Choosing a floor plan can actually be more challenging than you first imagine. Even if you have been picturing your dream home for years, when the time finally comes to build a custom home, there are a lot of decisions to make. Do you want a kitchen island or a peninsula? Does your lifestyle lend itself to an open floor plan or a formal dining room? How should the master bedroom be oriented to put your furniture in the best possible arrangement? It’s a lot to think about.
Using Feng Shui when Choosing a Floor Plan
Using the principles of feng shui can help you make decisions as you choose which floor plan options are the best fit for your lifestyle.
Entry Energy
The front entry of a home should be warm and inviting, which is why feng shui suggests that the front door should not align with nearby walls, closets, bathrooms, or other obstructions. The front door should also open in to prevent good energy from flowing out when you enter and exit. An example of a front entry with good feng shui can be seen in The Liberty floor plan. As you enter, your line of sight extends all the way through the great room, but is not directly aligned with a window. The coat closet, powder room, stairs, and other entry doors are all to either side, allowing you to immediately feel a positive flow of energy without restriction.
Sound Sleeping
Smart placement of the master bedroom will help ensure that you sleep peacefully and deeply. If you are planning a two-level home with the master on the second floor, avoid placing it above the garage, kitchen, or other busy areas. Instead, look for a floor plan with the master above a quiet area such as a study or place where the family gathers in a positive way. For example, The Marion has a master bedroom that is primarily above the dining room. This floor plan also follows another important tenet of feng shui with the bedroom door offset from the window.
Calm Cooking
As one of the central hubs of a home, the kitchen plays a major role in feng shui. One of the key principles is to not have the kitchen be the first room you see when entering the home. If the kitchen is in view, there should be other rooms between it and the main entry, and the view you see should be a pleasant one. The kitchen should also not have line of sight to a bathroom door, and ideally should not be located under a bathroom. The Cashmere is a great example of a home with good kitchen feng shui. Although the kitchen is visible from the front door, it is off to the left and the view is of the island. Also, no bathrooms are visible from the kitchen. Another important consideration when designing the kitchen layout is to keep the oven, refrigerator, and sink in a triangle, which The Cashmere effectively does with the sink in the island.
Blissful Basics
Every home must have necessities such as bathrooms, utility closets, and laundry rooms, but these basic essentials do not contribute to the positive energy of a household. However, feng shui can help you minimize the bad energy through smart floor plan design. In general, bathrooms should not be located facing the front door or the kitchen, and they should not be in the center of your home. The Columbia floor plan does a great job of embracing this feng shui concept, with all of the bathrooms located on the perimeter of the house and away from both the kitchen and the entry. This floor plan also features ample closet space so you can keep energy-blocking clutter to a minimum.
Choosing a floor plan requires taking a lot of factors into consideration, including the size of your family, your long-term plans, and your lifestyle. The Home Ownership Counselors at Adair Homes are here to help you select the floor plan and features that are right for both your lifestyle and your budget. Contact us today to get started.
