Can vastu bring health, wealth and domestic bliss as its adherents claim?

Vastu is the new feng shui – or, rather, the old one, given that some say the former inspired the latter. Before sceptics throw themselves into their latest water feature at the thought of another eastern design philosophy, however, they should bear this in mind: around 40 per cent of the world’s most expensive real estate is bought by Asian buyers for whom the “energy” of a house can be important – and vastu is already impacting on non-Asian design.

Water is a particularly important element of the five (earth, air, fire, water and space) that must be aligned in a home designed to fit with the principles of vastu, an ancient Hindu system of architecture and design. In return, according to vastu followers, the homeowner sleeps better, gets richer and enjoys domestic bliss.