Feng Shui Therapy

Designers often feel — and function — like therapists. The real satisfaction for many designers, however, is to do what a good psychiatrist often does: to lead the client to a new understanding of himself, to provide an insight that will foster a new approach to living.

Although many designers rely on ordinary psychology to steer clients through emotionally fraught situations, others turn to alternative approaches. The Asian discipline of feng shui, for example, seeks answers in the space itself. A feng shui practitioner “reads” the rooms to see what they say about the resident’s personal life.

I remember when one time I went into a house, and everything was askew. All the issues that eventually came up could be seen during that first visit, in the ways the space was utilized: the dining room was being used as an office, the den as a closet; the kitchen was a disaster. It was clear that the husband wanted the space one way and the wife another.

We started by defining the use of each space and clearly organizing it for that. We made the entry welcoming. The dining room and living room became neutral spaces, where they could meet and entertain. We created a separate office space.

Feng shui is a therapy that helps peoples to define what they want. And the result can be even better than therapy. After your time on the couch, you get to take it home.

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