Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Kirsten Lagatree (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 1996

Emphasizing balance--between yin and yang, as well as comfort and style--in every environment, the ancient Chinese art of feng shui demonstrates how to arrange your home to enhance your fortune, health, and happiness. This room-by-room handbook provides tips for good feng shui and easy fixes for problems in every part of the home, from the kitchen to the study. Line art, charts, & 2-color text throughout.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Literally "wind and water," feng shui is a Chinese belief system dedicated to finding harmonious siting plans for buildings by taking into account the metaphysics of energy flow, geography, and a complex calculation of time cycles and the influence of the five elements of the cosmos. Architectural historian Lip has written an information-packed introduction to classical Chinese architecture replete with diagrams, photographs, and her own beautiful brush paintings. After a detailed dissection of the way Chinese structures function, she explains the core concepts of feng shui and then examines actual Ming and Qing temples and palaces in terms of their placement and structure. British feng shui consultant Master Lam Kam Chuen has produced a more practical book designed with the homeowner or apartment dweller in mind. Short text blocks are interspersed with vivid watercolor examples of siting and energy flow, with tips for improving the harmony of many common living situations. Although he cautions that without the services of a good geomancer we are dealing with a simplified knowledge of feng shui, he gives such hints as how to assure restful sleep by solidifying the tortoise placement of our beds and how to avoid a stagnant social life by not locating dwellings on cul de sacs. Journalist Lagatree provides a very quick and simple overview of feng shui. Oriented primarily to interior rearrangements rather than house sitings, the book might provide tips for realtors dealing with Chinese buyers or advice for designers who do not want to imperil clients, but it doesn't provide a thorough grounding for readers new to an intricate and foreign way of looking at the physical spaces that surround them. Because of its historical insights and in-depth analyses, Lip's book would be appropriate for academic libraries while Chuen's thorough but readable advice would be the best choice for general readership.?David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Emphasizing balance--between yin and yang, as well as comfort and style--in every environment, the ancient Chinese art of feng shui demonstrates how to arrange your home to enhance your fortune, health, and happiness. This room-by-room handbook provides tips for good feng shui and easy fixes for problems in every part of the home, from the kitchen to the study. Line art, charts, & 2-color text throughout.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (January 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679765433
• ISBN-13: 978-0679765431
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,783,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I'd read this book before I bought my last house!!!!, November 1, 1999

By 

Kirsten Hinsdale ([e-mail]) (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life (Paperback)

I should have known! The feng shui just wasn't right for an art gallery in that little Victorian house by the sea on the coast of Maine!!! The chi--or life energy--flew down the staircase and out the front door whenever it opened, and the large gallery rooms lacked accessibility from the front of the house--customers had to wind their way through the hall to get there. Now that that little unsuccessful venture is over, I'll use Kirsten Lagatree's Feng Shui to design my new house to maximize happiness and abundance in my new life in the DC area. Little water fountains will keep the chi, or life energy flowing, and yellow flowers in the southeast corner will keep my marriage harmonious. A mirror will face the front door to deflect any poison arrows that might shoot directly in from the street, and my many little animal sculptures will find their optimum positions to bring their benevolent energies into my home. It may sound like hocus pocus--but who cares? It can't hurt, and it could really help, and in any case, I'm sure I'll find great enjoyment in bringing the principles of feng shui into my interior design.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre compared to others, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life (Paperback)

This book is OK, but not terribly inspiring. It is full of "feng shui band-aids", she suggests mirrors for virtually every problem with hardly a mention that you should be cautious about mirror placement. I found "The Feng Shui House Book" by Gina Lazenby and "The Feng Shui Handbook" by Master Lam Kam Chuen to both be more informative and better at expressing the reasons behind and philosophy of feng shui.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last Feng Shui Makes Sense!, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life (Paperback)

I have tried many books on feng shui and found them really confusing and even a bit weird. Lagatree's book helped me understand what feng shui is and how it works. I've already had good results by following her clear explanations. I highly recommend this book!