Feng Shui – more science than spiritual.
Tanya Hames is the founder and owner of Perfect Sanctuary. Using the principles of Feng Shui, Tanya offers services to transform your residential and commercial spaces into the optimal spaces for your life.
Having been brought up in Asia, and living in Singapore, Tanya has always had an understanding of Feng Shui.
“I had a background in Feng Shui, and I followed it for most of my life with quite good results – looking at magnetic directions, always tapping into the energy and spaces. Then I went back with my husband to Singapore in 1992. We were intending to be there for two years, but we stayed there for 20. I was a senior analyst in education and I worked at the world’s largest international school.
“Then we came to Guernsey in 2010 and I started to do renovation projects using Feng Shui principles and was quite successful. So I then went to study with the London School of Feng Shui, which is a gold standard school. I completed a two-year course but it was something that was already familiar to me and I already had some knowledge so that helped.”
Now Tanya is the only registered member of the international Feng Shui Guild in Guernsey and has the advanced Red Ribbon exam status (held by only 5% of members).
Tanya explains that there are many misconceptions about Feng Shui, particuarly within western cultures.
“A lot of people in the west think of Feng Shui as something spiritual. They imagine people in a back of a shop with a crystal ball or at a fair with tarot cards. But actually, it’s a 4,000-year-old science based on the energy in the atmosphere. It’s linked to quantum physics and is a hot topic in Silicon Valley. Basically, Feng Shui harnesses the positive Chi energy and deactivates negative Chi. Homes, offices, new builds, commercial spaces, gardens, or outdoor spaces can be arranged so that the individuals using the space can experience an energetically balanced environment.”
Tanya has both private and corporate clients and regularly makes presentations to companies looking to optimise their space. And those which follow her guidance are in good company with global giants such as Apple, Nike, Microsoft having adopted the principles to create the ideal environment for their staff.
As far as homes are concerned, Tanya has lots of tips on how to sell your house, how to choose a house, how to make a house homely.
“It’s not about having the best house in terms of interior design because I have been brought into houses which have been done by top interior designers and the owners tell me that they don’t feel right and that they feel that something’s “off”. So I rearrange the property (using the five elements of fire, water, earth, metal and wood) to help them improve their space – that’s my slogan – ‘improve your space, improve your life.’”
As far as selling a property is concerned, Tanya works with clients to create a visually appealing environment which can help the property to sell more quickly, attract more potential buyers and maximise the price. But whether you’re looking to sell or not, Tanya’s starting point is to find out what her clients’ own goals are and what they want to achieve.
“‘The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them’, is my favourite quote.” said Tanya. “It’s from interior designer David Hicks. Ask yourself what is your home is telling you. Identify what you want to achieve and then ask whether those two things marry up.”
Equally for those who have recently moved to the island and bought a new property, Tanya helps them settle in and to create their own ‘perfect sanctuary’.
The position of a hob in your kitchen, the type of headboard on your bed, the direction your desk faces in your home office, the choice of colour scheme, the shape, design and materials of your furniture, your choice of artwork – all these elements can make a massive difference to your living environment according to Feng Shui principles.
A highly complex fascinating topic and we’ve barely scratched the surface.
Tanya says in summary: “It’s the comfort, it’s the harmony, it’s the balance, it’s creating a really positive lifestyle that people are really interested in, and I think the people in Guernsey are very open minded to it.”
