An ancient Chinese art, feng shui is a widely hailed practice that helps people live in harmony and balance with their personal environment. Practitioners believe good fortune comes to those who locate, orient and arrange the elements of a home in such ways as to create optimal energy flow, or “chi.” Failure to retain the chi energy within the home can create unsettling feelings for residents and visitors alike.

Here on the Big Island, several issues commonly pertain to Hawaii home, according to local Kona feng shui expert, Clear Englebert, who has authored many books about feng shui in Hawaii. In the world of feng shui, a straight path leading to the front door, for example, can be a recipe for negativity. A meandering path to the front entrance, on the other hand, allows for a slow and natural unveiling of the door, creating a sense of welcome serenity. By the same token, a straight view from the front door inside the home and out to the ocean is not as desirable as when the view unfolds in a meandering fashion. According to feng shui principles, this type of floorplan does not allow the chi to circulate through the home in an optimal way. Short of rebuilding your house or drawing a curtain across the view window, what does one do to counteract this type of dissipated energy? Feng shui experts recommend making a symbolic gesture f0r dispersing the energy. Remedies include hanging a clear, faceted crystal in line with both doors, or to place a mirror facing into the house at the back door, which symbolically pushes the energy back into the home rather than letting it “zoom” out.

Paint color is an major consideration for practitioners of feng shui. Colors that are gentle to the eye should be implemented for the interiors. Entry doors painted red promote good feng shui. When adding bold colors to exteriors, consider using such colors on a lanai, where the intensity is lessened by the immediate juxtaposition of the beautiful Hawaiian garden.