Some leading U.S. homebuilders are quietly incorporating feng shui into home designs, say it makes sense, improves designs, buyer feedback is positive
Audrey Dixon
LOS ANGELES
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June 6, 2012
(Industry Intelligence)
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KB Home and Standard Pacific Homes are among the big-name U.S. homebuilders that have been quietly incorporating feng shui principles into their home designs, the Orange County Register reported on May 18.
From being tapped initially to meet the needs of a growing number of Asian homebuyers, feng shui–essentially the art of using design to achieve harmony within a living space or workspace--has become increasingly mainstream as more homebuilders incorporate it.
Feng shui consultants advise architects and home designers on street layouts, floor plans, home alignment, landscaping and interior designs. They also help steer builders toward “lucky” addresses while avoiding “unlucky” numbers.
KB Home recent hired feng shui expert Hyun Jung "Jessie" Kim of Lake Forest, California, to advise its designers on the Sage development and the Garden Hill development both at Portola Springs. KB Home's Ironwood in Portola Springs and Standard Pacific's Castillian at Blackstone in Brea have both had the feng shui treatment, according to the Orange County Register.
In fact, in the past three years, KB Homes has built 3,000 to 4,000 homes with designs that incorporate feng shui.
Steve Ruffner, president of KB Home's Southern California division, said simple requests from customers for design or address tweaks sparked the company’s interest in feng shui and feng shui experts were invited to look at its plans and to suggest improvements.
Ruffner said buyer feedback is positive and he believes the move improved KB’s home designs.
Standard Pacific's national director of architecture Jeffrey Lake said feng shui was just one element of good design, adding that Standard Pacific incorporates feng shui principles at the start of designing a development.
Bill Holford, President of Olson Communities, a division of The Olson Company based in Seal Beach, California, said feng shui design principles "make sense across the board," the Orange County Register reported.
Feng shui consultant Angi MA Wong of Palos Verdes claims to have worked with homebuilders for two dozen years, saying these days feng shui is as much a part of the mainstream as yoga.
The primary source of this article is the Orange County Register, Santa Ana, California, May 18, 2012.
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