Naperville Living: Feng Shui approach to redecorating

Rooney had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. To improve her health, she was led on a path of holistic living and wellness that guided her toward feng shui. When she was decorating the River Woods home that she and her husband, Jim, purchased in 2004, they decided they wanted to use the principles of feng shui.

“There were just some areas in the house and the overall feel of the house that I couldn’t get comfortable with,” Rooney said. “I couldn’t figure out what it was.”

She hired B.J. Gorman, a certified feng shui consultant with Space Harmony Feng Shui, who helped them achieve the feel they wanted for both the interior and exterior of their home. The Rooney’s were looking for a more inviting and comfortable backyard, a place where they could invite friends over. With Gorman’s advice they tore down the deck that was in the backyard and put on a patio, incorporating the principles of feng shui to create an inviting area in their relationship corner, according to the bagua, which is used to determine which parts of a home correlate with situations in life.

“You know how you walk in a room and some rooms are really inviting and comfortable and they feel good and you could stay there forever …” Rooney said. “A lot of that has to do with the energy in that particular environment. When the energy is flowing well … then it creates a really inviting atmosphere.”

When Gorman is contacted for a consultation, she asks clients which areas of their life they are looking to change and improve. She also wants to know what rooms they like and what rooms they do not. Then she uses a bagua map to determine where to shift energy both inside and outside the home.

“(A client) has to be ready because the whole theory is that it’s important to be ready to make change in your life to bring about changes in your life,” Gorman said. “It’s a real process.”

Gorman went through the Rooney’s home explaining where the relationship corner was, as well as pointing out the wealth and creativity corners. And then she made suggestions of items that could be placed in those different areas of their home to help with energy flow and to bring more abundance there. For example, someone seeking wealth might put a plant in the wealth corner to symbolize growth and bring that energy into the home.

Gorman also suggested moving furniture and objects around in rooms to create a better energy flow, as well as colors that could be incorporated to create positive emotional responses.

“It changed everything,” Rooney said. “It was really a very subtle change. It’s not like all of a sudden you feel a “whoosh” and everything has changed.”

Gorman says that most people who contact her are interested in the wealth and relationship corners. She sees people with trouble in their relationships who have clutter in their relationship corner. Or those who are divorced but still have old furniture from the marriage, which is a subtle reminder of the failed relationship and does not allow them to move on. A shift, according to Gorman, can set the energy straight.

Rooney has been able to continue using the principles of feng shui that she learned from Gorman and through her own reading. This has allowed her to reduce the stress in her home.

“It brings me into a more mindful state about my environment,” Rooney said. “And so when you are more mindful about your environment, you are more intentional about the things your bring into your environment, so that you bring things in that have a purpose.”

Columnist Angela Bender lives in Naperville. Contact her at abender4@wowway.com.