Lea Gobo, once a successful model and now a feng shui consultant, has adorned her own apartment with beautiful details.
People have always been aware that the space we inhabit affects how we feel. Renaissance philosophers explored the idea of a happy city—how to build a city that fosters pleasure and happiness in its inhabitants. The Far East gave birth to the ancient art of space arrangement, Feng Shui.
If yoga is for the body, then Feng Shui is for the spaces around us. The art of Feng Shui teaches how to achieve comfort and harmony in a space through the arrangement of elements, colors, and textures, supporting internal balance and satisfaction. Niels Bohr, a physicist and the father of the atomic model, practiced this art. “Feng Shui works, whether you believe in it or not,” said the scientist enamored with the ancient wisdom of the East.
We were curious about how Feng Shui decoration differs from classical Western interior design. To find answers, we visited Lea Gobo, a Feng Shui consultant, in her home decorated according to the principles of this ancient art, located in the residential part of Rovinj.
As we talk with Lea on the terrace of her beautiful apartment, we notice the incredible peace and harmony of her home, which can be rented as an apartment in the summer. The 140-square-meter apartment opens from a large living room onto a beautiful long terrace with a view of greenery and the forest. On the terrace are two loungers from the Varaschin collection, a table, and lovely pots with plants coordinated with Feng Shui rules—lavender, jasmine, and sage.
The apartment features the elements of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, providing balance to the space. A blue chair from the Molteni brand introduces the water element, while the travertine stone cladding the fireplace represents the earth element, adding stability. Artworks by painter Jasminka Škalić bring in the energy of creativity.
Eastern philosophies start from the idea that everything is energy—nature, objects, colors, and even our bodies emit their unique energy. To live in harmony, we must balance all these energies, explains Lea.
“Feng Shui analyzes the relationships of energy, and then, through the arrangement of objects and the choice of textures, colors, and shapes, creates the best possible flow of life energy that will support the comfort and well-being of every family member,” she says.
Lea takes us through the apartment, explaining the application of these principles to the design of each room.
“The apartment features the elements of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, providing balance to the space. A blue chair from the Molteni brand introduces the water element, while the travertine stone cladding the fireplace represents the earth element. It brings balance and stability to the overall interior. The wavy edges of the wooden table soften it and add a relaxing water element. Artworks by painter Jasminka Škalić bring in the energy of creativity,” said Lea Gobo.
“It is especially important to clean your space: do not accumulate old things and broken objects”
Unlike the modern minimalist style of decoration, Feng Shui experts do not recommend monochromatic space design. They believe that if one color dominates too much in decoration, it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, sadness, or anger, depending on the color. Balance is crucial in everything.
Many remember Lea Gobo as one of our most successful models. She traveled the world and worked for the most prestigious brands. Today, she is involved in Feng Shui consulting and teaching meditation.
“From a young age, I traveled and lived in various parts of the world and with different people. I quickly noticed how the space and the energy of the people I shared it with influenced me. I always wondered how I could make the space around me more pleasant and also how to achieve more inner peace,” says Lea.
Feng shui uses stones and crystals to achieve the desired balance, and some of the crystals can be beautiful.
She tells us how her modeling career opened many doors and provided valuable experiences but also led to burnout due to work overload. She withdrew from the fashion world with the desire to find more meaning and depth. Creating a home for herself and immersing herself in meditations, she realized that in the combination of the inner and outer worlds, balancing the inner and outer realities, she found her peace and purpose.
“The space around us is a reflection of the state of our soul. Often our traumas, painful experiences, and energetic problems stand in the way of creating a comfortable home. If we decorate our home while upset, unhappy, or sad, decorating the home often worsens our condition. It’s as if we express that state through how we’ve arranged the space and surround ourselves with those feelings. That’s why it’s important to work on your space but also nurture the peace and stability of your inner world,” advises Lea.
This ancient skill analyzes the relationships of energy, and then, by arranging objects and choosing textures, colors and shapes, creates the best possible flow of life energy.
Interestingly, her apartment is decorated according to Feng Shui principles—intuitively. Only after arranging her living space did she realize how interested she was in this topic and that she wanted to deepen her knowledge gained during her studies at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. She enrolled in the International School of Feng Shui with the esteemed Californian Feng Shui master Amanda Sophie. After obtaining her diploma, she was pleasantly surprised—despite a few small mistakes, her home perfectly adhered to Feng Shui principles.
After completing school, she dedicated herself to helping others find peace and harmony.
“Although Feng Shui is used in choosing real estate and in the design of a home, it can also be applied when people already have a furnished apartment. It is especially important to declutter your space: don’t accumulate old things, broken or damaged items. Our life energy needs to flow freely through space,” she emphasizes.
Feng shui is a traditional art of arranging space and living in harmony with the environment that dates back to the Yellow Emperor several thousand years ago.
Today, Feng shui is also a trend because many celebrities today turn to ancient arts in search of harmony. Lea Gobo believes that people, given the times we live in, seek and strive for inner peace, without which much else loses its meaning. That’s why many people, including Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, David Beckham, Meghan Markle, and Gwyneth Paltrow, seek inspiration in this ancient art of achieving peace through a balanced and carefully arranged living space, applying it to their homes.
