SingaPURE Arthouse

I was excited for Sandra Macheroux when she announced the new location of her gallery, so on moving weekend I went to see her at 81 Loewen Road, fully equipped with compass and notepad.

Defining the Main Entrance

The gallery is located in a cute little house in the heart of Loewen Gardens, surrounded by a few well-established businesses including the popular “Carrotsticks & Cravings” café. The little house has two entrance doors, which are luckily not directly opposite each other. One door faces NE and opens up towards “Carrotsticks & Cravings”, the other entrance is actually a double door facing SW, looking towards the long building housing a gym. Sandra and I looked at both doors and decided that – although smaller – the NE facing door will be the main entrance. This wall features an old “1940” inscription on the outside, so surely this was the original front of the house. This also makes sense from a Feng Shui perspective, as the NE side of the building will be more active thanks to the open terrace of the café opposite, which has many visitors each day.

Deciding on the Interior Layout

Where to put the storage room?

The house has a very regular rectangular shape, almost a square, which is excellent. Sandra wanted to divide one corner off to create a small storage space. In a regular open space with no architectural limitations, which corner do you choose?

This is where the Eight Mansions formula comes in handy. Based on her date of birth, Sandra is a Kua No 3 with the following good and bad directions:

Sandra’s Auspicious Directions/Locations:

Sandra’s Inauspicious Directions/Locations:

*NW is the direction of the Dog, Sandra’s Chinese zodiac animal, hence this is also a good direction for her.

Obviously, the inauspicious directions and locations should be avoided as much as possible and the “Total Loss” direction should be avoided at all times. So that makes the WEST corner the perfect place for a storage room.

The Secret of the “right” Colours  

Sandra’s photo art is very colourful hence it is important to consider the Eight Aspirations formula of Feng Shui in order to create harmony with the elements. This formula is based on the old Chinese belief that there are eight areas that make up our lives and each of these areas is connected with one of the five Feng Shui elements. So, using the right colour in the right place is the secret of creating balance and harmony within our surroundings, the basis of a happy, healthy and successful life. Conversely, having the wrong colour in the wrong place can have disasterous consequences. But you are not limited to one colour for each area only; applying the productive cycle of elements gives you an additional colour option.

This means, Sandra’s blue and green pictures are perfect for the EAST and SE areas to the left when coming into the gallery. Her blue antique sideboard is also perfectly placed in the centre of the SE wall on the left, as water (blue) is the productive element of wood (green). The SOUTH corner is home to the vibrant red and pink collages and thanks to the annual Flying Stars (part of the time dimension of Feng Shui), this area also needs some metal element this year. Can you spot these in the photo below?

And I must say I LOVE the yellow display shelf next to the main entrance! This is the perfect base colour for the earth element NE sector.

A Space for Collaborations

Sandra has wonderful plans for her new gallery. She would like to use the space for small events, such as talks and workshops (we will hold a Feng Shui workshop as soon as Covid19 is over!) and she has also invited a few fellow artists to share the space with her.

Looking back at the Eight Mansions formula, we have established that the EAST, SE, SOUTH and NORTH areas are Sandra’s best sectors – so these will be the spaces where she displays her own artwork and products. You can see these in the feature wall pictured above.

The guest artists will be offered the WEST wall (wall of the storage space) and the NW wall to display their art. According to the Eight Aspirations formula, the WEST represents the aspiration “Creativity”, while the NW is connected to “Mentors and helpful Friends” – it could not work out more perfectly than that! Creativity is obviously very important for all artists and inviting other artists into the “helpful Friends” sector is the best prerequisite for a positive and fruitful collaboration.

The storage space in the WEST corner, featuring artwork by Samantha Redfern.

The NW wall is ready for two other artists who will move in soon.

Sandra’s large black & white print is perfectly placed in the NORTH corner, as black is one of the colours representing the water element of the NORTH.

I love how the gallery has turned out! And it is a great example to show that no space is too small to apply Feng Shui. Please visit Sandra soon, you will enjoy the positive vibes and be inspired by her Singapore themed photo prints, eco-friendly swim shorts, home décor and gift items!

SingaPURE Arthouse, 81 Loewen Road, Loewen Gardens, Dempsey

To end this case study, I would like to add a few words from Sandra herself:

“Lucy and I have known each other for a few years now. We met via a business women network and we were delighted to both be of German heritage. After having lived in Asia for 14 years (HK 2 years, SG 12 years) I have learned a little bit about Feng Shui myself. I have found its principles to be intriguing and logical at the same time. However, I don’t know enough, and it was hence wonderful to have Lucy give me advice. I believe that optimising my new gallery by using Feng Shui principles is an essential part of setting up this new space of creativity and business. I have seen Lucy work before and have attended one of her talks as well. She is highly knowledgeable and so easy to work with. She approaches the space with care and professionalism. She clearly is determined to create the most auspicious and harmonious environment for you. Be it in your home or at work. I very much look forward to having Lucy give an insightful and helpful talk at Loewen Gardens, once we have defeated Covid 19.”  | S. Macheroux

If you are interested in Feng Shui Tips for your business or workplace please reach out to me here.