A feng shui bagua map is a nine-square grid laid over your floor plan, with each square linked to an area of life such as career, family or relationships. To use it on an irregular UK home, draw a rectangle around the whole footprint, divide it into nine, then treat missing corners and extensions as special cases.

The nine areas of the bagua at a glance

Bagua means "eight trigrams", from the symbols of the I Ching. Eight areas surround a central ninth, and each carries a life theme, an element and, in the compass method, a direction:

Kan (north): career and life path; Water.
Gen (north-east): knowledge and self-cultivation; Earth.
Zhen (east): family and new growth; Wood.
Xun (south-east): abundance; Wood.
Li (south): reputation and recognition; Fire.
Kun (south-west): relationships and partnership; Earth.
Dui (west): children and creativity; Metal.
Qian (north-west): helpful people and travel; Metal.
Tai Qi (centre): balance and wellbeing; Earth.

If you already have a floor plan and simply want to know how it reads, you can send us your question with the plan attached.

Two ways to place a feng shui bagua map

The compass method

Classical schools align the grid with true compass directions. You stand in the centre of the home with a compass, or use the north arrow on a plan, and each area falls wherever that direction lands. The career area is always in the north, whatever side the door is on.

The front-door method

A more modern Western approach lines the bottom edge of the grid up with the wall containing the front door. The door then always falls in knowledge, career or helpful people, and the compass is ignored.

Which one should you use?

Both have followers, and the most important rule is to choose one and stay consistent. Because Vastu Shastra and Vedic astrology both work with true compass directions, a combined reading naturally leans towards the compass method, which lets the three systems speak the same language.

Laying the grid over an irregular UK floor plan

Few British homes are neat rectangles. Here is a straightforward process:

Start with a floor plan. An estate agent's plan is fine, though often not to scale, so check the main measurements.
Mark north using a phone compass taken away from radiators and metal.
Draw the smallest rectangle that encloses the whole living footprint, excluding detached garages and sheds.
Divide that rectangle into a three-by-three grid of equal sections.
Note any section that is only partly inside the home. A common rule of thumb: if a protruding part is less than half the length of that side, it is an extension; if more than half is absent, it is a missing area.

L-shaped terraces and rear outriggers

Many Victorian terraces have a narrow back addition, the outrigger, containing the kitchen and bathroom. This leaves one rear corner outside the building, usually a side yard or side return. That corner of the bagua is then partly missing.

Side-return and rear extensions

A modern side-return extension often fills that gap and squares the plan. A deep rear extension can, on the other hand, create a new protrusion. Redraw the rectangle after any building work.

Bay windows and porches

A front bay window, typical of Victorian and 1930s houses, is usually treated as a small extension of the area it sits in rather than a reason to redraw the whole grid. An enclosed porch is often counted too, since it is part of the living footprint; an open canopy over the door is not.

Flats and maisonettes

Use your own flat's footprint, not the whole block. In a maisonette, map each floor separately but keep the same orientation on both.

What to do about a missing area

A missing corner is not a disaster; it is a place to pay attention. Traditional responses include:

Marking the missing corner outside with a planter, a light or a garden feature, so the shape feels complete.
Hanging a mirror on the inside wall nearest the gap, to suggest depth.
Bringing the element of that area into the adjoining room, for instance plants for a missing Wood area.
Giving extra care to the life theme itself, in practical ways, rather than relying on objects.

Extensions work the other way. An area that pushes out beyond the rectangle is traditionally seen as strengthened, so it simply needs to be kept tidy and used well.

Mapping a room at a time is also possible, and handy after changes; our article on a home energy reading after rearranging a room shows how.

Where a personal consultation adds nuance

The bagua is one lens. It does not know who lives in the home, when they moved in or what they are working towards. In an Energy at Home / New Home session, I place the bagua alongside the home's own horoscope, your personal Vedic chart and the directional zones of Vastu Shastra. When the grid puts the abundance area in a bathroom, or the relationships corner in a missing yard, the charts help decide what genuinely deserves attention and what can be left alone. The session is 45 minutes, held online, and works even if you have limited plans; see our note on a reading with limited room information.

Frequently asked questions

Does an integral garage count in the bagua?

Practitioners differ. Many include an integral garage because it shares the roof and walls, while a detached garage is left out. Choose one approach and stay consistent.

Is an estate agent's floor plan accurate enough?

Usually, for a first attempt. Check a couple of room measurements and mark north yourself, since most agents' plans do not show it.

What if the centre of my home is a staircase?

This is common in UK houses. Keep the area under and around the stairs uncluttered and well lit, so the centre still feels open.

To have your plan read with your own chart and Vastu as well as the bagua, book an Energy at Home session or send us your question with your floor plan. We will reply with how a session could help.