Do you Feng Shui?

Auteur : Axelle | 05-29-2010

Interview with Sarah Setton, a Feng Shui expert

When we attended the Kelly Hoppen School of Design in London, Kelly had shared a Feng Shui success story with us that we wanted to explore further. At the beginning of renovating her loft apartment in London she’d had encountered every problem imaginable and was about to give up when she called in a Feng Shui expert. The expert told her that she lacked spheres within the construction site and so Kelly installed chain-mail into the window dressings and lighting which allowed an immediate turn around and balanced all the negative energy to get the project back on track. “All went as planned and very smoothly following, it was like magic”, Kelly told us.  
So, we found our local Feng Shui expert and she helped us understand this technique.

Sarah, just what is Feng Shui?
“Feng Shui, a technique originating from Chinese medicine, helps to balance energy within a space. The technique may be used in interior design with a therapeutic goal in mind. Feng Shui has nothing to do with magic, but is ancient logic that harmonizes all energies around us that have an effect on our wellbeing.”

When Sarah works on a project, she always takes note of the existing décor and objects that are important to her clients. The idea is to blend the necessary objects (similar to mixing medicine for example) with what we like and appreciate. However her work remains invisible…

What inspires you when you begin a project?
“At the very beginning when I arrive, I just observe the surroundings. Sometimes inconsistencies are obvious, especially the layout and positioning of the building. If I don’t see anything amiss, I ask my client why they’ve called me. Is there a precise problem that the client seeks to resolve? Oftentimes, the client would like to optimise the potential energies so that their lives follow their profound desires.”
With Feng Shui we ultimately try to analyse if the client has good fortune on their side to live in harmony with their professional, emotional, spiritual, and financial goals and aspirations.

“If I feel something strange in the room arrangement, I question my client. Once at a client’s house, I noticed the sofas were askew from each other and they didn’t face anything in particular. They were lost within the space, which led to my question about the quality of her relationships with friends. She confided that her relationships were catastrophic and even more so in her love life. Once we changed the sofas’ positioning within the living space, we changed the dynamic and thus the relations with others and with herself. Just by moving furniture allows one to release energies to another level.”

How do you implement Feng Shui?
You divide the space in 8 different sections, similar to a pie chart with cardinal points. Sectioned off in this way, you can read the 8 different aspects of life. The center of the pie represents health.

The 8 parts of life:
- Career: do you enjoy what you are doing and does it correspond to your needs?
- Fame: in relation to career. Do people know what you are doing? It is how the world sees us. Are you recognized for what you do? These two parts must be in harmony
- Ancestors: our roots are tied to our ancestors. If we are not at peace with our roots, the tree (which represents our future) becomes fragile. It is in our best interest to be in harmony with this part.
- The future and also the part that children occupy: If there is a problem with fertility in the household, I can intervene while modifying the décor.
- Relationships with others: with friends, love-life and professional life.
- Self-awareness: this part must be in harmony with our relationships with others.
- Prosperity and abundance: represent money but also the need to appreciate what we have. A minimum is certainly necessary, however to own more is not inevitably better.
- Helping souls: this part must be in harmony with prosperity and abundance. If balanced, you will prosper and you should share abundance with people that help you.
Finally in the center, which represents health. Keeping in mind the pie chart shape, it is all the points from the other parts that directly impact our health.

Where do you seek inspiration?
In nature, when I work in my garden I am always taken aback by the trees, their color and shape. I am always surprised by the abundance and variety found in nature. The most beautiful fabrics are always inspired by nature.

Sarah, How did you choose your profession?
“By chance! Since I was a little girl I was always interested in interior design and architecture. In the 80’s, I worked on a project to renovate antique chairs with extravagant fabrics but it didn’t come to fruition despite the training I’d had with an upholsterer. Nevertheless, I knew that I was attached to my surroundings and I discovered Fend Shui and the relationships with interior design. Then it all clicked.
The environment has a huge impact on us. We are all conscious of this but we do not necessarily know how to react to life’s challenges. Feng Shui is thus a good tool.”

What do you prefer in interior design?
“I like mixing different styles, when people dare to express themselves and affirm their personal style. I prefer places where objects are important and make sense to the collector, and not when they are driven fashion victims.
I avoid places that lack natural materials or light. The view and connection with the outside must not be broken.”

And your ideal home?
“My ideal home is a simple house, on a small scale, from the 1920’s-30’s with a large garden. However I don’t want it to be isolated as I love to be surrounded by life !”

Can you give our bloggers some tips?
“Get rid of anything in your house that you do not like. Choose objects and other decorative elements that you really want to keep. Alleviate the excess.
If something is broken, either you fix it or you throw it away. Never keep things for ‘just in case’ !
Feng Shui is a part of the whole that allows you increased self-awareness, which is key to our relationships with others.”

Can you recommend a book for us?
“ The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.

To learn more about Feng Shui, visit Sarah’s website: www.fengshuist.com