Q&A Sunday: Bagua Layout Basics

I was just wondering what would be the best way to use feng shui in a living/dining room combo. My front door enters into the Career area of the bagua, with the dining room to the left and the living room to the right of it. Also I have a patio door on the east wall of the living room and a fireplace in the northeast corner next to it. I am struggling with the layout and accuracy. Please help.

Kay R., Oak Park, CA

 

Hi Kay

Thanks for your question about the best way to use feng shui for a living and dining room that is combined. It would be very helpful if you sent along a floor plan (it’s not clear where your patio door or fireplace is exactly). If you sent it along we could do a follow-up. 

There are many situations where rooms are combined. I don’t know the layout of your entire home, but you can lay the feng shui bagua map on just the room in question, the living-dining room. From your description, the Path in Life (career) area is where your front door is, and it’s also the Path in Life area of your living-dining room. Then you would divide the entire room in a 3x3 grid. Each of the 9 areas you’ve created would then correspond to a bagua map area. 

The feng shui bagua map is conceptual, and it can stretch and shrink to fit different spaces. You can lay it on your entire home, a single room (like your living-dining room combination), on a piece of furniture like your bed, or even your palm. In turn, it can expand to include your entire property, your neighborhood, city, country and so on. We have a few other blog posts where we discuss this, be sure to check them out.

As far as what you want to work on, well that’s up to you! I would look at 1-3 areas of your life that need the most attention and see if any match up with the feng shui bagua map areas. It’s also helpful to have a consultant look at your plan so you can see the correct bagua layout.

I recommend checking out other bagua-related posts on the blog to get a feel of how unique each floor plan is. Ultimately, BTB feng shui focuses more on intention than getting everything perfectly correct, but it would benefit you to submit your floor plan, schedule a call or contact a practitioner you like. Past that, the best option here is to apply the bagua only to the living-dining combo in your space and go from there!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

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Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Toilets and Drains

If water represents wealth, and closing the toilet seat helps to moderate the loss of money, what about sink and shower drains?

Leanne D, Lindale, TX

Hi Leanne,

Thanks for your question! Bathrooms are a bit of a concern in feng shui, because the water (and soiled water) flows in and out of this space. You are smart to ask about sink and shower drains. The entire bathroom is a concern, because there are additional drains besides the toilet. The toilet is usually of the most concern, because of the waste, but yes, the other drains also affect your feng shui. 

There are many cures for the bathroom, which help to mitigate any energy loss, especially if the bathroom is in an inauspicious area. It really depends on your floor plan, your specific issues, and the inspiration of the practitioner. There are many many many feng shui adjustments that are not shared except in consultations. You receive them as needed when you work with a practitioner. It's kind of like how you should see a doctor rather than review WebMD for medical advice.

But in general, I would suggest you look at the bathroom area as a whole room and leave the nuances regarding the drains to the experts. You obviously can't close the drains of the sink and shower, but you can keep the door to the bathroom shut. If you work with a practitioner, they can also see if the bathroom is located in an area of concern (in relationship to the feng shui bagua map). For instance, you may want to adjust if the bathroom is in the Fame area, because it may dowse the fire energy related to your reputation and how the world sees you!

Great question and thank you for asking! 

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

A Two-Bedroom Manhattan Apartment Receives a Mindful Renovation

featured this month on hunker by Kate Santos

When a family of three sought to bring cohesion to their post-war apartment on Manhattan's Lower East Side, they called on architect Anjie Cho to give the two-bedroom address a more modern look. But when Cho answered their request to streamline the property, she also set out to do so from a thoughtful perspective — she also happens to be a feng shui expert. The owners and Cho decided that a simple design for their home was best, and they made it a priority to maximize the layout with a calm aesthetic. And since the site views the East River, Cho looked at that vantage point's natural light as an architectural prize that also serves a mindful purpose. "It's so important," she said. "Every living thing grows toward the light." Once the framework was established, Cho then moved on to a second challenge: clutter. "Some clutter is perfectly fine," she noted. "[But] if you've thought of tossing it more than nine times, then it's time to let it go." Now that the property has been updated and cleared of all unnecessary things, the family finally has a place to peacefully come together.

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