the United States.
FengShui is all about the flow of energy, much like how water flows and wind blows. When you open up the front door to a house, how would an incoming stream of water or a gust of wind flow around and blow through the house? Would it make its way through every room or would it stagnate and collect all in one area? We cannot survive without the energizing nature of water and air. As these are two of the main elements to the building blocks of our human existence, so too is a similar energy referred to inFengShui as Chi or Qi.
In FengShui, we see the front door of a home as the mouth of incoming energy. From there, an ideal flow of life-giving Chi would cycle through different areas of the home represented by important elements to our existence, starting with the front door: water, wood, fire, earth and metal.
Think of it this way: Chi that flows into your home starts by energizing water. Water, in turn, nourishes wood trees. Wood then fuels fire. Fire rejuvenates earth. Over time, earth and its processes create metal. To renew the cycle, metal gives water a path through which to flow.
This is what is called a creative cycle in FengShui and it should flow in a clockwise motion in a home’s layout, starting with the front door. A well-energized and free-flowing creative cycle will provide harmony and balance in the lives of its occupants. This is where the placement of doors, stairs and walls in the floor plan can be crucial for the energy flow.
Moreover, it is important to have items representing these elements in corresponding areas of the home. For instance, a stove or fireplace in the fire area is ideal. When staging a model home, small trees could be placed in the wood area. Metal picture frames could be placed on walls in the metal area.
When one element is overpowering the home, however, it could have disastrous effects. Too many items representing fire, for instance, causes FengShui energy to “burn up.” In turn, residents feel burned out and get hot-tempered. Arguments can flare up. Too many items representing water in the home, on the other hand, will give residents the feeling of drowning, which can be overwhelming. That feeling will eventually translate into a lack of motivation. Rarely will projects get started, let alone be seen through completion by residents of such a home.
In FengShui, it is all about creating balance. Creating a balanced energy in homes is important so that future residents living in the space can live healthy, harmonious and fruitful lives.
When potential buyers walk into a model home, they need to feel like it is a home where they can be creative, can be active, can be good at what they do, can get the recognition they deserve and can have happy and healthy relationships with their friends and loved ones. From site design to staging with proper FengShui in mind, a model home will make prospective buyers feel a positive and relaxing energy that is crucial to health and prosperity. It will be like a refreshing drink of water or a rejuvenating breath of cool air. Whether they believe in it or not, FengShui energy will invite buyers in to experience more of their future home – without saying a word.
Ms. FengShui, Jessie Kim, is a 3rd generation FengShui consultant who primarily works with developers. She can be reached at [email protected] or visit https://www.MsFengShui.com.
Last week, I told you that within days of upgrading my desk, a reporter I didn’t previously know asked to highlight it in an upcoming article in Coast Magazine.
Why Feng Shui Your Desk?
Your desk is the domain of your career, which is the gateway to your life path.
Proper Feng Shui should help energy called Chi (or “Qi”) power up your desk as you would have it energize your home. This energy can amplify your business success, as well as improve various aspects of your life.
Desk Feng Shui
The secret to adding Feng Shui to your desk is all in the Bagua. The Bagua is the center of the Black Hat Feng Shui universe and understanding it is crucial to making sure your desk serves your career goals and life path.
Simply layout your desk as if a Bagua were drawn on top, with the Career Area against the side where your chair sits. If it helps, you can think of your desk broken up like a tic-tac-toe board.
This means that as you sit at your chair, your left hand will touch the Knowledge, Family, and Prosperity/Wealth areas as you reach across your desk.
The middle of your desk will be your Health Area and across your desk directly in front of you should be the Reputation/Fame area.
The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.
The colors and elements (water, wood, fire, earth, & metal) you use should be consistent with those of the respective areas of the Bagua that you would use in your home. Be sure to read up on the Feng Shui Bagua for more information on this.
Symbolism you might use, however, could be relatively unique to you and your profession.
The Bagua Sections of the Desk
Career: This area is right in front of you — the bottom center square of your tic-tac-toe board. The primary element is water and the color is black. Ensure this space is clear for new work to flow in. If you have a desk with a glass top, you can insert a picture of a stream of water flowing in. Without a glass top, you can simply tape that picture underneath your desk. You don’t need to see the item for it to help you.
Knowledge: The bottom-left box of your tic-tac-toe board is for knowledge. Blue is the primary color here. You could have books related to your profession in the drawers under or a small bookshelf on this corner of the table. Having something blue here will help you concentrate and make better decisions.
Family: This area can be found in the middle-left box of your tic-tac-toe board. The primary element here is wood and the ideal color is green. Portraits of your family, friends, or colleagues in a wooden frame would be ideal in this side of the desk. Adding green here will help you feel more at ease with your family and coworkers.
Prosperity & Wealth: The upper-left corner of your desk is for prosperity and wealth. Gold, purple, and green are prosperous colors. You should also have elements here that remind you of wealth. A money plant, a picture of a dream home, or some golden trinkets would do the job in this corner.
Reputation & Fame: The top-middle square of your tic-tac-toe board is here. Fire is its dominant element, which is also represented by the color red. Candles and lights are ideal here. Company awards or even your nameplate would also be well-placed here. You should place your business cards in this area.
Love & Relationships: This area can be found in the upper-right corner of your tic-tac-toe board. Pink and love symbols represent this area well. Items in pairs represent love, as well. A photo of your spouse or a hidden description of your ideal mate fits well in this corner. I added a pair of small turtles to signify me and my husband.
Creativity & Children: The middle-right area is where creativity flows. It is represented by metal and black & white items. This is another great spot for pictures of your kids. If you are looking for an infusion of creative energy, add a metal pendulum or a picture of something creative that inspires you, such as the Sydney Opera House for an architect.
Helpful People & Travel: The lower-right corner of your desk is where you call upon the help of others, which we can always use. This is best represented by silver or grey objects. Recent business cards that you have collected or your Rolodex can work well here. Create a handwritten note detailing how someone will help you achieve your goals and hide it in your desk drawer in this corner. Swap it out periodically. You could also place a small globe or pictures of your vacation goal here.
Health: This area falls in the center square in the tic-tac-toe board. Earth is the element here and it is represented by earth tones, especially yellow. You could tape a big round yellow circle under your desk here or have objects signifying the earth, such as a jar of decorative stones. Otherwise, ensure that the center of your desk is clutter-free.
Feng Shui Desk Shapes
Rectangle: This shape is ideal for most offices where you want to accomplish individual work. A rectangular desk helps you concentrate.
Circle: Circular desks are good for brainstorming and creativity. Thus, they are ideal for group meetings.
Curved: If you have trouble concentrating because people are frequently disturbing you, it may be wise to change to a curved desk. If you are inside of the curve, in the concave area, you will concentrate better. The convex area where it curves out will keep others from approaching too often.
Feng Shui Desk Material
Wood: Desks made of wood are sturdy, solid, supportive, reliable, and long-lasting. This is my first recommendation for most job functions.
Metal: Desks made of metal are sharp and penetrating. They provide lots of mental energy and concentration, but they can be draining to the body.
Glass: A desk made of glass can be very revealing, meaning that you have nothing to hide. However, energy passes through a glass desk very quickly. Be sure to slow the energy with wooden accessories or plants. Glass desks may be ideal for those in sales who want to show customers that they can be open with them.
Laminate: Desks made of laminate materials are the vanilla of desks. They do not provide much positive or negative energy.
Feng Shui Desk Colors
Black: A black desk will attract energy inward, which encourages introspection and creates opportunity.
Brown: A brown desk stabilizes and strengthens the body, but does not energize the mind.
White: A white desk activates the mind, but drains the body of energy.
Gray or Metallic: A gray desk gives you more focus, but drains your physical body.
Green: A green desk is a good balance of body and mind. It is especially good if you have drawn-out projects.
Earth Tones: Lighter earth tones will increase your mental focus, and will drain your physical body of energy less than gray.
Bright Colors: Bright colors such as yellow, orange and pink will draw a lot of attention but make the body and mind restless. I suggest bright desks in rare circumstances, such as for reception areas.
Wooden Colors: Medium-toned wood colors provide stability and strength to the body. Using lighter tones will help energize the mind. Pine, ash, oak and birch colors should be a good balance while providing just the right amount of contrast with white paper to alleviate visual strain.
Additional Feng Shui Desk Tips
Proportions: Ensure that the size of your desk is proportional to the amount of and space of work you need to do. For instance, if the extent of your work is data entry, you likely wouldn’t need as big of a desk as someone who is an architect with drawings that need to be spread across the desk. Ensure that you can reach everything without allowing your desk to look cluttered.
Strong Foundation: Desks should have strong legs that are built of strong materials. The legs are the foundation of your desk, and thus the foundation of your career and life path.
Modesty Panel: I usually recommend a modesty panel that prevents someone from seeing your legs from in front of the desk. This provides greater security and establishes boundaries. A desk with an open front might feel more intimate, however, and will allow others to feel more comfortable approaching you. Unless you are in human resources or a pure leadership role, I recommend a modesty panel.
Face Toward the Door: If your desk faces a wall, window, or partition, you need to try to move it. Though employers love to be able to look over your shoulder, it adds stress if your back is to the door. If possible, turn your desk to face the doorway, but do not have it in line with the doorway. In other words, if someone were shining a light straight into your doorway, it would not line up with your desk, but you would be able to see the light coming in.
Windows: Try not to have your back toward windows, as you can be overwhelmed with energy. This may be unavoidable in some circumstances. There are cures to help minimize the effect of windows.
Power Position: Your desk should be in an area of your office where you can see as much of the room as possible.
Keep It Positive: On your desk and in your office should be objects that are uplifting and empowering.
Add harmony and balance to your desk with this handy Bagua mouse pad. Complete with a description, element and color for each Gua, this mouse pad will help you achieve more health, wealth and luck.
Feng Shui Mouse Pad: For a boost of positive Chi and a reminder of how the Bagua should be laid out on your desk, look into getting a Feng Shui mouse pad.
Clutter: There is simply no room in Feng Shui for clutter, especially on or in your desk.
Home Office or Workplace: Be sure to Feng Shui the desk in your home office, as well as the one at your workplace. They both represent your career and your life path in general.
Next Steps
Looking for a Feng Shui consultant you can trust? Learn a little more about me and how I can help you add harmony and balance to your home or office the Feng Shui way. Contact me today!
Colors can be as important as elements in Feng Shui.
Colors can excite, enhance, or even disturb the energy around you. And they can represent emotions as well as goals.
Here are some common colors and what they mean in Feng Shui:
Black: Career
Blue: Knowledge
Green: Family
Purple: Prosperity & Wealth
Red: Reputation & Fame
Pink: Love
White: Creativity & Children
Grey: Helpful People & Travel
Yellow: Health
As an example, if you are looking to get noticed for your accomplishments, throw on a red blouse or shirt. Ready to advertise that you are looking for love? Try on a pink hat or tie.
When it comes to adding the above colors to your home to make changes with Feng Shui, there is no need to overwhelm your space with a color by painting an entire room.
Rather, test it out first with some fresh-cut flowers or throw pillows with the colors you are looking to add. Then, you can paint picture frames, change curtains or add some artwork if you like the results.
Most importantly, in your home or office, be sure to add colors to the appropriate area of your home, as represented by the Feng Shui Bagua.
Don’t be afraid to use color!
Next Steps
To learn more about how colors play a part in Feng Shui, I suggest you read through my free information on the Feng Shui Bagua.
Feng Shui is all about harmony and balance. Make sure that as you make changes to one area of your Bagua, balance it out with changes to other areas, as well.
If you follow me on social media, you may remember that I recently upgraded my desk. So get this…
The Old Desk
I had a 20-year-old IKEA table with legs (“Gerton,” as they call it). It came complete with nothing… not even a modesty panel to prevent someone from seeing my legs. Gertie, as it came to be known, was the very first piece of furniture that I got on my own. It had served me very well for 20 years.
Emotions aside, it was time to follow the advice that I give my clients and get myself a solid and stable executive desk that will support my growing career.
On the hunt, I saw such a desk at a big office supply retailer. I ordered the desk on Thursday morning and immediately posted my old desk to Facebook saying that it needed a new loving home.
Within five minutes, a friend offered me $40 for the old desk for her son. She had just been looking for one on IKEA’s web site.
The New Desk
My new desk arrived Friday afternoon. My boys stayed up until midnight putting it together for me. I gave it a good wipe down with citrus essential oil and started to Feng Shui my desk top.
Come Tuesday morning, my phone rings. It’s a writer for a local magazine who wants to interview me for their issue that focuses of health and green living. Guess what her column is called. Seriously… just guess!
“ON THE DESK!!!”
Literally, she writes articles on what is on people’s desks! From CEOs to designers to actors, this writer wants to understand what is on someone’s desk and why. Within a week of getting my new desk, my desk is already getting the spotlight!
I just wanted to share because I grew up with Feng Shui and it still never fails to amaze me. Sometimes, you might not see immediate results, but just know that it’s working…
It’s true, though… even a Feng Shui consultant needs validation every now and then!
Next Steps
Keep your eyes open for an upcoming blog post on how to Feng Shui your own desk. I will also make sure to let you know when the article hits Coast Magazine in January.
Notes: Some essential oils should not be used around small children, certain pets, and anyone with allergies. I’m careful to link to products that I use myself and recommend to my clients, when those products are necessary. I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, which enables me to produce and publish free content for you to learn from.
I broke a major Feng Shui rule the other day. Yes, me. And I’m a Feng Shui consultant!
Gratitude and Value
We should always exchange gratitude in advance of getting something, whether it be from a person or the life-giving energy of Feng Shui called Chi.
We also exchange value for services or goods provided, regardless of our need for what we receive. We can pay for those goods or services with money, return of other services, other goods, etc. But, nothing of value in life comes for free. The same is true with Feng Shui.
Along with a sad story, an acquaintance recently asked me to take a look at their home and provide Feng Shui advice for free. And I reluctantly agreed.
I get these sad stories and requests all of the time. After all, rarely do people seek out Feng Shui advice when everything in life is perfect. Many people seeking a Feng Shui consultant’s advice are having difficulty with money and have relationship or career challenges. These are the aspects of their lives that they want to change.
From my experience, those who don’t pay consulting fees don’t truly value the consultant’s experience and expertise in Feng Shui. They tend to second-guess their consultant’s advice, which often makes things worse. It happens every time.
But, when people truly follow good Feng Shui advice, they seriously end up with more wealth, improved health, stronger relationships, etc.
Road Map to Success
As it pertains to your personal life, think of professional Feng Shui advice as a road map. If you were at your hotel and received directions from the concierge on how to drive to the local 5-star restaurant, you don’t stop following the directions after the first or second turn.
Rather, you need to follow the directions until you reach your desired destination. Otherwise, you may end up someplace else entirely… and potentially in a very unsafe neighborhood!
Feng Shui is like a road map with directions to get from where you are to where you want to be. Just as with Google Maps, there are multiple ways to get to your destination.
If you go to three different Feng Shui consultants, you may very well get three different schools of advice on how to change your life, just as you may get differing directions from three different hotel employees to get to that 5-star restaurant.
Does that mean that any of those consultants or hotel employees are wrong? Absolutely not!
Should you, however, take only part of any one set of advice or even take parts of everyone’s advice? Probably not. You may end up much worse than you started.
Your Next Steps
If you are looking to make real positive change in your life:
1) Find someone you trust, whether it is a Feng Shui consultant, a life coach or a potential mentor.
2) Offer them something of value to help you, whether it is their consulting or coaching fee, a few nice lunches, or a service like painting their garage.
3) When they accept to help you, take their advice seriously. Take notes, ask questions, and make sure you completely understand all of the steps necessary to make the changes you need to take.
4) Implement their advice — step-by-step. Do not skip anything.
5) Be patient and double-check to make sure you followed all of the steps correctly.
6) If you have questions, just go back and ask.
The following article is from a news story that aired Saturday 6/7/2014 on NPR (National Public Radio) regarding Feng Shui and its use in new home developments and in selling existing homes. Jessie Kim of Ms. Feng Shui was quoted in the story with a few Feng Shui tips. You can download the audio here.
To Sell A House In California, It Might Need Good Feng Shui
by MILES BRYAN
About 40 miles east of Los Angeles, houses in the new College Park subdivision are designed to have good feng shui. Miles Bryan/NPR
If you leave Los Angeles, Calif., on Interstate 10 and head east for about 40 miles, you’ll run into a quintessentially suburban phenomenon: the opening of a subdivision.
At one such development called College Park in Chino, Calif., the lawns are bright green, the D.J. is spinning classic rock and a lot of the conversations are in Mandarin. Among those looking for a house is Eddie Yung. He lives in China now, but he’s moving to California.
The number of Chinese buying homes in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2007, with most of those sales in Southern California. Some are buying for investment purposes — prices are positively cheap compared to the market in Beijing or Shanghai — and others are planning to start a life in the states.
Marketing to those Chinese buyers has meant learning about what customers want in a house’s design, says Mark Torres, a division president for Lennar Homes, the company that’s building the subdivision.
“We consider feng shui elements in all our designs,” Torres says. “Everything from the water-fire elements and making sure that we don’t have those types of conflicts [and] designing the entry of the homes to keep all that positive energy in the home.”
In a house with good feng shui, the staircase leads away from the front door so the energy doesn’t rush out before it can do good for the house. Courtesy of Jessie Kim
Just a few miles from College Park is the town of Chino Hills, which Lisa Dutton calls home. But her house has feng shui problems. It’s had issues since she bought it from a Chinese seller 15 years ago.
“As he was moving out, he told us the reason he was moving was the house didn’t have good chi,” Dutton says. “We had no idea what chi was! Had no idea whatsoever. So, we bought the house.”
Dutton’s house had been on the market for 30 months, but she was getting nothing but lowball offers.
“At first I was offended because I thought, ‘Wow, my house is beautiful. What’s wrong? Why is someone just walking right out the door?’ ” she says.
Jessie Kim, a feng shui consultant, has the answer to those questions. Standing in the foyer of Dutton’s house, she points out the problem.
“When you open up the front door and then you have a stairway coming right at you, things like to go to the lowest point,” Kim says.
For a lot of Americans, a big fancy staircase is a status statement. But if you are into feng shui, Kim says that’s a non-starter.
“You don’t want all the energy that are upstairs being rushed out to the front door,” Kim explains. “You don’t want those things lining up.”
To help, she put a red rug below the stairs to channel the energy back up and installed a fountain in the lawn to balance the water element. She also added a big welcome mat outside the front of the door to invite in positive energy.
“It should be welcoming,” Kim says. “None of those, ‘Wipe your paws,’ or, ‘Don’t come in here,’ those funny doormat sayings. You don’t want to do that.”
With these changes, the offers started rolling in. Dutton says she’s just closed on a deal with a Chinese couple worth almost $100,000 more than her previous best offer.
Back at the grand opening of College Park, Eddie Yung is taking a break from walking through model homes and enjoying some complimentary lo mein. He’s looked around in other Los Angeles suburbs but he likes the house he saw here. In fact, he’s going to sign a deposit on one.
That was the fourth home sold at College Park before noon. When the chi is flowing in the right direction, the money will too.
I thought I knew quite a bit about Feng Shui, but have learned so much more from you. Things have improved so much. Thank you for your wonderful advice.
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