Q&A Sunday: Do You Lay Out the Bagua by Room or by Floor?

Feng Shui 101- The Bagua Map.png

I have recently discovered your podcast and blog. I really enjoy it and appreciate the information you are providing for all. I do have a question about the bagua map. I'm getting ready to move into a townhouse. Is that supposed to be by space or room? For example, I have a combined living room and entryway, combined kitchen and dining room on the same level. Does this map apply to the entire first floor? Or by room? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Keisha D, Asheville, NC

 

Hi Keisha

Thank you for listening to my podcast and reading my blog! And thank you very much for your question. This is a great one; it comes up a lot, and I think it will help a lot of people.

The feng shui bagua map is a conceptual map that can stretch and shrink to fit a floor plan. But it can also stretch to be laid over your entire home, your property, even your city, then your state, and so on and so on. In turn, it can also shrink and be applied to an individual room, a piece of furniture (like your desk or bed), it can even be applied to your face or your palm. This a previous Q&A that talks a bit about that concept. 

When the home is multi-level, like a townhouse, we generally apply the bagua on the entire first floor based on the entry door location. The second floor is a bit more complicated. It depends on the landing, the stairs, etc. You would need a feng shui consultant to look at it. You can also use the bagua on each individual room. If you submit the floor plan to the blog, we can take a look.

So the answer is yes to both!

I hope your move went well and I hope the clarification helps. If you'd like, you can check out a few of these other questions regarding the bagua in specific spaces. Please also note that, if you have trouble on the second floor, I can do long-distance consultations, or you could schedule a quick 15-minute call! 

Q&A Sunday: Unique Bagua Layout

Q&A Sunday: Family Bedrooms and the Bagua

Q&A Sunday: The Bagua Map and Your Entrance

Q&A Sunday: Laying a Bagua With an Unused Front Door

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!

Q&A Sunday: Family Bedrooms and the Bagua

I love listening to your podcast! Our family has purchased a new home and are excited to be moving in, in a few weeks time. My children will have their bedrooms in the Abundance and Relationship areas respectively, with the Recognition area being shared by both of their rooms. I wonder if there is a more auspicious place to place each child?

My daughter is the first born, and I have heard you say that the Abundance area is represented by the first daughter. They have decided that my son will have that room, and she will have the room in the Relationship area which has no balcony and two smaller windows, compared to the bedroom with the big window and balcony. They want to swap bedrooms once a year so that they can each enjoy the balcony. I wonder if there is a better place for either of them and whether it is a good idea for them to swap once a year? My husband and I are on the other side of the house and our bedroom aligns with the Knowledge, Path in Life and Benefactors area.

Olga D., Brisbane, Australia

Hi Olga

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! 😃 

This is an interesting question, and I’m going to first comment on placing the two children in the rear of the home (with your room, the parents, in the front of the home). Ideally, you want to place the parents room further back beyond the center line of the home, because that places them more in command. With the children in the rear of the home, it may mean they are more in charge, or in command, of the family situation. But I’m guessing this is because the master bedroom is located where it is, and so we have to work with the situation, right? 

You are also correct that the Abundance area of the feng shui bagua map is related to the eldest daughter. The area related to the first son is actually the Knowledge area. My sense is that it's positive and encouraging that your son and daughter would like to swap bedrooms once a year so that they can both appreciate the larger window and balcony. It sounds like they have a balanced relationship. 

As far if there's a better room for either of them, in a full consultation we could look at the astrology and five elements of each child to see if there is a more beneficial area. However, I think the idea that your children came up with is a great idea, and I encourage it!

Please don't hesitate to let us know if further questions come up as you each set up your rooms and your home as a whole. You can also take a peek at Feng Shui Tips for Moving Into a New Home and Q&A Sunday: Kickstarting a New Beginning, Energetically and Spiritually for tips on moving!

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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This $429,000 Upper West Side One-Bedroom Could Use a Gut Reno, and Here's How to Do It (With Cost Taken Into Account!)

featured this week on Brick Underground by Leah Hochbaum Rosner

The best thing about this $429,000 top-floor one-bedroom at 140 West 71st Street in Lincoln Square is that it’s south-facing, “so it’s going to get a lot of light,” says architect Anjie Cho. Also, she notes that the prewar building, the Danielle, allows owners to sublet their units without any residency requirements—a rarity for a co-op.

That said, the apartment definitely has a few issues, most notably “the weird wavy column on the wall in the living room,” says Cho, mentioning that she supposes it might be some sort of drain. “It could be hard to work with.”

Here’s what she’d do to deal with that peculiar pole, as well as the rest of this outdated Upper West Side residence that she calls “a major major fixer-upper.” Her recommendations:

The living room (pictured above)

The first thing Cho would do is make sure the electrical system is up-to-date. If it isn't, an overhaul is in order since “it could be quite old,” given that the building dates back to the 1920s. And if you are required to get it up to code, you’ll need a permit, which, she says, "could be costly.” But it’ll be worth the expense, removing the danger of the system shorting out when you want to plug in your hair dryer, for example, or worse. Safety is, after all, paramount.

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