SOME HOMES FEEL inexplicably right. They aren't necessarily furnished with the latest designer kit, located in an expensive part of town or have an astronomical square footage. But something about them makes you want to stay.
Welcome to the wonderful world of fung shui. Although the West has caught on to the benefits of this ancient art relatively recently, Hong Kong is no stranger to its charms.
But according to German-born Christa Koch-Kessler, who runs Class Act, a consultancy focusing on all aspects of hospitality from etiquette to environment enhancement, knocking down walls and spending a fortune on crystals to improve energy in the home isn't necessary.
'I'm not a fung shui master but I am very passionate about the subject,' she says. (She was once married to a fung shui expert.) 'If you're told the only solution is to buy expensive fung shui objects or tear down your house, get a second opinion. There are so many simple, inexpensive ways to increase the positive flow of chi [energy] wherever you live and to change your luck and well-being.'
The principles of fung shui are tied to the five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water - as well as yin (dark, subdued and calm energy) and yang, the opposite of yin. According to Koch-Kessler, too much or too little of an element will cause discord; a harmonious environment should contain a balance of them all, working together within their sequence (as written above).
Wood elements, for example, which include wooden furniture, flowers, plants and the colour green, combine well with fire (candles, incense, animals and the colour red) because wood is needed to sustain fire. Conversely, metal objects next to wood won't work - unless there is an excess of wood which needs to be reduced - because metal destroys wood (think of an axe chopping down a tree).
Whichever element you are - to ascertain this, consult a Chinese almanac to find out your lunar birthday - will have a bearing on what kind of furniture and possessions should surround you. Koch-Kessler is, for example, weak fire, which means she can suffer from anxiety and fear of the future. She balances this with fire-boosting items in her home - one of the walls in her living room is painted red - or with objects symbolising wood.