Feng shui
Feng Shui Room Layout
Place the nine-area Bagua grid over your floor plan with its base on the wall of the front door. Each area then marks where the matching life theme sits, and the layout rules say how to arrange furniture within it.
Example
Bagua with north at the top of the plan
North-west · Metal · white, grey, metallicPlace tools and pictures of people who have helped you. A tidy, uncluttered area here is read as ready support.
North · Water · black, dark blueWater and flowing shapes suit this area: mirrors with clean lines, dark blue, a small water feature. Avoid clutter at the entrance.
North-east · Earth · deep blue, black, greenA quiet corner for books, a reading chair or a meditation cushion; avoid noise and screens in this area.
West · Metal · white, grey, metallicMetal and Earth suit this side: round metal objects, white or grey textiles and work you are proud of.
Centre · Earth · yellow, sandKeep the centre open and uncluttered so movement can pass through it; a plain rug or a low ceramic piece is enough.
East · Wood · green, light blueWood suits this area: plants, wooden furniture and family photographs. Keep metal sculpture, which controls Wood, to a minimum.
South-west · Earth · pink, yellow, earth tonesDisplay things in pairs: two chairs, two candles, a matched pair of pictures. Remove single, solitary images from this area.
South · Fire · red, orangeGood light suits this area. Candles, a lamp, awards or a favourite picture belong here; avoid heavy Water features, which put out Fire.
South-east · Wood · green, purpleKeep it tidy and bright, and bring in a healthy plant or a small fountain; a cluttered or dark corner here is read as stalled growth.
Lay this grid over your plan with north at the top. Each cell is the part of the room, or of the whole home, that sits in that direction.
Principles that apply to every room
Command the entrance
Seats, beds and desks sit where the door is in view and the back is covered by a wall.
Keep the flow gentle
Energy is said to move like water: fast down a straight corridor, still in a cluttered corner. Curves, screens and furniture slow the first and clearing the second.
Balance Yin and Yang
Rooms for rest lean Yin with soft light and low contrast; rooms for activity lean Yang with bright light and open space.
Use the five elements
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water each belong to a side of the room. Strengthen an area with the element that generates it and avoid the element that controls it. See the five elements.
Let go of clutter
Stagnant energy gathers around things that are broken, unused or kept out of obligation.
Layout rules by room
Living room
- Seat people with their backs to a wall and a view of the entrance; a sofa with its back to the door leaves the seat unsupported.
- Arrange seating in a loose circle or an L so people face each other, and keep the walkway from the door to the seating clear.
- Keep the centre of the room open. A low table is fine, but avoid a tall cabinet or heavy piece in the middle of the floor.
- Round or oval coffee tables suit a room used by many people; sharp corners pointing at seats are softened with cushions.
Bedroom
- Put the bed in the commanding position, with the headboard on a solid wall and the door in view; the bedroom checker works this out from your plan.
- Keep the room Yin: soft light, soft colours and few screens, with the bed as the one dominant piece of furniture.
- Use matching bedside tables and leave both sides of the bed open.
Kitchen
- The cook should see the kitchen door while at the stove, with a mirror or reflective splashback if the stove faces a wall.
- Fire and Water clash: avoid a stove beside or directly opposite a sink or refrigerator, or separate them with a wooden board or a plant.
- Keep the stove clean and in daily use. In feng shui the stove stands for the household's nourishment.
Home office
- Place the desk in the commanding position: facing the door, with a solid wall behind the chair and no window at your back.
- Keep the area in front of the desk clear so the view stays open, and keep the drawers and the floor beside the desk tidy.
- Put files and the work you are proud of in the career (north) and helpful-people (north-west) areas of the Bagua.
Entrance
- The front door is the mouth through which energy enters. Keep the approach bright, swept and clear of obstacles.
- Do not let the door open straight onto a staircase, a back door or a long straight corridor; a screen, a plant or a console table slows the line.
- Hang a mirror to the side, not facing the door, and keep shoes in a closed cabinet.
For a closer look at the bedroom, use the bed placement checker. To choose plants for each Bagua area, see feng shui plants. The trigrams behind the map are explained on the Bagua page.
Common questions
How do I put the Bagua over a floor plan?
Draw the room or home as one rectangle, divide it into a three-by-three grid, then label the grid either by compass direction or by the wall with the front door. Each cell is one Bagua area.
Which method is right, compass or door?
Compass-based schools place each trigram on its direction; door-based schools put the entrance wall at the bottom of the map. Choose one and keep using it for the whole house.
What if the room is not a rectangle?
Draw the Bagua over the full rectangle that contains the plan. An area that falls outside the walls is a missing corner; fill it with a light, a plant or a mirror on the nearest wall.
Keep reading
Related
Feng shui bedroom
Where to place the bed.
Bagua map
The trigrams behind the nine areas.
Flying stars
The 2027 annual chart.
Plants
Which plants suit which area.