From the Far East to the North Shore and back to the Lower East Side
Bringing Feng Shui to 10002
“Oh my gosh,” Bernadette said in her North Shore accent, spirulina smoothie in one hand and an iPhone covered in a Swarovski case in the other.
“I’m feeling so stressed.”
She was a bit of a character, that Bernadette. The kind of person stereotypes are built around. A caricature, you might say. But she wasn’t wrong. She was stressed.
Her apartment was cluttered. She still hadn’t unpacked, despite having moved in three years earlier. She never really took the time — or set aside money — to think through her closets, storage, or how the space was actually functioning for her day-to-day life.
Her Christian Louboutins were lying about the floor. Her Jimmy Choos were chucked carelessly into a linen closet. Her Manolo Blahniks blotted the living room. (Bernadette liked shoes!)
“I really need to feng shui this place,” she said. And maybe she did.
But what exactly would that mean?
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese system centered on the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit. It roughly translates to “wind” and “water,” and was developed thousands of years ago as a way of understanding how geography, orientation, natural forces, and the built environment influence human well-being. Originally used to determine the placement of homes, villages, palaces, and burial grounds, feng shui evolved into a broader philosophy focused on balance, harmony, and the flow of energy — known as qi — through physical space.
Ever walked under the Williamsburg Bridge? Not feng shui’d.
At its core, feng shui views the home as a living environment that can either support or disrupt the emotional and physical state of its occupants. The practice emphasizes circulation, proportion, light, airflow, and intentional placement rather than decoration alone. Clutter, blocked pathways, dark corners, and overcrowded rooms are believed to interrupt the smooth movement of energy, while openness, organization, natural materials, and thoughtful layouts encourage calm, clarity, and comfort.
Are you starting to understand why Bernadette wanted to give her fancy shoes the boot?
Many of feng shui’s principles overlap naturally with modern interior design, environmental psychology, and hospitality-driven approaches to residential living. Within the home, it tends to manifest through intuitive yet relatively simple decisions.
Entryways? These are designed to feel open and welcoming
Bedrooms? Treated as restorative spaces with reduced distraction
Living rooms? Arranged to encourage connection and ease of conversation.
The system also incorporates the five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — using colors, textures, materials, and objects to create balance within a room. Particularly in dense urban environments — give it up Lower East Side — feng shui is applied less literally and has increasingly been interpreted less strictly, i.e., the focus is on creating homes that feel grounded, functional, balanced, and emotionally supportive within the realities of modern life.
The reason Bernadette came to mind is because I love spirulina. (No, I don’t. It’s not among my Top 3 ways to consume algae.)
Actually, a property in Hillman Housing recently came onto the market and it’s feng shui’d to the wazoo. (In this case, the “wazoo” is Grand Street.) Anjie Cho is the talent behind the design, and she is a feng shui, ikebana and dharma arts teacher, as well as a licensed architect.
List Price: $2,150,000
Bedrooms / Bathrooms: 3 BR / 2 BA
Approx. Size: 2000 SF
Building: Hillman Coop
First Listed: May 5, 2026
Unit Summary: A 2,000 sq. ft. 3 BD / 2 BA unit with 4” maple hardwood floors, pre-war beamed ceilings, recessed lighting, Restoration Hardware crystal chandeliers, and motorized Shade Store solar and blackout shades. The kitchen features Caesarstone countertops, a 7-foot waterfall peninsula, a Blanco farmhouse sink, Bosch stainless steel appliances, and a GE wine cooler; bathrooms include large format porcelain tile, Jason Wu by Brizo fittings, Toto toilets with heated washlets, and a Robern medicine cabinet.
Please note that the Peloton bike in the bedroom is probably not part of Ms. Cho’s original plan, but we should all be “striving” for balance not “keeping” it.
Here are a few other properties from three local co-ops that Ms. Cho has designed, straight from her portfolio:
Bernadette will be reaching out just as soon as she can find her phone, which she accidentally dropped in a pile of René Caovilla evening shoes.
