How valuable Feng Shui is a restaurateur’s dream in transforming a building site into an exciting contemporary Scandi restaurant in Padstow.
First visit
The first time I ever visited Padstow in Cornwall was for a Feng Shui consultation.
I was there to appraise the site of a new restaurant and help to establish the vitality and personality of the commercial enterprise. Greens of Padstow has since become a rip-roaring success. If you’ve ever eaten there you’ll know why. The food is delightful and the view of the estuary when dining is spectacular.
Right place, right time
Stepping off the bus onto the quay in Padstow all those years ago to meet the owners, my heart skipped a beat. Directly in front of me on the side of a building was a huge poster of a lobster, so similar to one on my current Intuitive Vision Board. It took my breath away. Alongside were the words: SEA CHANGE.
I’d come face-to-face with the National Lobster Hatchery – an important ‘maternity ward’ for baby lobsters. And left in no doubt I had landed in the right place at the right time and that my intuition had led me here. Little did I imagine I’d be returning to Padstow many times subsequently or even spend a year living there but I certainly felt a strong and immediate connection with the place I’d never visited before except on my Intuitive Vision Board.
Sharon and Ian Whittock purchased Greens as a going concern, picking up the baton from two local families who’d established it 20 years earlier. Located on the far side of Padstow harbour in North Quay, it was a modest cafe serving teas, coffees and homemade cakes. It provided a view across the estuary to die for and a crazy golf course situated above it.
10 years later the café was groaning under the footfall of visitors, desperate to sit on the terrace, and a change was long overdue. Once the 2016 season was over, Sharon and Ian made their move. The existing buildings were demolished and new footings laid.
Initial Feng Shui appraisal
When I made my initial Feng Shui assessment of Greens it was a building site. I’d come prepared in walking boots and was handed a hard helmet and HiViz jacket before exploring the land.
The next day Sharon and I poured over the architect’s plans, the interior design visuals, and the proposed furniture and accessories. I made my observations from a Feng Shui perspective.
Modelled on a Scandinavian boat house, the red cedar cladding offers a warm tone beneath the contemporary pitched zinc roof. Green’s plans were for large areas of glazing to fill the interior with natural light and to open onto the terrace with panoramic views of the Camel Estuary.
It was an ambitious and visionary undertaking in three stages:
1st – the restaurant.
2nd – a total revision of the Crazy Golf course currently a mound of earth behind the restaurant.
3rd – the addition of a Cornish garden on the upper tier of the site and the construction of a holiday home for the Whittocks (and which was to become my home for a year many moons later).
Second visit
During my second visit, the walls were in place and the roof on. This time I focused on the flow of Ch’i throughout – the lifeforce energy that can make or break a home or enterprise. I reviewed the building from every angle and the proposed usage of the interior spaces.
Particular attention was given to the entrance to the restaurant. Ch’i needed to be directed from the public footpath below, up a steep flight of steps to the property itself, while maintaining a steady and undeterred flow.
5 basic elements of Feng Shui
To achieve harmony and balance I drew heavily on the 5 Basic Elements of Feng Shui. I wanted to ensure the essential nature of the enterprise (Wood element) was well represented throughout. And, that Wood was supported by its feeder element (Water) and not over-powered by its controlling element (Metal). An imbalance of Metal had begun to creep into the interior design ideas already. Before the ideas were fully implemented, we rectified this to prevent the restaurant losing some of its natural vitality and presence.
We placed signage, mirrors and planters strategically throughout to direct flow. We made sure the ‘flight paths’ of staff (serving both inside and outside the restaurant) and the customers moving around were managed carefully to avoid collision.
Outdoor heating and the positioning of sheltered tables allows guests to visit almost all year-round. The restaurant only closes for a few weeks in January.
Zones considered
I considered the aspect of the site and the movement of the sun around the building and the effect this would have on the interiors. Comfort and practicality were also uppermost considerations. We chose colours and textures for good, appropriate Feng Shui. Now quirky, warm and with lots of interest, the interior gains top marks for good ‘hygge’. We made finishing touches to the table settings that had to be pared back during Covid but have since inched their way back into the restaurant.
Back-of-house was not ignored. We considered the hot-food kitchen, the bakery, the laundrette, as well as the cloakroom to be used by customers.
A more typical approach to business might have been to push for maximum covers to achieve maximum profit. But this was not the owners’ prime intention and is perhaps why Greens works so well – for both guests and staff alike.
Client’s verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Sharon on this very creative and imaginative project. Thankfully she enjoyed the process too and had this to say on behalf of Greens of Padstow:
“Thank you, Mary, for your detailed and informative Feng Shui report and for sending it so promptly. It was very useful to have this before the site progress meeting with the architect and builder.”
Sharon Whittock
“We had a very creative time together, on site and in discussion before and after your visit. I really appreciated your input. It stimulated lots of ideas and took us in new directions too which I know will benefit the space and the restaurant.”
“Your visit was timed perfectly to enable us to ‘tweak’ some of the materials we were using to support the elemental nature of the site. It also gave us a good ‘steer’ for choosing the finishing touches that will bring the whole together.”
“Feng Shui added another dimension to the whole building project, making it more meaningful and bringing it to life. It raised our awareness to the energy of the business and our intentions for this new location.”
Celebration
To celebrate the first of many visits to Padstow I tucked into a plateful of Stein’s iconic Fish and Chips. But only after visiting thousands of baby lobsters in the hatchery, each smaller than my thumb nail.
Fortunate was I that this first visit took place in May. July and August, I discovered, are so busy with people, dogs, pushchairs and opportunistic seagulls trying to snatch ice-cream, you could end up in the harbour along with the lobsters. I say it’s still worth it whatever the season.
About me
I am an Intuitive Feng Shui consultant with a passion for creating vibrant living and working environments. Trained in the Western School of Feng Shui and with Denise Linn, USA , I have been working in homes and offices since 1995.
Get in touch about a consultation – mary@marynonde.com
For more information – https://www.marynonde.com/feng-shui/
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