Interior Design[ articles | activities | features | links ] Thursday, March 13, 2003 Feng shui credited with promoting balance, harmonyBy AMBER DEES NEW SMYRNA BEACH — What sound does a purple door make? For Chris Miller, it sounds a lot like a cash register ringing. The owner of Chris´ Place, a new age store on Flagler Avenue, hired a consultant in feng shui to help increase sales and promote positive energy in the store. When Miller met Kimla Dodds of Design With Feng Shui Today, the certified feng shui consultant advised her to paint the front door purple. "(I) started to paint the door late one afternoon and, within 20 minutes, we had made $90," Miller said. Feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice pronounced "fung shway," literally means wind and water. This philosophy originated thousands of years ago as a means of creating order and balance in one´s life through the careful placement of objects within a space. Miller, who sells objects such as incense and jewelry, said Dodds made the recommendation because the door faces southeast and purple represents wealth. Miller also moved her books to a "positive" corner and moved crystals to the center of the room, which is supposed to "ground" the store. "Our book sales have increased dramatically since the move," Miller said. "The department ranked 14th out of our 24 departments before the move and now books are our number one selling item. It was amazing." Dodds studied interior design and toured the Far East before becoming a feng shui expert. She moved from Austin, Texas, to New Smyrna Beach in January 2002. "People seek feng shui because they want to promote balance and harmony in their life," she said. "If you are trying to obtain them, you have to be open minded to what is in your environment." She practices feng shui with a Bagua, an octagonal tool used as a compass to deter mine the preferred locations of rooms, color choices and placement of objects for certain functions. It is believed feng shui can improve the environment at the office or home. The practitioner determines the placement of objects based on the year an individual is born, the environment surrounding him or her and the movements of the solar system. Throughout ancient China, classical feng shui was a closely guarded discipline used as a tool to ensure the good health, wealth and power of the imperial dynasties. Feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice pronounced "fung shway," literally means wind and water. This philosophy originated thousands of years ago as a means of creating order and balance in one´s life through the careful placement of objects within a space. The keepers of this secret knowledge were the feng shui masters, the highly respected scientists and astronomers who were charged with sustaining the good fortune and prosperity of the royal court.
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