Seconds after we meet over a video call, Cliff Tan has diagnosed my living room: The space is in desperate need of a roller blind. “It will filter the light, give you some privacy and remove all that cutting energy,” says the 35-year-old architect and TikTok phenomenon. He explains that the stripy shadows from the wooden slats over the window create tension, “like in the interrogation room in the movies.” With humor and candor, Tan uses the teachings of feng shui to give his two and a half million followers practical advice for transforming their living spaces. The ancient Chinese art form applies a range of concepts to optimize energy flow and create balance between important elements in rooms and buildings. “Feng shui is about finding the best place to be, ” he explains. “Not just crafting the right environment, but inhabiting the best spot within it.” This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 50 Mariam Issoufou Kamara The architect building the ruins of the future. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Peer Review Hadani Ditmars on the disappearing legacy of Rifat Chadirji, Iraq’s most influential architect. Arts & Culture Issue 44 Peer Review: Minnette de Silva Shiromi Pinto introduces Minnette De Silva, the Sri Lankan modernist who inspired her novel. Arts & Culture Issue 41 My Favorite Thing Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré explains the significance of his carved stool. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Olalekan Jeyifous On fantastical architecture and sci-fi Brooklyn. Arts & Culture Design Issue 36 Alexis Sablone Not many architects skate for their country, and not many skateboarders design the parks they skate in.
Arts & Culture Issue 47 Peer Review Hadani Ditmars on the disappearing legacy of Rifat Chadirji, Iraq’s most influential architect.
Arts & Culture Issue 44 Peer Review: Minnette de Silva Shiromi Pinto introduces Minnette De Silva, the Sri Lankan modernist who inspired her novel.
Arts & Culture Issue 41 My Favorite Thing Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré explains the significance of his carved stool.
Arts & Culture Design Issue 36 Alexis Sablone Not many architects skate for their country, and not many skateboarders design the parks they skate in.