Winter 2001:

Yampa Living

Practical solutions and magical manifestations     On one level, feng shui is a mystical, ancient Chinese art form. On another, it'splain common sense.     Jean Bloomfield is officially a Black Hat Sect Feng Shui practitioner, but much ofwhat she does is provide practical suggestions to home and business owners. "My byline is being practical, finding balance," she says.     Although her business, Intentional Interiors, is located in Boulder, she is busy inSteamboat Springs. "Feng shui speaks to Steamboat," she says. "I have clients throughout Colorado, but I find that the people in Steamboat are ready for feng shui."     Feng shui principles are designed to create harmony. The goal of feng shui is tomaximize the floof chi, or energy, throughout a room or building, while minimizing "negative" energy, Jean says.     The first step in the process is to define the purpose of a particular room. A guestroom or a bedroom that doubles as a home office is a prime example of confused priorities, Jean says. "Being clear about your intentions is essential," she says.     In the process of creating space, it may be time to hold a yard sale. "We have to create room for the new," Jean says.     "Jean has such good ideas," says Steam-boat Springs resident Peggy Berglund. "They're practical, not necessarily spending a lot of money, but sometimes just moving stuff around. It's made a huge difference in my house."     "Nothing can stop you when all elements are in alignment," Jean says. "Feng shui is life changing, and it's fun to be a part of it." Skeletons in the closet     Slowly, the Steamboat mom approached her closet door, trepidation in her heart and her bicycle helmet strapped tightly under her chin. Gently, she eased the door open a crack, holding her breath.     Miraculously, nothing fell on her head. Not the kids' basketball, not the snowshoes, not the spare battery for the lantern.     The local lifestyle seems inherently to include lots of "stuff": sporting equipment,warm clothes, boots, camping gear. Regardless of the size of a home, closet space is a priority.     "In Steamboat, you can't ever put away your warm clothes even in July because it could snow," says closet designer Nancy Garretson.     In her job with Classy Closets, Nancy has been known to inventory and measure herclients' sporting equipment and design cubby holes to fit it. In her own home, hockey sticks are posing the current challenge.     "Closets are pretty important everywhere, but especially in Steamboat," Nancy says. Often, second-home owners especially underestimate their storage needs, she says. "Plan big," she advises. "You will spend more time here than you think.     "A lot of times in building houses, mistakes are taken up in the closet. Closet space is sacrificed for other amenities," Nancy notes.     The answer? Make the most of every inch: cubby holes, shelves, coat hooks, drawers. One of Nancy's clients even wanted a librarytype ladder in the closet to make its upper reaches accessible. Although it was a request she could not fulfill due to space constraints,it was a good thought.     Of course, you could always default to the bicycle helmet.... }