What I Learned From My House
By Omi Preheim
In 1989 I was a suburban married mother of three children living in the greater Boston area.
For years I had been drawing plans for my dream addition to our classic Cape Cod house. In August we broke ground for our new addition and renovation designed by ME! I thought it tremendously exciting to see my vision becoming real - and I had no idea how my life was about to change!
We bought our cape house in 1978 primarily because we loved its energy! It was small but efficient, with a warm friendly feel as you moved around the interior. The flow of the house worked well, and it appeared to be a perfect place for a young working couple. I could even see how it would be a wonderful home to start a family. There were rhododendrons and forsythia and grass was lush and deep, perfect for small children to play in.
The little house was all of that. We welcomed our firstborn son into our home and then our second son as well. We finished the basement to make play and work space. The house was becoming tight with rambunctious boys, but it was still comfortable. When we added a baby girl, we were busting at the seams.
We found a contractor willing to work with my home-grown designs and the transformation of our space got underway. We lived in our basement for 2 months while the rest of the house was torn apart. Old kitchen cabinets were torn out and the kitchen enlarged. The living room expanded to embrace our Steinway baby grand piano. The house was attached to the garage and a new front and back side entry was created. Two new bedrooms (including a master with a large walk-in closet) added to the back of the house, a storage shed added to the back of the garage; and a new brick patio laid out in the back. The house was completely resided, repainted and new energy efficient windows and window treatments installed. Nothing was left untouched, un-refinished or un-updated. It was like making an old house over into a new house.
Our new house had wonderful storage space - a place for everything and everything in its place. It even had a recycling closet right off the kitchen!
But the energy of the house no longer flowed. It was divided into large areas. While there was space for all of us, there was more division between us. And it ended up having quite an impact on the entire family.
A 1990 Boston Globe article introduced me to the philosophy of feng shui, and my world changed once again. I voraciously read everything I could find on the subject and put what I learned into practice in my house. I discovered and rectified the mistakes I had made in designing our new old house. In doing so, I built the case for myself that feng shui really works because it also makes great design sense! Friends were asking me to share the knowledge I had integrated about this amazing ancient system. Consulting and teaching soon followed.
Since 1992, I have taught feng shui to ordinary people and worked with developers and building contractors to create houses and office buildings based on feng shui principles. While it is wonderful to incorporate feng shui principles into new structures, most of my clients are working with existing houses, apartments, offices, with space and financial limits. It is one of my passions to share with others how feng shui can enhance the energy of an existing building or space, creating harmony between people and the built environments where we live and work.
Omi Preheim