
FAQs
A recent study by the Happiness Research Institute found that 73% of people who are happy with their home are also happy in life


Nina was a treasure, she saved me time and money, a real treasure – she made little changes that made such a difference
Breda M (Co Tipperary)
Authentic feng shui is concerned with the relationship between buildings and occupants. By matching your energies to the energies of your home and workplace it is possible to achieve harmony in your home and in your life. To do this, it is necessary to know the dates of birth of you and your family so that you can choose a house, plot and location that harmonises with you/your family’s energies or modify your present situation to suit you better.
Authentic feng shui also helps you to understand the rhythms and cycles of energy which affect timing – an important aspect to getting things right in your life:
In authentic feng shui terms, our health takes top priority followed by our relationships, and lastly, our wealth, so an authentic feng shui consultant’s priority is to tackle people’s health, relationships, and finances – in that order. Our health is our wealth; without it our quality of life is reduced, and the attitude of others towards us is adversely affected because our energies are poor. Good relationships promote friendship and family harmony in our lives, and the support of others brings us love, kindness and benevolence. If you have your health and good relationships, then it is easier for the wealth to follow.
An authentic feng shui consultant assesses the exterior and interior of a property and its occupants:
Within a short period of meeting with a client, without any prior knowledge of them and their family circumstances, and sometimes without physically visiting the property they live in, the authentic feng shui consultant should be able to:
During an authentic feng shui consultation the consultant should show empathy, discretion and understanding whilst dealing with people’s personal, private, and sensitive issues ranging from grief and loss to serious or terminal illness, bankruptcy and legal issues, divorce, and family breakdown.
Although it is mostly women who book these services, surprisingly it is their husbands/partners, even if initially sceptical, who listen most closely and respond most enthusiastically to the advice – whether it is for authentic feng shui or feng shui interior design services. Almost immediately, it is the men who begin the process of deciding how to action the recommendations or implement the solutions before the women have even had a chance to process the information. The process involves:
When we are born, we are given a unique personal identity by Mother Nature. Our date of birth gives us certain information about ourselves and our loved ones, and we can make use of this information to help us to live well and better manage our health, well-being, and relationships – throughout our lives. Your date of birth can tell you the following:
Each animal sign in the Chinese year moulds the personality and characteristics of those born in that year, as well as that year’s course of events. Everyone is born under an animal sign according to their year of birth in the Chinese calendar. There are twelve animal signs in the Chinese zodiac, one for each year, which runs in a twelve-year cycle. Each animal has a certain set of characteristics that affects the personality and behaviour of a person born under that animal sign. The twelve animals are the rat, ox/buffalo, tiger, cat/rabbit/hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat/sheep, monkey, rooster/chicken, dog, and pig. Some signs get along well together, whilst others may find it difficult to tolerate one another’s company!
Everyone has a single reigning element from the five elements, i.e. earth, metal, water, wood or fire. The five elements influence people’s characteristics, the way they interact with others, their energy type, and their tolerance levels in the company of others, as well as affecting how they should decorate their home, the type of house they should live in and the location in which they should live. Some people belong to an element that benefits our element so we feel supported by them, whilst other people may belong to an element that harms our element, so our energies are depleted by them. There is also a season that best suits your element i.e. when your energies are at their best.
Everyone has a Kua (magic) number, and these numbers range from 1 to 9. The numbers are applicable depending on your year of birth and whether you are male or female. Your number relates directly to your health (weakest organ), your form of communication (group), and the energies nature gave you (best and worst directions).
Everyone belongs to one of two communication groups, one group being east and the other west. East group people and west group people find it easier to communicate with others of the same group as themselves. This is because when a person belonging to, say the east group, says something to a person belonging to, say the west group, the west group person misunderstands because they are on two entirely different wavelengths. In turn, this has an adverse effect on our relationships and our ability to relate to certain people. As we spend so much of our time communicating, we need to learn how to better communicate using all the tools available to us.
Everyone has a weakest organ, which is the organ that takes the greatest impact of negative energies from our surroundings, and/or a poor diet and lifestyle, and/or stress. To better manage and look after our health, we should monitor our weakest organ for signs of impending illness and avoid things that will aggravate or negatively affect those organs. For instance, if our lungs are our weakest organ, then we should avoid smoking, and if our liver is our weakest organ, we should avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
Everyone has a set of four best and worst directions, depending on the communication group they belong to. Our best directions are ones we should face or sectors we should occupy within our homes to get the maximum positive energy from our surroundings. Our worst directions should be avoided to minimise any negative impact on our us and our lives.
This article has been written to help you see how hiring a staging professional will give you a return on your investment. Making practical changes or creating a whole new look within your budget can make your property more appealing, leading to a quicker sale or tenancy at the right price. Reap the financial rewards of investing in your property. Good presentation is a crucial factor in your success, second only to price and location. Transform your house or apartment and create the best impression to attract the right prospective purchaser or tenant, so you can move forward with your life.
The information in this article is based on the findings of the Home Staging Association (HSA) UK & Ireland Home Staging Report 2019 & 2020.
The key findings of the 2019 report underpin the importance and value of home staging when bringing a property to the market for sale or to let and confirms the return on investment for the seller. and the results the year after, 2020, are just as positive.
According to the 2019 report, 94% of estate agents surveyed say home staging increases the number of viewings and that 86% of staged homes sell faster with up to 61%selling 1-2 times faster, 24% 2-3 times faster and 9% 3 times faster. Estate agents say the reason is home staging makes it easier for buyers to visualise the property as their future home. 86% of estate agents surveyed recommended staging for property sales, and 74% considered reception rooms the most important to be staged to help sell a property.
In the 2019 report, developers confirm staging of show houses and apartments resulted in a 100% increase in the number of viewings, and 100% of staged properties sold faster than non-staged properties. All developers surveyed hired professional stagers when having their property listed and all believe it affects most buyers’ view of the property. 33% of developers surveyed said staging increased the property’s offer value by 10%, with 77% confirming they got a return on their staging investment via the sale of the property.
In the HSA UK & Ireland’s 2020 report, the results are just as positive with the organisation’s founder, Paloma Harrington-Griffin, stating ‘Home Staging helps raise offers to that of pre-CO VID averages, positioning Home Staging professionals very handily in the marketing and selling of a property. Staging your home will no longer be a method for increasing offer value—in many cases—but a necessity for maintaining and even exceeding pricing expectations.’.
The 2020 report included a comparison between pre-lockdown figures and post-lockdown figures. Pre-lockdown: On average, properties were listed on the market for 277 days before staging, and after staging the same properties took 28 days to achieve an offer, on average. Post-Lockdown: On average, properties were listed on the market for 199 days before staging, and after staging, the same properties took 32 days to achieve an offer, on average.
With thanks to the HSA UK & Ireland for kindly giving me permission to use their report findings in this article
Choosing an interior designer to transform an interior is simple and can save valuable time and money. An interior designer liaises with clients to discuss their project to design or redesign an interior with imagination using their professional skills. An interior designer considers the functional needs, personal habits and tastes of the client, and designs interiors to suit project requirements, a client’s personality, or a corporate mission.
Interior designers work as freelance consultants or as part of a large organisation. Most interior designers first work assisting experienced designers and when more experienced branch out on their own. An interior designer may specialise in residential (domestic) or commercial interiors, or both. Commercial contracts include hotels, restaurants, schools and universities, office buildings, factories, and clubs. Jobs may range from planning the interiors of new buildings to redesigning existing interiors, and from accomplishing a single detail in a private residence to designing and co-ordinating the entire interior arrangement using existing furniture or custom designed furnishings such as bespoke cabinetry.
A client buys the interior designer’s skills, knowledge, and contacts. An interior designer’s fee structure varies:
A successful interior designer, in addition to knowledge and aesthetic sense, must possess physical endurance, mental agility, the flexibility to cope with a diversity of work, and the ability to deal tactfully with clients of varied backgrounds. A professional interior designer must have a thorough knowledge of the technical characteristics of materials and know their suppliers, to know what material should be used where, which appliances should be placed in which areas, and which flooring may prove a hazard, so clients benefit from this expertise. Their job includes cataloguing samples, the studying of old and new sources, training, and up-skilling to keep up with current trends and new practices, legislative compliance, etc.
Every interior designer, whether independent or working in a large practice, copes with a mass of paperwork, such as writing specifications and placing orders, figuring estimates, and keeping track of all administrative details necessary in dealing with hundreds of items of merchandise. Interior designers who work from home can keep costs down and the materials they supply are sometimes cheaper than retail prices because they do not have the same overheads as shops.
Their job includes visiting clients or attending site meetings. They usually visit the client at home to discuss ideas to advise on the interior, and to take accurate measurements. Some will make up sample boards or provide hand rendered or 3D visuals as part of or additional to their service. Presentation of finished design plans to a client usually includes perspectives, accurate floor plans and elevations, colour schemes, photographs of furnishings, samples of materials for upholstery, curtains, and wall coverings.
Once the plan is accepted by a client, the interior designer undertakes all aspects of project management. Every item involved in the design is the concern of the interior designer, from the final presentation to the installation of the last fitting, and includes: