Combining her skills as an organizer and certified Feng Shui practitioner, Margit Sohm creates harmonious, clutter-free spaces for clients in Berkeley, Oakland and surrounding communities.
Organizing, decorating and creating beautiful spaces are in her DNA. As a 4-year-old toddler growing up in the Tyrol Alps, she would climb onto the kitchen counters and rearrange the cans in her mom’s cabinets, lining them up by size, with the labels neatly facing front. As a teenager she began reading books about Feng Shui and became fascinated with the way environment affects behavior. She put the principles to work in her own home, and soon friends began asking her to Feng Shui their rooms.
A background in hospitality
Margit’s career path started in the hospitality industry. After serving as an intern at a hotel, she decided to study hotel management. Then she went on to work in hotels in her native Austria learning the ropes as a receptionist, reservationist, restaurant manager, event planner and executive housekeeper. She also studied office management and accounting, and holds an equivalent master’s degree in hospitality and office management. Margit served as controller of a 5-star hotel in Austria before relocating to New York in 2005, where she became part of the management team of two boutique properties.
“Whenever I started a new job, the first thing I did was organize the space to increase productivity and profitability,” says Margit. “My favorite part was to set up a work system from scratch, and to plan out time and work schedules.”
Certified in Feng Shui
Margit attended the New York School of Feng Shui where she became a certified practitioner specializing in the traditional form of the art. She studied with Roger Green who is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic teachers. A pioneer of classical Feng Shui in the west, he was one of the first to introduce these methods in Europe, London and America.
Launching Sparkling Habitat
In 2010 Margit moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked as a sales representative for German wines. But her “inner organizer” kept calling to her. So in her spare time she organized homes and offices for family, friends — and their friends — incorporating her Feng Shui skills. Margit then decided to turn her passion into her life’s work and started her business as a professional organizer and Feng Shui consultant.