In the 1990s, feng shui, the Chinese philosophy of how to arrange your home, was all the rage; now Vastu, its Indian equivalent, is set to replace it as the fashionable fad for those looking to improve their homes with a combination of style and spirituality. Originating from the Veda texts of the Hindu religion, Vastu suggests that each direction of the home is suited to a particular activity, determined by the planets ruling that direction. It has been used in Indian architecture for more than 5,000 years, and now British Asians are taking to it with enthusiasm.

Vastu practices include keeping the house clutter-free for a good flow of energy; siting study areas so that they face west, which is ruled by Saturn and good for discipline, and making sure offices face north, the domain of Mercury, which is auspicious for wealth, trade and communication.

Kathir Jegeswaran, 40, a financial director based in Hatch End, north London, was keen to apply the "art of placement" to his three-bedroom home. "We had been trying to have a baby for a while and it might be coincidence, but six months after applying Vastu to our home, my wife conceived." When Jegeswaran extended his home, which he bought for £200,000 in 1999, Vastu played an important role in the planning and design. Vastu can be applied in a number of ways: rearranging furniture, changing a room's purpose, choosing harmonious colours or restructuring parts of the building. Additionally, yantras - two-dimensional geometric forms - are placed in specific areas to
act as energy portals. Jegeswaran has one at the top of the stairs. A gold pyramid called a Meru Chakra placed in the home is believed to create an influential energy field.

Jegeswaran keeps the east of his home as open as possible to encourage positive energy from the sun. He has moved doors, windows and a skylight to brighten this area.

In Vastu, each direction is influenced by a particular energy. For example, air is in the northwest, water in the northeast, fire in the southeast, earth in the southwest and ether/space in the centre. Also called the "sacred centre", this is the most sensitive energetic point of the house and
obstructing it spoils the flow of energy. So, to keep the centre of the house clear, Jegeswaran extended the entrance hall.

A lavatory in the centre or northeast of the house is said to create misfortune and attract bad luck. So Jegeswaran will be moving the bathroom from the northeast to the west of the building. So far, the reconstruction has cost £35,000, and the first-floor work will cost a further £40,000. He
doesn't expect Vastu to sell the house, but he hopes the modifications will make it more appealing "to anyone, Indian or not".

Bhisham Dindyal, 49, called a Vastu consultant from India before he bought his five-bedroom Edwardian home in Catford, southeast London, in September 2002. Dindyal redesigned his kitchen before he moved in, changing the cooking area to face east. Dindyal believes Vastu is an important selling point, especially for an Indian buyer. But Vastu alone does not increase the value of a property.

"Value is whatever someone is willing to pay. Whether one wants their living space adapted to Vastu or feng shui depends on individual preference, not whether it will make it more marketable," says Geeta Sisodia, a sales negotiator at the Middlesex estate agent London Properties. However, Sisodia believes improvements and modernisation carried out as a result of Vastu should add to the value of a house.

Bharti Kantaria, a holistic therapist, has lived in her £700,000 Willesden Green home for 21 years. She applied Vastu to her five-bedroom detached property two years ago. She placed yantras around her home to correct energy defects, and a Meru Chakra pyramid in her main lounge, and built a £30,000 outhouse in the southwest of her garden to counteract the negative energy
from that direction.

Kana Butkovic, a Vastu consultant, believes that the philosophy is gaining popularity because people are becoming more spiritual, with Vastu being the "third phase" after yoga and Ayurveda. "Ayurveda treats the body, yoga treats the soul. Vastu is the holistic science for the home and
environment," he says.

Developers in India introduced Vastu into housing complexes more than a decade ago and there are Vastu housing developments in Germany and Spain. Geoff Marsh, of London Residential Research, believes the trend for ready-Vastued homes will gradually extend to Asian-specific areas in London. He says: "If Vastu, like feng shui, is a lifestyle, then it can be developed in homes. If it can be done in Delhi, why can't it be done in London?"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2098-964277,00.html