In a previous blog we discussed the ancient technique of Feng Shui and its modern day use in contemporary Interior Design. We talked about the five elements of wood, fire, metal, water and earth and how important the balance of Yin and Yang energy is. The energies of the five elements are balanced by using the energy map, called the Bagua Map, as a practical guide to know where, when and how much of any one element to use in a specific space for the best possible outcome.
The Bagua is a grid like map used in Feng Shui to help analyze the energy of your space. It has nine different zones that represent different energies and the areas that those energies apply to in a home. Cheryl Grace describes the Bagua this way, “The Bagua map is shaped like a tic-tac-toe board, with three columns and three rows, divided into nine guas, or zones. Eight guas revolve around the ninth or center gua, and each represents a different life aspect – as well as a life lesson you may need to learn in order to achieve balance. Each contains energy that resonates directly with what’s going on for you in that area.”
The map can be used as a template for your whole home or an individual room. The center gua represents Health and Well-Being, represented by the Earth element and the eight “guas” surrounding it are: Wealth & Prosperity; Fame & Reputation; Love, Marriage & Relationships; Family & Relationships; Creativity & Children; Wisdom & Knowledge; Career & Life Purpose; and lastly Travel. The easiest way to use the Bagua map is to line up the entry of your home or room with the bottom of the map, as if you are lying the map over the space. The bottom of the map should align with the entryway of your space.
So, imagine you were going to Feng Shui your home, let’s say you wanted to focus on Wealth and Prosperity, which is in the left rear corner of the Bagua map and therefore the room that is in the left rear corner of your home. As you can see in the Bagua Map diagram below, each gua has a color, element and shape that is associated with it. The Wealth & Prosperity gua is related to the colors purple, green and gold, its element is Wood and its shape is a rectangle. So, to implement Feng Shui to influence this area of your life, one of the easiest places to start would be to add the colors of purple, green and gold to the room. You could hang paintings on the wall or add the colors through the use of material in the form of furniture, custom curtains and custom pillows. What about adding a gold figurine to the space or wood elements, such as books on wood bookshelves or pictures in rectangular wood picture frames?
Using the Bagua map, you can begin to see how easily you could change the energy of your spaces and ultimately the energy of your life. As always, remember it is your space and by following a few simple interior design tips, you really can have fun creating a home that may just change your life!
Design Team
The Contemporary Curtain
A brand of PKB DESIGN LLC
