I’ve seen many homes both large and small and everything in between. Most people dwell in very small spaces out of necessity, but some actually prefer a simple spartan life, such as those who choose to live in a Tiny House or a studio apartment when they could actually afford more.

From a Feng Shui standpoint, the ideal living accommodation allows you to have at least some separation between your sleeping area and the spaces where you are awake.  People instinctively know that sound sleep will come easier in a private area, where you don’t have to be around all the other things that stimulate you during the day.

It’s always fascinating for me to see how people live, both from an energetic viewpoint, as well as the mundane.  Starting in the mid-1980’s there was a TV show hosted by British entertainment reporter Robin Leach and it was called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Viewers could indulge in their voyeurism, while Leach cascaded through the opulence of properties owned by the rich and famous. Such a show in current times might be looked down upon, given the current social and economic climate. We all love to fantasize, but most of us no longer want to celebrate displays of obscene wealth, if we suspect it was made at the expense of others.

A studio apartment will have a kitchen or kitchenette, within a larger space and usually a bathroom.  The feng shui ideal is not see the kitchen immediately upon entering a home.  However, that direct view is extremely common in apartment design.  Some buildings only offer a shared bathroom experience, outside the unit down the hall. A one-bedroom apartment is more comfortable by anyone’s standards, along with having one’s own bathroom. Feng Shui concerns itself with the location of the bathroom in two major respects: 1) to not have a view of the toilet when entering the house and 2) to avoid a design where the bathroom is positioned in a major wealth zone as that is deemed a waste of good space. What else does someone even need?  Well, that depends on who you are, your family size, your career, your social life and your personal comfort zone.

The next step up from the multi-bedroom home, is the one which has at least one extra guest bedroom for the occasional or frequent sleep-over invite. In fact, it’s not so unusual these days for couples to have their own bedrooms, due to health conditions, snoring, or conflicting work schedules.

Another nicety is multiple bathrooms, including one that is primarily for guests. Some feng shui practitioners also take note of the direction of a toilet, with the toilet having its own “sitting” and “facing” sides.  The Sitting side is the tank side, attached or near the wall.

A home with a dedicated Mud Room, Utility Room and Laundry room can also make life easier and more organized. This is the kind of room that could even have a wide shower for bathing pets when they come into the house dirty.  I’ve even seen larger homes with two laundry rooms, one on each floor, again for convenience. Feng Shui takes note of where appliances are located because they constitute a lot of metal, which may or may not be helpful to wherever they are located.  I’ve also been in homes with two kitchens, sometimes because of dietary restrictions and other times due to cultural practices.

Nowadays, it is extremely common to have a home office and even more than one home office.  This is a room that often rivals the bedroom in terms of its importance.  We also have to consider the electronic devices, where some people make the common mistake of having their router placed in the home office.  In the ideal situation, you want your home router places as far away as possible from the rooms you spend the most time in.

 A home gym and a den or family room in addition to the living room can also make life easier when the parents want to relax in a separate area from the kids and their friends. Here we have to be honest with ourselves because some people really do spend hours a day or night watching TV, which is usually situated in a family room.  However, nowadays it is common for people to have multiple TVs. Even in my own home, I have a TV in my kitchen and also my office.  I have them on when I’m in those rooms doing other things, almost like having a radio on.

Eat-in kitchens may be popular, but the larger home must have a formal dining room that can seat a dozen or more. Depending on how often a formal dining room is used, this space could be intentionally placed in one of the home’s inherently “negative” areas if the formal dining room is only used a few times a year.

Other amenities include larger closets, some so spacious that they are literally their own room.  From a Feng Shui standpoint, we take note of large mirrored areas.  The ideal is to not have wardrobe mirrors reflecting the bed in the bedroom.  In this case, having a walk-in closet or even a whole separate room with mirrors inside it is even better.  Houses with a library, a home theater, or a dedicated Meditation or Prayer room are now in the luxury living category. If family members actually study in a library, there may be an opportunity to place this room in a zone that caters to studying or learning and this might be partially based on the occupants’ birth data. This takes special planning in the design phase.  A meditation room should ideally be in a more “yin” part of the house, to match the yin activity of prayer or meditation.

Clients who have a housekeeper may also provide a bedroom for their employee. If the house keeper doesn’t live with the family, they at least have a private space where that person can take a break and relax. I have audited more than one home where the maid was dwelling in the most positive part of the house and my client would report that the maid doesn’t last long because she seems to find a better job and moves on, with the good energy helping to promote her into superior financial opportunity.

People who enjoy certain hobbies or activities may also build or remodel a home to provide a wine cellar and/or bar, a humidor, a Game Room, a pool room or music room, an art room or recording studio.  It has been more than ironic to see some homes that have a bar or wine collection in an area that can feed addictive behaviors. Likewise,  the creative muse can be easily encouraged when art or music rooms land in the “4” star area of a floor plan.

Another convenience for the larger home is a second set of stairs, even an elevator. Since the stairs can direct Qi flow in very forceful ways, their placement in relation to exterior doors is a big concern in the feng shui design phase.

For those who have more than several pets, an entire room may be dedicated to them. I’m reminded of one client in Beverly Hills who had a large room for the dozen cats she owned and another woman who rescued cats in Dubai; she had three rooms filled with cat crates. It’s no coincidence that areas of a home which could trigger arguments with humans can also make pets more aggressive, so the ideal situation is to plan a home accordingly and also apply adjustments where needed.

Another luxury is the home-based spa, where the house has a special room just for massages, and a hair cutting room, replete with a professional salon chair. These are not going to be rooms that people spend an inordinate amount of time in, so they rank further down in priority.   I’ve even been to a few homes with a Panic Room for security. Aside from personal safety, some homes hide a vault or safe somewhere in the house and the ideal in planning is to not place valuables in an area that is prone to theft.  We don’t want a burglar to be naturally drawn to those areas.

I’ve only heard about homes with their own bowling alley and other dedicated spaces, such as the Gift-Wrapping room or Holiday decoration storage basement. One client did have a separate office for her driver, attached to the garages. Some clients have a home office just for their assistant. This room then becomes very important for the assistant using it as well as for the homeowner since the employee is an extension of their business.

While these extra rooms and spaces may seem over-the-top, they are really seen as very ordinary for those who do a lot of entertaining, have “big” lives and those who need extra privacy. A famous person may be less likely to go to public spaces for certain services, like getting their hair cut. When I lived in Los Angeles, I sometimes evaluated businesses that catered to famous people.  These establishments have a private exit so that others coming and going do not see each other and it reduces the potential to run into paparazzi.

What does Feng Shui have to say about these homes with so many rooms? Feng Shui philosophy is primarily concerned with designing the most important rooms to land in the inherently best energy spots. For example, the primary bedroom is ten times more important than the bathroom.  It’s also relevant to not have a home that is too large for the number of occupants.  Even a person who lives alone in a palatial space may have a whole staff milling about the property, giving it that circulation and human energy that a large house needs.

I’ve also had a few clients who did home schooling for their children, with a dedicated classroom just for that activity.  The ideal for any classroom is to arrange seating so  that the children have the highest potential for focus and a position for the teacher to have the biggest impact. As well, garages can become workshops where physical safety becomes a concern.  There are even more examples of how people feel the most “at home” when their living space accommodates them so well.

Feng Shui is not new to large property owners.  Hundreds of years ago, the Chinese emperor would get advice from their Feng Shui master (who might have even had his own guest work space on the compound!)  Housing all those concubines, ( I mean wives) was likely a big project, especially when location and timing of conception was documented in order to determine who might end up being the future emperor.

Bottom line is that a house may be palatial, even noteworthy architecturally and typical of those featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but size and opulence does not always equate with good Feng Shui.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Feng Shui Architecture and Design Blog Series