We can’t believe we have only been in our new Sydney apartment for a couple of weeks! It feels like a lifetime and we are currently in a demolition site. Everything costs more than Europe due to the improved salary conditions so budgets are having to be carefully managed. Once again, we are giving a sad and neglected apartment a new life.

Having visited various areas, we kept coming back to a suburb that has the beach 15 minutes away by foot and public transport every which way. There is an arty Art Deco cinema minutes away ambitiously called the Ritz. They have rainy Sundays and show old classic black and white movies and various country film festivals. Restaurants are close by along with the necessary supermarkets and shops. For once, we chose logically and ended up in a tired 1990s built apartment. Amazing to see classic dull cream and beige everywhere, vertical blinds and a vanity unit that was definitely an interior design throw-back. It is small but we are living in a real city and over the last couple of weeks have found a community.

Feng Shui First

It is the first time that I haven’t consulted with my mentor of many years as I thought that the ‘training wheels’ needed to finally come off. I took a chance and checked that the Wealth sector is in the bedroom along with part of a balcony. The living room and part of the balcony is in the Relationship area and the bathroom is in the Self-Knowledge. The dining nook will be where Family & Health will be and the kitchen is in the Career & Life Path sector. All is well.

Give Me Money, That’s What I Want

As the singer sang, I am searching for work and money is just going out and not a lot coming in but that is the painful part of renovations. The Wealth sector will have to wait until our furniture arrives in a few weeks but we have a mattress in there and a mirror has been placed with the statement that there is ‘no missing sector and that the balcony belongs to the Wealth sector’. Colours will be tropical green and lemon tones to represent the Earth and Wood elements. We have expensive French bed linen with birds and leaves that will represent growth and prosperity. A French dresser will need to go in this room and the metal top will be removed to be replaced with a piece of wood. It will be lovely and bright and breezy.

Fame & Reputation

This is sort of in the middle of the balcony and the rose terracotta tiles are perfect to represent both Earth and Fire. To generate a stronger Fire element, tropical green colours will be added to represent the Wood element to ‘feed’ the fire. It is all about balance and this area is not the most important one for us at this stage of our lives.

The Relationship Corner/Travel & Helpful People

This area will be in the living room and dingy carpets will be replaced with neutral oak floorboards. Now before the Feng Shui experts panic and say but the Metal element should be used here and Metal cuts down Wood, don’t forget, you balance by making sure all elements are in place in the right areas in each room. Like a Bagua map within a Bagua map. We will have lots of white with soft sand and blue colours. The elements of Water and Earth will be dominant along with silver metal framed prints of couples and travel. Of course, my cocktail bar will be placed here to generate friends for drinks!

 

Career & Lifepath

I am still hoping to get some work but sadly, my age appears to be against me but that being said, I keep trying and will volunteer as well. The kitchen is barely touchable with grease and grime. It will all come out and the dull cream and brown granite will be replaced with white cupboards and a white benchtop. We have lovely Japanese petrol blue kitchen ceramics which will add to the decor and a chic dark grey matte fridge has been bought. White tones for Metal, petrol blue for deep Water and it will look smart.

Self-Knowledge

This is where the bathroom and washing machine is and it has been demolished already. We found under the installed bath, mouldy towels, bricks and water. Sigh. All ok as we have a builder who loves to pray and has said all will be well. We are getting ready to waterproof the walls and the bath will be replaced with a walk-in shower. It will be walls of matte white tiles and then jade green or celadon will be in the accessories to add the Wood element. It will be restful and a white and a jade ginger jar is ready to be the wow factor.

Finally, Family & Health

This will be where the dining table and our Asian sideboard and cupboard will go. Lots of the Wood element in furniture to represent growth and will be balanced out with a beige rug to soften the Wood element with Earth tones.

What Next?

Immediately, mouldy old vertical blinds where taken down, why were they thought to be fashionable? A built-in wardrobe with amber mirrors everywhere was replaced with new inserts and plain white sliding doors. 1990s Oyster lights have been removed and the carpet that is everywhere will be replaced with light oak floorboards.

As I write, we have rubble in the bathroom and our neighbour has offered us her apartment to use whilst she is away. This is the ‘community’ aspect that has really come to the fore. Several complete strangers in the lift and on the steps have offered help, bathrooms, toilets and just general support. Only one apartment has complained about the drilling and apparently, number 4 complains about everything. Two younger couples have moved in as owners and it feels like the building as a whole, is being re-born and will come alive. As Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey announced and it is a wonderful affirmation, “May your walls know joy; may every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility.”