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One of the oldest healing scienceson the planet has become thehottest new trend in home décor.

Decorators and homeowners across theWestern world are flocking to find out moreabout the 6,000-year-old Indian science ofarchitecture and design, called vastu.

“It’s a very calming, very soothing form ofdesign,” says vastu expert Kathleen Cox,who says vastu does for your home andyour spirit what yoga does for your bodyand mind.

Said to be the inspiration for feng shui, theChinese art of design, vastu is the Sanskritword for “science of structures.” WithIndian fashion, yoga, and alternative medi-cine already big in the West, the surgingpopularity of vastu continues this trend ofthe West’s fascination with all things Eastern.

“Vastu believes everything is alive,” saysCox, a New York City-based vastu expertwhose clientele includes supermodelChristy Turlington.

Cox was in Toronto recently to decorateNorth America’s very first vastu lodge,called the Annex Quest House. A revampedrooming house on Spadina Road in down-town Toronto, the 18-room lodge recently

reopened, providing temporary, upscalelodging for people in transition (rooms gofor an introductory rate of $79 per night,$395 per week and $1,495 per month).

Meanwhile, vastu offers a beautiful, inex-pensive and easy way to breathe some newlife into any space, Cox says. “With vastuyou try to align your biorhythms with theuniversal rhythms at work around you,” shesays. “The way we organize our space hasan impact on the way we feel. If you useyour space positively, it will help you to de-stress. It’s very much like yoga and ayurve-da (Indian health practice), with properbreathing, meditation and eating well. Vastuincreases your well-being by increasing thepower of the space around you.”

Vastu is very simple, but requires you tobe mindful of what you are doing with your

By Karen Bridson-Boyczuk

Ancient Easternphilosophies

influenceWestern design

The art of vastu

Rich blues, which provide a calming influence thatcombats stress, are said to honour air and are bestrepresented in a home’s northwest corner.

Photos by Ian Kelso

The art of vastu

18 c e n t r e o f t h e c i t y

décor, says Cox, who is also the author oftwo vastu books, Vastu Living and the Powerof Vastu Living.

Vastu is based on three ancient principlesof Indian design. The first principle is tokeep in mind what the four quadrants ofevery room represent as you decorate, andto honour the five elements in every room(ether or air, earth, fire, wind, water), Coxsays.

“All of these elements should have asense of value and be honoured within thespace,” she says.

Earth is honoured in the southwest, fire ishonoured in the southeast, water is hon-oured in the northeast, wind is honoured inthe northwest and air is honoured in thecentre of the room.

Placing heavier furniture in the south andwest honours earth. “We want to try toblock out the harmful rays of the noonsun,” she says. “That’s why we want theheaviness in the room to be in the south-west.”

The southeast should have somethingbeautiful to look at, preferably somethingrepresenting fire, like a burning candle.This honours the noonday sun comingfrom that direction. “You should honourthe fire and be aware of its importance inlife,” Cox says.

“Wind is in the northwest because of theNorwester, the most fickle of all winds,” shesays. “We honour that quality by puttingthat there.” An example of honouring windwould be to put a hammock in that corner,she says.

The northeast quadrant of a room is relat-ed to water in the northern hemisphere sothis part of the room should be designed tocreate a very calming space.

The centre of the room is where you hon-

our air and space. “We keep that sacredspace free to move,” she says.

The second principle of vastu is to incor-porate as much of nature into your space asyou can. “We are all connected to nature,”Cox says, “so it’s important in vastu to cre-ate spaces that incorporate as many organicproducts as possible.”

To follow this vastu principle, it’s a good

Above: Assymmetry is an important componentof vastu design. Groupings of design elementswork best in threes or fives.

Right: Vastu design is very minimal, but does fea-ture natural materials and handmade craftsman-ship wherever possible, as shown by this ham-mered copper sink.

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idea to use plants, wood, glass and as littleplastic and synthetic products as possible.“Nature is so soothing,” she says. “It’s aplace of inspiration. It puts you in a placethat’s peaceful, especially in the city whereit’s so busy.”

Plants also contribute positive energy to aspace because they remove the toxins fromthe air, Cox says. “We group them togetherso they exist as they do in nature,” she says.

The third principle of vastu is to ensureyour room celebrates the true personalitiesof the people living in that space.

“Celebrating who you are,” she says.“Your utter humanity and losing yourself.It’s done with a lot of care.”

Incorporating this principle in your roommay include hanging pictures that are spe-cial to you on the wall.

Overall, vastu Indian décor is very mini-

mal, with just one piece of art on every wall.Beds should have some height to them,

she says. “It gives a spaciness to rooms,” shesays. “You should also allow the dance oflight and shadows to move around theroom.”

Asymmetry is another hallmark of vastudesign, Cox says. “In the West we are hungup on symmetry,” she says. “We always putthe picture on the centre of the wall. Wearen’t symmetrical and we are visually andviscerally more connected to spaces whenthey are designed with asymmetry. It makesthe space flow from corner to corner.”

Another aspect of vastu is trying to avoideven numbers in your décor. Groupings ofthrees and fives are better than twos andfours, she says.

Circular objects and images are alsoavoided in vastu as they cause energy to‘roll’ whereas squares are more static.

Meanwhile, it’s important to note that,unlike feng shui, vastu design principlesdon’t carry with them promises or threats.

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“Nothing involved in vastu causes bad things to happen,” she says.“If you do certain things, that won’t bring you luck. And if you don’tdo certain things, you won’t get sick.”

However, people seem to sleep better if the head of their bed isat the east, west or south side of a room. “If the head of your bedis north, people tend to have a very disturbed sleep,” she says.

As for what colours should be used in rooms, Cox says it alldepends on the personality of person or people who will be usingthe room. “What you want to do is pick a colour that is good foryou,” she says. “If you are a lethargic person, you may want topick a stimulating colour. If you are stressed, you may want topick a more cooling colour, like blue or green.”

Some colours, like earthy colours, are safe for everyone,according to vastu principles, Cox says.

Vastu is growing in popularity, along with other Eastern trends,because people are so stressed out these days and are looking forways to relax, she says.

“One thing we can control is our environment,” she says. “Wecan use our space to make us feel confident and unwind. We feeldehumanized, so many of us, in our work. I’m trying to put somespace back into the home.”

Cox said people should beware of the glut of vastu books com-ing onto the market these days because so many of them are writ-ten by people who are trying to make money but haven’t reallystudied the science. “I studied with a Vedic scholar,” she said.

Helen Goldstein, owner of The Yoga Studio, had one of her stu-

dios in downtown Toronto “vastued” to create a healthy environ-ment for her clients to practice.

“Feng shui is more clinical and analytic, this is less tradition-al,” she says. “It’s got a nice flow to it, it’s harmonious.”

Many people come into the studio and comment on how goodit feels to be in the space, she says.

Alex Bollag, manager of The Yoga Studio, said all the spacesshe’s seen that have been vastued are very beautiful and peaceful.“These spaces promote a peaceful mind,” she says. “It’s importantthat your environment works with you and not against you.” ❦

This unique raised bed, surrounded by a hot colour scheme, honours fire. Theasymmetrical grouping of three plants balances the intensity of the wallswith a cooling influence.

Annex Quest House on Spadina Road is North America’s first vastu-inspiredlodge, offering temporary, upscale accommodations.

“The way we organize our space has an impact on the way we feel. If you use your space positively, it will help you to de-stress.”