Floss Barber

Public Places, Private Spaces : Episode PPS-206 -- More Projects »
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Figure A
Looking for more wealth in your home? The answer could be in your kitchen. See how noted interior designer Floss Barber uses the ancient Chinese art of feng shui to bring comfort and class to life today, turning a massive public place and intimate private spaces into timeless treasures.

In Philadelphia, if you want a great meal along with great ideas for your home, head to World Fusion. This wonderful restaurant combines classic good looks with lots of spice and a few ancient secrets. Floss Barber reveals how she created it and how feng shui can bring comfort, warmth, harmony and even fame and fortune into your home:



  • The streets of Philadelphia offer plenty of history, but when you step through the doors of World Fusion, you're entering another world. The look of the restaurant serves an enticing mix of classic and contemporary. Ornate columns and a stained glass ceiling reflect the building's Georgian architecture, which is accentuated by modern twinkling lights, a curving bar and swirled rug (figure A).

  • There's an unspoken flow and energy that Barber attributes to the feng shui principles integrated into the design. She believes that when a space flows and is balanced, it enhances the well being of the patron. She designed the restaurant with curves to draw customers through the space and to counter the columns since balance is a key feng shui concept.
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Figure B
  • This former bank is 8000 square feet so making it feel intimate was a challenge. Barber says one way to make a big space feel small is to play with the scale. Besides 12-foot mirrors behind the bar, she brought in other oversized elements. A fun, flower-filled vase dwarfs patrons as they enter and a similar grand companion piece nearby hovers above the bar (figure B). In the back of the restaurant is a larger-than-life wine storage wall.

  • Besides the twists on scale, when designing restaurants or private homes Barber says one of the most important elements is lighting and she loves to use indirect lighting for effect. The little lights in the World Fusion's dining area create a romantic feel at night and lights underneath the bar give it a honey color. For decoration and fun, a blue crucible sprouts snake-like lights, all of which add to the enchantment of the restaurant. The lighting combined with the yellow walls creates a warm, comfortable environment. In feng shui, yellow is an earth color and helps to ground the cavernous space.

  • After lighting, Barber says texture is the next important element to consider in a design and a closer look at this restaurant reveals a smorgasbord of textures. The grand entry ramp and wine wall are made of mahogany, which she selected because it adds warmth to the massive space. Colorful, swirled, casino-like carpeting along with the furniture helps improve acoustics and adds even more texture.
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    Figure C
  • Incorporating feng shui into a space can be surprisingly easy. In the cigar lounge at the restaurant, Barber painted the back wall red--the feng shui color of fame--so consider painting a wall in your home red (figure C).

  • More inspiration from Floss Barber is found in a beautiful Philadelphia home where the walls and floors are lined with diamonds. When she creates home interiors, she wants the space to emanate a sense of wholeness and comfort. She believes we all need a place of sanctuary; a place to be quiet, a place to feel protected and warm and this house epitomizes her style.
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    Figure D
  • In the two-story living room, she blended natural elements, textures and tension to create comfort and flow. The patterned floor covering helps ground the soaring space. The fireplace features beautiful hand-carved sandstone and marble while the combination of stunning art, Americana and Chinese foo dogs creates positive tension. The eclectic furniture in rich earth tones enhances the overall appeal (figure D).

  • The eye naturally flows from the living room to a dramatic spiral staircase, which swirls through nine levels. While it looks good, it's actually bad feng shui because spiral stairs are known to be like corkscrews for energy so it flows out of the top of the house. Instead of replacing them, Barber changed the energetic feeling around the stairs by combining tai chi yellow and gray paint in a subtle diamond pattern on the polished plaster walls.
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    Figure E
  • The next level down reveals the more casual kitchen and dining room. To create flow and add interest, she flipped the diamonds introduced around the stairs by playing them out on the floors using two tones of wood (figure E).
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    Figure F
  • From a feng shui perspective, one of the most important things in the kitchen is that you not see the stove from the entrance. In this kitchen, a stainless steel stove has a back piece that goes up the wall, which mirrors the fire (energy) (figure F). If your stove isn't made of stainless steel, she recommends putting a mirror behind it for the same effect.

  • In the media room, trace lights under cantilevered shelves softly illuminate the homeowner's collections, which include a grouping of weather vanes, rare old French plates and Chinese artifacts. Creating vignettes in your own home turns items that may form clutter into something very special.

  • Another Barber design technique is to mix textures and fabrics to create a dynamic feel. In another room, a beautiful leather ottoman in the center and yellow chairs with a slight pattern on them are contrasted against a carpet and wood floors, all of which adds more interest.
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    Figure G
  • Up the spiral staircase are the bedrooms and as is common in city houses, they are small and lack storage. To make the master bedroom feel larger, Barber again texturized a wall in an unobtrusive wooden grid, which becomes the focal wall (figure G). A custom millwork piece made of cherry provides ample storage and the plush window coverings and bedding contrast the sleek wood. The room exemplifies her goal of creating havens in homes.

  • Feng shui is all about creating harmony and comfort in a home and according to Barber, one of the easiest ways to do that is to eliminate clutter.
    • Resources
    featured restaurant
    World Fusion
    123 Chestnut St.
    Philadelphia, PA 19106
    Phone: 215-629-1100
    Guests
    Floss Barber
    Floss Barber, Inc.
    117 South 17th St.
    Philadelphia, PA 19103
    Phone: 215-557-0700
    Fax: 215-557-6700
    E-mail: floss@flossbarber.com
    Website: www.flossbarber.com
    Also in this Episode
    Public Places, Private Spaces : Episode PPS-206
    •Floss Barber
    •Guest Bedroom Makeover