Susan Ediss brings the outside in by adding seashells, and is painted a light blue color. Ovals, circles, mirrors and crystals are in evidence throughout. Glenn Walton/Special to the Daily News

Cross the threshold of the condominium owned by Susan Ediss at Emerald Beach on Marco Island and you know you’ve encountered a friendly spirit.

“You should always have something nice to smell when you arrive — cookies baking, incense burning, candles aglow,” she says with a smile.

Ediss is a trained consultant for feng shui, a 6,000-year-old Chinese system of philosophy. The words mean wind and water, but connote harmony and balance in all things, and Ediss has applied it to her own, 1,100-square-foot, 1965 vintage condo.

Ediss has a “see-through” home, which means the good spirits or chi could come in the front and blow right out the back door.

“You can stop this with draperies,” she points out. “But I planted shrubs in pots along my balcony to achieve the same thing.”

Additionally, she has plantation shutters that may be used if she wishes. A winsome balsa wood parrot guards the balcony.

“There are five elements of feng shui,” says Ediss. “You need all of them at one time or another in your life and in your home. These are wood, water, fire, metal and earth. There are strict guidelines about these, but Westerners tend to relax somewhat in interpreting them. As an example, the ladybug has special meaning for me, and I use the motif in several ways, yet I don’t think this is especially Chinese. A good deal of this is in the eye of the beholder.”

Guests are met in the

entry with a small illuminated metal tree at the left, under which is a Buddha bell. These are both sitting on a handsome wooden cabinet which doubles as a wine rack.

Ediss’ home is light and airy, mostly in subdued tones and pastels. Ovals, circles, mirrors and crystals are in evidence throughout. To the right of the door, for instance, is the dining room, with an oval blond wooden table and antique-style chairs padded in ivory linen. Centered on the table is a walnut candleholder with five votive lights; five is an auspicious number in China. Above the table, a circular white metal chandelier is suspended on chains.

“The mirror on this wall is one I bought here in a thrift store, missing several shells in the frame. I just combed the beach until I found replacements and added them to the frame,” says Ediss.

There are shells in many places in the apartment, her method of bringing the outside into the home.

“I’ve traveled a lot,” says Ediss, “and lived in the Orient for two years when my husband was in the Air Force, so I have an eclectic collection.”

True enough: Modern and abstract artworks share the walls with mirrors and other Asian treasures.

Ediss studied Ikebana flower arranging while overseas, and touches of this art form appear on tables here and there in her home.

Opposite the dining area is the kitchen with a wonderful designer wallpaper of peach, blue and silver. There are stainless steel appliances as well as white ones, and the counter is a marble-patterned gray and white.

Kitchens usually contain four of the important elements: metal, wood, water and fire. Earth may be introduced with potted plants, but Ediss has a piece of sand art from Puerto Rico instead.

Floors throughout are light tile, lending even more to the airy and open look of the home. Wind chimes softly introduce background notes — bamboo chimes are a favorite.

“The rules say you should not see a stove or toilet from the front door,” says Ediss. “This is strange to Westerners, where stoves and hearths mean hospitality, but this is not true in China.”

The master bedroom is to the right, and here feng shui dictates you should have colors from the pink, red or rose family to promote romance and sleeping. Ediss laughs about this.

“In Ohio, I have a bedroom in vivid red, and I call it my bordello room,” she says.

Here she has chosen softer tones with pale blue walls and light window treatments. The spread is white and the toss pillows have various accent colors. One entire wall is taken up with an ingenious pocket office, which opens to reveal a computer, storage space and more.

“You should not introduce computers or television or exercise equipment into this room,” says Ediss. “Actually, I use this as a guest room, and I sleep on the opposite side of the apartment.”

The book, “I Ching: The Book of Changes,” says good chi can escape through the drains in a connecting bathroom, so it’s advisable to keep the door closed at all times, explains Susan.

The bathroom has the original white appliances, but more of the designer wallpaper similar to that used in the kitchen adds color, here done in complementary design with the same peach, blue and silver.

The opposite bedroom and bath, which Ediss uses for herself, echo the same theme, but the walls are taupe instead of blue. The bathroom has reverse pattern wallpaper in the same colors as the master bath.

Her living room is relaxed and welcoming, with a sunny feeling. The light blue walls are done in a paint imported from Europe and lend a soft background to the pale furnishings.

“I think I’d call my style Marco casual,” says Ediss. ”It’s such a mixture of Oriental, modern, tropical and other styles.”

Ediss did not take up feng shui when she was in Asia, but came to understand it later in life. She studied with a feng shui master on Hilton Head in order to become a consultant.

“I really think I’ve achieved a balance I would not have found otherwise,” she says.

Like the quote from Khalil Gibran, “The teacher comes when the student is ready.”

Feng shui details

Other terms that are important in feng shui:

There are several schools of feng shui such as Black Hat, Dallas, Compass, etc.

A bagua is a sort of design or “map” that may be used with building sites, house plans or individual rooms.

Cha means evil spirits, to be avoided whenever possible.

Yin and yang are ancient terms for opposites, which need to be brought into balance.

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