Ten square meters encompassing a work area, a coaching area, a space for workshops, a restful place where dreams can soar – Feng Shui organizes the space with an injection of joy.

Hodaya felt she was losing inspiration in the work space she had at home. Her work involved the development of executive workshops, women’s workshops, and being a personal and business coach. Without vision and inspiration, she found it very difficult to promote and develop business objectives while at the same time holding on to the joy of creativity.

She contacted me with a request – to create a suitable space for her.

A space where she can walk through the door and enter a different world. A space where her imagination, and her writing, can take flight while maintaining focus on accomplishment and livelihood. And it also had to be a space that would welcome visitors, from trainees to workshop participants, so it needed to feel open and spacious, with plenty of room to breathe.

And finally… it must not exceed 10 square meters, by law of the regional council.

So, how does one create from 10 square meters a training area, a work area, a space for conducting workshops and someplace to rest and dream, and still keep it open and spacious? Oh, and I nearly forgot, while also giving her the feeling of being out in nature, surrounded by greenery.

Feng Shui defined the process of planning and design. Once I understood the maps and the organizational potential both of the space and of Hodaya, I began to plan… the library, of all things. But it was more than book shelves.

The shelves gave us a perfect solution. They served as the boundary of the coaching area, as well as providing storage space in the work area without blocking visual openness and breathing space. And by putting the unit on wheels, we had the option of opening the table to seat another 10 people.

I defined the training area with smooth wall panels that also covered the back of the shelf unit, integrating it into the space. The corner had a unique feel of its own, suitable to its purpose.

On the other side of the shelf unit, the cabinet, acting as back wall for the work space and desk, was given a color that supported Hodaya in her creative work.

A ninety-degree turn of the shelf unit opens the space. The desk extends, adding up to a meter to its length, and now we have a conference room, a space for brainstorming or for conducting workshops.

And here is the rest corner. We inserted a sofa into a niche. Here, Hodaya can lie down, look out at the greenery of the garden, and set free her intuitions and thoughts.

This is now a space that offers opportunity for both personal and business growth, for Hodaya and for her trainees and clients, and as such it plays a major role in the success of her business.

Dear Hodaya,
And I would like to thank you in return.
It was a pleasure working with you.
It was a productive process for us both in more ways than one.Photography: Or Kaplan
Carpentry: David Turgeman

When I encounter a work environment, whether an organization, a workshop, school or public place, I am reminded time and again of people’s lack of awareness of the effect that their space has on those within it. The physical environment effects creativity, efficiency, focus, alertness, and more. Neither the workers nor the managers seem to realize that their physical space is like a “container” of knowledge and information, and it has a direct effect on all those within it and around it.

The beauty of this “container” is that it is like clay in the hands of the sculptor.
The space can be designed to encourage creativity. It can be designed for openness. It can be designed for improved communication and cooperation . It can be designed for joyful productivity. Every company or person can design their space so as to convey the messages, information, corporate culture and general atmosphere with which they want to be identified in the eyes of their customers as well as their employees. The difficulty with this “container”, is that it’s not so much seen as felt, and these feelings are not always accurately attributed to their source.

Understanding your surroundings

Understanding your surroundings is understanding that colors are not just visible stains, they are frequencies that influence tempo, attentiveness and temperament.

Color

Color can elicit goodness from people; it can make them smile, raise their motivation, their joy of creativity, and if need be, it can also be calming, giving a feeling of breathing space to create. Color can radiate a young, fresh environment, or it can create an environment that is gloomy and depressing.

Positioning furniture

The positioning of furniture is not only aimed at efficient use of space. Its positioning has an important effect on focus and concentration, on attentive listening and efficiency of work.

Objects and stimulation

The quantity of objects and the harmony among them influences the level of curiosity and stimulation, the ability to engage in open self-expression, and the feeling of breathing space.

An understanding of the culture one wants to convey, combined with the correct combination of design tools, results in precise interior design that contributes a great deal to success.

Materials and textures can convey a corporate culture of precision – metal furnishings, meticulously clean sharp lines – as opposed to an informal culture where the furnishings are relaxed and more in keeping with a home environment, or perhaps a garden. A spatial design that creates a maze, even when well-utilized with many seating arrangements, also creates an environment of complex interrelations, conflict, uncertainty and disquiet among its workers. In contrast, a design using lines that are simple and clear, that clearly indicate directions, pathways and office locations, generates security and stability. This kind of design eliminates feelings of uncertainty, which contribute to growing tension, wasted time while the employee “finds himself”, and worker intrigues.

Correct, natural lighting reduces fatigue and headache, and contributes to concentration and general agreeableness.

Spaces that encourage growth

A company who’s strategy is growth will be designed with as many open spaces as possible – spaces that are colorful, that include greens, and whose ambiance conveys freshness and blossoming… generally, that’s a strategy that encourages creativity. Integrating pieces of art, a special colorfulness, and unusual objects, all add to the message and awaken inspiration.

An Island of stability

On the other hand, the space of a company whose strategy is stability, will be designed with well-defined spaces and will include antique furniture, rectangular and square shapes, and a combination of earthy colors – brown, terra cotta, mustard and a variety of yellows. All these will contribute to a feeling of groundedness and roots. With this kind of design, one has to be careful that it doesn’t become heavy or that the design strategy doesn’t turn into a fanfare. To avoid this, the design should incorporate elements that are cooling and refreshing.

Spaces that invite transparency

A company whose strategy is based on transparency will have spaces defined by transparent walls, while its solid opaque walls will either be below eye level, or will include wide openings allowing one to see into the space and beyond. The idea of transparency is that everything is out on the table. There are no secrets or hidden agendas. There is, however, a concern over the ability of such a space to contain and translate all that information out on the table into something constructive and supportive. Care should be taken not to create an excess of airiness that could convey a feeling of lack of solidity where things float by and slip away. The space should include elements such as heavy solid tables that can “capture and hold” the information and to turn it into action.

The physical environment is a container of knowledge and information. Try for a moment to listen to what it’s telling you, your clients, and your employees – is it the story that you want to tell?

According to feng shui, every space tells a story. Every space contains within it information made up of past events, accumulated memories, whisperings of occurrences. There is a lingering aroma, colors, items, textures… and much more. Picture an ancient cathedral, and compare it with a newly built house.

All the information exuded by a space has an influence on the person it surrounds. Sometimes it adds depth and charm, but the energies it conveys are not always suited to its occupants. The good news is that these energies can be “reprogrammed” through design changes that give it a new aspect.

Feng shui design adds a new dimension to space, beyond the tangible. For instance, color is not simply a color as perceived by our eyes, it is also an energetic frequency. The texture of a wall is not just a matter of design, taste or trend, it is the conveyance of pulses of energy flow, or chi – life energy – throughout the space.

The placement and form of walls and furnishings are more than elements of design. They are navigational lines directing the flow of chi. All these elements together make up the tools of trade of the feng shui artist. Through use of these elements, every space can be individually suited to the needs of its occupants, be they resident, worker, or artist.

Just like plants, different people need different spaces. Each individual has their own specific environmental needs for growth, development and flowering. Synchronization between a person’s needs and their living and working space is what the art of feng shui is all about.

In today’s post, I want to present an interesting example of this theory at work, applied to a silversmith studio in a space that had previously been a garage.

The artisan worked and created in her garage/studio by force of circumstance, but she found that it required of her a great deal of emotional energy just to enter her workspace. She had wanted it to be a place of inspiration, creativity, sales, and also a place where she could quietly be alone with herself. She did not find the peace she sought in her current workspace.

We sat together, the silversmith artist and myself, in order to identify her needs, both personal and creative, and to develop a plan to “cleanse” her space and turn it into something new.

The artist’s astrological map indicated a high degree of artistic ability, a special ability of self-expression, and a talent for grasping the abstract and translating it into a tangible, physical object.

Like any artist, she was subject to bursts of creativity. But although an artistic sense was an integral part of her character, she found herself exhausted at the end of the creative process. She found she needed a break. She sought breathing space.

Acquaintance with the artist, together with an understanding of the spatial energy, brought about a reorganization of the furniture, as can be seen in the illustration below, as well as an essential change to the element of color in the space.

Since the entrance door brings in chi that encourages opportunity and income, we used the color red to invite in the desired chi. The entrance door was painted red, as were some of the furnishings. As a complementary color, we focused on greens, which protect alertness, nourishment, and creativity.

In addition, the studio was designed so as to include and display information and inspiration of a type required by the artist.

And voila!
The studio operates today the way the artist always dreamed it would. It is for her a place to create, to sell, and also simply – to be. She has told me that every time she enters the studio, she gets a good feeling and she no longer has any difficulty in spending time there and creating. In addition, she displays her creations in the studio, which serves her also as a sales place. This last fact may sound a simple and natural thing to do, but for a shy and retiring person, to display their creations, price them, and sell them – that is not something to be taken for granted. It’s something that needs the support of a particular kind of energy.

One of the most important tools I brought with me from my coaching training was attentiveness. And not just because listening is crucial for a coach, but because our culture suffers from a lack of attentiveness, which is such an important life tool.

At the CTI Co-Active Coach Training Institute I learned that there are 3 levels of attentiveness. Firstly, as with anything, it all starts with you – your ability to listen to others is directly related to your ability to listen to yourself – your body, your soul, your feelings and so on

Level 1 Attentiveness – Internal attention to your inner voice
Direct your attention inwards to your own inner voice. Give your full attention to that voice. Listen to your thoughts and opinions, your judgments, to any emotions that well up, to your stories, your needs, to all manner of things that may come into your head.Level 1 Attentiveness looks like this:
A friend tells me something, but I’m still focused on self-pitying thoughts of how early I got up this morning.
A friend tells me about something that happened to her, and I think to myself, “wow, that’s exactly what happened to me,” and my thoughts are drawn to what I did in that situation.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Whether you’re the listener or the speaker – it sometimes happens that the listener isn’t really with you, or if you’re the listener, you’re not 100% with the speaker.

Level 2 Attentiveness – Full attention to the speaker
At Level 2 Attentiveness, you hear nothing but the person who is speaking to you. You are so sharply focused that you let nothing interfere or distract you. Your full attention is devoted to the person speaking to you.This is the level of attentiveness that can be seen between lovers, at a café or in a park – wherever a highly engaging conversation is taking place, arousing curiosity and interest.

Level 3 Attentiveness – Attention to your surroundings and everything that is happening to you and around you.
This is the Level of Attentiveness I want to focus on here. It includes being attentive of your inner voices, while at the same time being attentive of the person speaking to you, as well as being attentive of the surrounding field, i.e., the space between you and around you.

This is attentiveness to energies, and awareness of changes in energies. It is focus on the speaker’s words, but also on what’s behind the words and hiding between the lines. Paying attention to the accompanying emotions, changes in presentation, tone of voice, body language, intonations, and more.

And attentiveness to what else? To the physical environment that surrounds both of you.

The physical space in which your conversation takes place brings with it a wealth of information that is an integral and significant part of the “field of attentiveness” of level 3. Its content influences what is being said, what people are feeling, and even to what extent they are being attentive. Color, placement and style of furniture, the type of structure of the space, and so on – all these influence the subconscious feelings that we “hear” and absorb, and these feelings become an inseparable part of the sum total of what we are receiving.

As an entrepreneur, you have the wonderful opportunity to “speak” your company’s vision through the design of its space. You have the ability to provide support for yourself, your employees and your clients via your physical space in which things happen. You can use your space and embed within it your culture, your message and your values.

How would you describe the essence of your company? What feeling do you want it to transmit? How can you achieve the right kind of atmosphere?

“והילד הזה הוא אני” וכך אני רוצה להמשיך ולהיות ‘אני’ גם בבית הספר, גם מול חבריי לכיתה, גם בשעת מבחן ובעת שיעור. זו למעשה היתה תמצית בקשתם של תלמידי ביס’ נופים בחיפה כשישבתי איתם לשיחה לפני שהתחלתי את עבודת התכנון והעיצוב.

התלמידים לא היו היחידים שהגדירו את רצונם מהכיתה החדשה.

“אני רוצה ליצור מרחב למפגש ולמידה א-פורמלית שהאוירה תהיה כזו שכשנכסים לשם משילים משהו. רוגע. שהילדים יבקשו ללכת לשם, לא ירגיש כיתה, לא ירגיש ללמוד, שהמקום יהיה בית” – אמרה לי מנהלת ביס’ אסתי גרינבוך בפגישתינו הראשונה אחרי שראתה את המועדון שעיצבתי בביס’מצודות בקרית שמונה

חצי שנה אחרי חזרתי לשמוע איך המרחב פועל:
התשובה בסרטון שלפניכם.

צילומים: אור קפלן ונטע כפרי
עריכת וידאו: אור קפלן

ילדיך יסיימו את לימודיהם לתוך עולם המונע ע”י טכנולוגיה, אינטרנט, סמארטפונים וחדשנות בלתי פוסקת. המידע זמין בלחיצת כל כפתור וכמעט ואין כבר צורך להעביר ידע באופן פרונטלי. השינוי הזה מבקש להכשיר את התלמידים לעולם שונה מהעולם המסורתי ולעודד עבודה צוותית, קואופרטיביות, יצירתיות, התמדה ו“חשיבה קריטית”

אם הכיתה שבה הם לומדים עדיין מסודרת שולחנות בשורות, מורה בקדמת הכיתה ולוח שחור מאחוריה, שאלו עצמיכם: מה המסר שמעביר עיצוב מרחבי שכזה? והאם יש לו קשר והשפעה על הכישורים שאת/ה רוצה לפתח ולהטמיע בילדיך ועלהצלחתם בעולם העבודה והקריירה?

סגנון העיצוב המסורתי מעביר מסר של משמעת, קוגנטיביות, איפוק ואפילו הייתי מעיזה לאמר “היה תוכי, עשה או קלוט מה שאומרים לך”.

אך העולם משתנה והשאלה היא – עד כמה זה משפיע על הכנת ילדינו לחיים.

צילומים: אור קפלן ונטע כפרי
עריכת וידאו: אור קפלן

איך הופכים את המבנה למשרדים שיהפכו חברת סטארטאפ לחברה יציבה, מתרחבת וגדלה?
איך מעצבים מבנה שישרת את הצרכים הפרקטיים אך בו זמנית את הצרכים האסטרטגיים והתרבותיים של החברה?

גיל שליו, מנכ”ל Equinom מספר ומתאר בסרטון המצורף.

צפיה מהנה.

צילום ועריכה: אור קפלן