by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
An ancient design technique that’s becoming more popular with local home builders and interior designers is now being offered as a college course — “Feng Shui: Your Way to Harmonious Living” — at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.
“We offered it several terms ago and it wasn’t well-received,” said Elyse Brady of FCCJ’s continuing education program. “But this time, they have had a pretty good response from students. It is something in the design field that is really taking hold in Jacksonville.”
Barbara Noel, who teaches the class, says 14 people are enrolled and each one has a different reason for participating.
“This semester, I have three interior design students,” said Noel. “Most of the time I have people who have read about it or bought a book and have gotten confused. I also have a few people who are into the meditation scene and a few others who have major clutter issues.”
A local builder, Crawford Homes, has incorporated Feng Shui into its Cutters Point and Spencer Island model homes in Argyle, and is drawing positive results.
“A lot of guests are saying that they like the feeling of the home,” said Dee Carroll, new home consultant for Crawford Homes. “They are staying in the model longer when they visit and they seem comfortable.”
“When people are in a Feng Shui’d space, they feel different because the energy is different,” said Eyer. “The energy is auspicious. It is positive energy and it is flowing. There are very few places that people can go and be in that energy. They stay longer and are more interested.”
“There’s a diverse range of demographics in the Argyle area, so we thought this would be a great place to try this,” said Michael Crawford, the president of Crawford Homes. “We’re not building homes for ourselves. We look at the trends of home designing and decorating, as well as the demographics of people buying them. By Feng Shui’ing this model, it was also an economical way of breathing new life, per se, into the model, rather than totally redecorating it.”
Feng Shui (pronounced fung schway) is the ancient Chinese art and analytical science of creating harmony in the environment.
“The goal and ultimate outcome of Feng Shui is to create and allow the flow of auspicious energy throughout the space so that everything in our lives unfolds with ease, grace and synchronicity,” said Sharon Eyer, owner of Magnolia Feng Shui.
Basically, Feng Shui believers think that using certain colors, elements and placement of objects in a home or office can change the energy to allow the universe to shine on the occupant.
“It can be described as making adjustments in your environment that are based on ecology, design, symbolism and sometimes just flat out common sense,” said Noel. “Feng Shui’s premise is that we are no more separate from the environment, than we are from the air that we breathe and the water we drink.”
Feng Shui is based on the belief that all things are composed of energy which have an affect on people, whether they are aware of it or not.
“I’d like to see it done more in Jacksonville,” said Noel. “I’ve noticed that there are certain places that tend toward using some of the principles of Feng Shui. For example, day spas. Anthony & Sandra has done a beautiful job in San Marco. All of the rooms are beautifully done. I’d like to see more of it. I’d like to see it in doctor’s offices and dentist’s offices. A lot of massage therapists use it because people come in there to relax so it really helps them in their spaces to follow the Feng Shui principles.”
Feng Shui consultants look at a house or office from the entrance and using a life map called Bagua They divide the home or office into nine sections that represent wealth, fame and reputation, relationship, family, health, creativity/children, knowledge and self cultivation, career/the journey and helpful people.
“It will work with any shape house,” said Eyer. “It gives everyone, no matter where they are, these nine areas to work with. We go through it each area at a time regardless of what rooms are there.”
Adding certain colors and elements such as water, wood, earth or metal to each of the nine areas of the house or office can help make significant changes in those areas of the person’s life once the house is blessed and the energy starts flowing positively.
“People come in not knowing quite what to expect and I start them out with clearing clutter,” said Noel. “That is my big thing. It does not help you to hang up wind chimes and put a plant in the corner if the place is dusty, papers are piled up all over the place and there are things in the closet that haven’t been moved for five years. So, I have people cleanse, clear and get things straightened up before they do any adding.”
Anything that is broken, worn or unused should be discarded.
“I have them learn from the Bagua and look at their lives to pick out what they are most satisfied with in their life and what they would like to change in their life,” said Noel. “Then we look at the Bagua to see what they can do. I’m aimed at enabling people — that is, getting them able to make changes in their space on their own.
“A quick fix that I always give to people is to clean up the entrance to your home.
“Clean up the front yard, sidewalk, porch and front door. Make sure the light and the doorbell work and that the house number is prominently displayed. The front door is the mouth of the cheese to the home. Even if you don’t use it, you want that front door to look good. I tell all my single women, ‘How is a guy going to find you if your house number is broken, the light doesn’t work, the doorbell doesn’t work and he can’t get up the sidewalk?’”