Posted to The Age (17/12/2011) on 17/12/2011 at 5:03 PM
Commenting on "Seeing life from a different angle"
http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/seeing-life-from-a-different-angle-20111216-1oxaq.html
I thought I knew my wife well, and built a "castle" for us to enjoy. An architect designed what we wanted - split levels with sunken lounge, high ceiling with exposed beams, exposed brick feature walls, big arch-windows, balcony outside our bedroom from which we could see the rising sun from the Dandenong mountains, doors and windows that create cross ventilation, entrance passage leading to rumpus room long enough to practise catwalk, etc.
Things did not seem to work out after we moved in. She did not like to look at the exposed beams in the ceiling when she was lying on her bed, the sunlight shone through the arch of the windows was too bright despite the rest of rectangular part was heavily draped, too many windows with glass to be wiped down, the house was too big for two of us and even had echoes when we spoke, could not reach the highest part of the ceiling to vacuum the spider webs, cost a lot to warm up the open-plan design, friends’ young children just loved going up and down the stairs, and we hosted more parties because the other friends’ homes were "too" small.
Then came a friend with some Feng Shui knowledge, telling us the cross ventilation was not ideal because the front entrance should not face the back exit directly. The God of Fortune would come into the house, and get out immediate from the back. Finally, my wife gave me the ultimatum – sell it or else.
Well, we are still happily married!
Commenting on "Seeing life from a different angle"
http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/seeing-life-from-a-different-angle-20111216-1oxaq.html
I thought I knew my wife well, and built a "castle" for us to enjoy. An architect designed what we wanted - split levels with sunken lounge, high ceiling with exposed beams, exposed brick feature walls, big arch-windows, balcony outside our bedroom from which we could see the rising sun from the Dandenong mountains, doors and windows that create cross ventilation, entrance passage leading to rumpus room long enough to practise catwalk, etc.
Things did not seem to work out after we moved in. She did not like to look at the exposed beams in the ceiling when she was lying on her bed, the sunlight shone through the arch of the windows was too bright despite the rest of rectangular part was heavily draped, too many windows with glass to be wiped down, the house was too big for two of us and even had echoes when we spoke, could not reach the highest part of the ceiling to vacuum the spider webs, cost a lot to warm up the open-plan design, friends’ young children just loved going up and down the stairs, and we hosted more parties because the other friends’ homes were "too" small.
Then came a friend with some Feng Shui knowledge, telling us the cross ventilation was not ideal because the front entrance should not face the back exit directly. The God of Fortune would come into the house, and get out immediate from the back. Finally, my wife gave me the ultimatum – sell it or else.
Well, we are still happily married!
