WARREN Adviser: Feng shui would help city council

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement and balance.
By DENISE DICKand STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- If there is a good spot to make decisions about the future of the city, it is not council chambers.
With the sunken floor, fake-wood paneling and recessed lights, city council chambers is harsh, angular and stark.
And the '70s color scheme -- ecru paint, brown carpet, vomit-yellow chairs -- could prevent decision-makers from moving into the future.
"There is not a lot of growth and development and forward thinking there," said Connie Fedor, practitioner of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement and balance.
The problem: too much brown, which signifies stability, and too little red, which promotes forward thinking and dynamism.
Not enough green -- the color of growth and development -- either, said Fedor, who came from her home in North Kingsville on the Lake Erie shore between Ashtabula and Conneaut to tour council chambers at the request of The Vindicator.
"If they're stuck in a rut ..." said Fedor, looking disdainfully around the room, "just from the colors, it looks like maybe that's an issue."
A few potted plants could help there, she said.
More problems
Then there are the poison arrows.
The stark, straight lines of tables, the desks in even rows, send out "poison arrows" that make people uncomfortable and even hostile, she said.
Subconsciously, everyone tries to avoid sitting in a spot along the path of these lines.
Perhaps council members' desks could be arranged in a semicircle or oval?
Mayor Hank Angelo said he would be willing to consider rearranging some furniture.
"Anything that would help to cut down on hostility," he said.
In fact, the only really good seats in the house are the ones assigned to the press, in the corner of the room with backs to the wall, Fedor said.
Feng shui practitioners typically give tips on the color scheme and arrangement of rooms and furniture to maximize the flow of chi, or life energy.
Chi is supposed to circulate around the room like a gentle breeze, without getting sucked out a window or stuck in a corner.
Piles of clutter and open bathroom doors are bad for the chi, Fedor said.
Qualifications
Fedor has been practicing feng shui since 1996 and has studied with masters in California and China.
She says she consults with home and business owners across northeast Ohio and generally charges $189 for a three-hour session.
The Trumbull County commissioners' meeting room fared better than council chambers.
The color scheme and curved tables keep the chi moving and drapes prevent it from flying straight out the wall of windows, Fedor said.
"This space is much better than the other room," she said.