We enlisted the help of Feng Shui consultant Lesley Lauren Carrington to assess
the Bluewater Quiet Room and Clark Levy’s ‘below stairs area’. She used a
Chinese compass to measure the ‘elemental properties’ of the rooms
Bluewater
"The spiral leading into the room is inviting, you find that you want
to follow and see where it leads. The circular shape of the room is brilliant
and the stones are wonderful, but the room is only making use of about 10 per
cent of its potential. I understand that the lilac colour used in the room is
considered in Western thinking to be a colour expressing spirituality. But
lilac is a mixture of red and blue – red is fire and blue is water – they are
actually cancelling out each other.
"The small alcoves fall into the main points of the compass and you
could colour them to signify the elements – metal (with white or grey), wood
(green), water (blue or black) fire (reds). It would also benefit the room to
put different visual images in the three wall sections of the circle, such a
galaxy perhaps, a water world and a landscape or cottage garden. I would also
put cushioning on the polished wood seating, to encourage people to sit for
longer. The skeleton is here, but with a little effort, you could build a
body."
Clark Levy
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"The windows do provide natural light. My first impression was that the
blank wall beyond needs a painting on it to provide diversion and restfulness.
But the staff who use this room don’t come down here to rest, they come to
unwind. This hidden room is like a cloister. Because of the grills on the window
and the blank wall beyond, it gives a feeling of being shut in.
"There are no diversions here, no posters or pictures, this room would
make you let go. People go to cloisters and sabbaticals in order to ‘find’
themselves. And strangely enough, without very much being added to it, this is
just what this room invites. It is very well suited to its purpose."