Akron Beacon Journal

Akron Beacon Journal

Sat, Jul. 10, 2004

Funky shui not a '70s thing

Decorators urge us to have some fun with home by adding humor, whimsy

by Mary Beth Breckenridge

Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil are out to put a smile in our lives.

Or better yet, a couple dozen of them, beaming their yellow-faced grins from every wall and tabletop and practically begging everyone who encounters them to have a nice day.

The San Francisco-area sisters have developed a decorating philosophy they call ``funky shui,'' an approach that encourages people to lighten up and get in touch with their inner Robin Williams. It's a way of bringing a little humor into our everyday lives, whether it's using a vegetable can as a vase or filling an entire home office with smiley-face objects.

The O'Neils are sharing that philosophy through a book, Decorating with Funky Shui: How to Lighten Up, Loosen Up, and Have Fun Decorating Your Home, which was recently released by Andrews McMeel Publishing. It's filled with such funky shui examples as souvenir snow globes arrayed in front of photos of travel destinations, a chandelier dressed in feathers for a party and a line of Big Boy figurines posed before a photo of a mass of the pompadour-wearing, platter-carrying icons.

Funky shui is a play on feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placing objects to improve your life. Funky shui, by contrast, is the art of arranging objects to make your home and your life fun.

It's a backlash to the '90s, when uncluttering was a mantra, Jennifer O'Neil said in a phone interview with her sister. ``Everybody uncluttered their homes,'' she said, ``and now they want their stuff back.''

The O'Neils come by their lighthearted approach naturally. Their grandfather was ``Blondie'' cartoonist Chic Young, and their mother put a carousel horse in the foyer and wrote quotes on the kitchen walls before it was fashionable. Both have decorated their own homes with what Kitty O'Neil described as ``an extreme sense of funky,'' although she said she's had to curb her own exuberance in deference to her husband's more spare taste. (She is, however, looking for a suit of armor to display, since her husband's name is Knight.)

But that's the beauty of funky shui, they noted: It can be as simple as one kooky conversation piece, or it can be over-the-top kitschy. In their philosophy, there's no such thing as tacky.

``I just depends on you and what you like,'' Kitty O'Neil said. ``You shouldn't worry about what other people think.''

So how do wannabe funsters go about loosening their strait laces and dangling their toes in the funkified waters?

Gradually, the sisters advise. Start by brainstorming about things you like -- maybe a favorite movie, beloved childhood toys or a collection you always wanted. Then start combing flea markets or online auctions for items related to that theme.

Group the items together for impact, they suggested. A few Pez dispensers scattered around the house is just clutter, but a line of the them on a bookshelf is eye-catching.

Or just use a jolt of bright color to funk things up. Jennifer O'Neil used a piece of vintage fabric to make a throw pillow for her living room, then pulled colors from that fabric for the paint colors used in the room.

Just enjoy the process and use whatever you fancy, they said. Funky shui, after all, is meant to be personal, and it's meant to be fun.

``You already know what you love. You know what colors you love,'' Jennifer O'Neil said. ``It's all about you.''

Mary Beth Breckenridge is the Beacon Journal home writer. She can be reached at 330-996-3756, or send e-mail to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.

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