Salogga, who incorporates interior design in her work, taught a class in creating harmonious environments that sparked Weber's imagination. Before, "I hadn't thought of consulting with someone," Weber says. Now, eight months after their initial consultation, Weber has repainted, refurnished and rearranged her 800-square-foot Ballard home into the tranquil and inviting oasis she desired.

 

Using feng shui principles in Weber's living room, Salogga chose a richer,
warmer shade of green for the walls and removed or replaced big pieces
of furniture to open up the space and draw in energy.

"Feng shui speaks to the human energy," says Cynthia Chomos, a Seattle feng shui consultant for the past 10 years. "How we create our space reflects how we create our lives."

Positive changes

To understand spaces better, feng shui practitioners rely on the Bagua, a mapping system that identifies eight key areas of life: wealth, fame, relationships, creative/children, career, helpful people, health/family and knowledge. When applied to an office or home floor plan, the Bagua helps determine the design elements needed to encourage success in these areas.

"I use the Bagua to identify what I feel are the major sticking points [of energy] and the changes that need to be made," Salogga says.

 

Weber made her son's room her own by moving the bed into a better
sleeping position and hanging personal artwork.

For example, Weber's life map revealed that her son's old bedroom sat in the relationship corner of the house. This made sense: "He always had three to four really good friends around," Weber says. Therefore, Salogga turned his room into the new master bedroom because it aligns with one of Weber's long-term goals: to find love and romance.

Moving to the smaller room "was a significant change that I wouldn't have done on my own," Weber says. "But it really does feel cozier to me, and I'm closer to the garden - and I like that."

Since the old master bedroom occupied the prosperity corner of the house, it was a no-brainer to make it the new home office. Painted a pinky-beige with purple undertones (purple is the feng shui color associated with wealth), the room has ample space to spread out when Weber needs to work at home.

Other changes to the house:

• The once-crowded living room that doubled as an office now holds only a sofa, a loveseat and a rocking chair - all new and cushy, to boot.

• The bathroom walls boast new lilac paint, chosen to complement a stained-glass window. White paint on the vanity, display shelves and storage cupboard doors lends an air of freshness.

 

Among the few changes in Weber's bathroom are lilac walls,
to support the room's warm energy and coordinate with the
existing stained glass.

• The kitchen soothes away cares with watery-blue walls that make a tranquil backdrop for blond-wood furniture and crisp white cabinets.

A strong selling point

Wanting to bring balance into their lives right from the start prompts many new homebuyers to seek feng shui advice. "I work with people just moving into homes, creating interiors and exteriors to maximize the enjoyment of their home," says Chomos.

As color consultant, Chomos advises homeowners and agents to consider paint from a feng shui perspective. Rooms, she says, are either yin (relaxing) or yang (active and public). These characteristics determine their optimum color.

 

This blue knob can increase the "helpful people" qualities of one room.

Yin rooms (bathrooms, bedrooms, studies) generally live best in cool colors: blues, greens or purples. Yang rooms (living rooms, family rooms, kitchens) usually prefer warm colors: reds, yellows, oranges. Painting rooms accordingly promotes better chi, she says.