Simon Brown - 20 Minutes to Master ... Feng Shui

The first time I had the opportunity to put the principles of Feng Shui into practice in a big way was when I bought an apartment in Primrose Hill, London, towards the end of the 1980s. I had already made sure that the direction of my move was favourable to me at that particular time. The apartment, however, needed considerable attention. Not only that but in terms of Feng Shui principles the bathroom was in the ideal location for the kitchen.

We renovated the whole apartment, building new kitchen, dining room and bathroom using as many of the Feng Shui ideas as possible. The end result was a home that was not only a joy to be in, but also a place that I lived in during a very happy phase in my life.

These are my subjective feelings, however they were confirmed when we came to sell the apartment in 1993. Having bought our home at the peak of the property market in London we were now trying to sell at the bottom of the market. People all over the country were experiencing huge losses on their homes. Repossessions by the banks were running high. Neighbours above our apartment had bought theirs at the same time and were also trying to sell. Their home had lost twenty per cent of its value, which was typical across the country. Amazingly three people expressed an interest in our apartment and were willing to pay fifteen per cent more than we had paid in the 1980s. This more than covered the expense of renovation and left us with a reasonable profit.

I followed the same process when moving to my current address. First I found the best directions available to me in that particular year, and then looked at numerous apartments in that favourable direction until I found one that I considered to have the best Feng Shui. One of the reasons for moving was that I had decided to have my office in my home. Since moving this has been very successful for me. My home is constantly receiving visitors and even people who come for the first time are surprised by the bright, sunny atmosphere.

My own definition of Feng Shui is the art of building design that is solely focused on the success of the occupants. Whenever I am involved in a building project or advise someone on improving their home, my main consideration is how I can help them realize their dreams and desires in their lives. My recommendations are designed so that, whenever they are at home, their environment is actually helping their prospects for the future. I apply the same investigation to their place of work. I focus on how to improve the layout of their workplace so that they can be more successful and have happy relationships with their colleagues.

There are many theories on when and how Feng Shui began. One of them is that the ancient civilizations grew along the banks of the River Lo in China. This area was plagued with destructive floods, which ruined the agriculture and buildings. Eventually, around the year 4000 BC, a man named Fu Hsi made many improvements to the river banks that prevented further flooding. He became emperor and the area began to prosper. The area that enjoyed the greatest success was located with the river to the east and protected from the north-east winds. Feng Shui literally translates to Wind Water.