Tip 2 - Avoid Plants and Sharp Corners In this example, there are a few elements to highlight on what not to do. While the design concept is to adopt a more oriental theme with the colours of the space in zen balance, the use of the furniture and the interior accents immediately set off warning bells. First, you should always avoid any sharp or
protruding corners. In this case, the zigzag design of the bookcase breaks two major taboos. 1) You should never have anything above your head when you sleep; and 2) you should never have anything sharp above your head. Second, the use of plants, while they add to the
“oriental theme”, has no place in the bedroom. Third, you should always think about the proportions
of space. Look at how different design elements affect our perception of a room. In this case, the scale of the bed to the window and ceiling seems rather disproportionate as the space between the ceiling and the window looks ‘tight’ thereby making the window the tallest element in the room. By doing so, it forces the ceiling to be lifted even higher than it is, visually causing the bed to shrink in size and float around the room, and thereby losing the sense of intimacy and solitude which is what is needed for every bedroom. Finally, avoid any eccentric patterns on the ceiling, as
Plants sap the earth energy needed to strengthen marriage.
this causes a whole array of visual confusion, and forces the ceiling to push itself down onto the room, creating claustrophobia as if being trapped within the space.
Tip 3 - Avoid Odd Shaped Rooms Everyone loves the attic. Attics are a great sanctuary to find privacy, gather your thoughts and be secluded from the rest of the world. But with attics with limited ceiling space, don’t try to make it your bedroom. In this scenario, the pitched ceiling has inadvertently created a poison arrow straight down the middle as if cutting the bed in half. And due to the limited space, light is brought in through the use of skylights, which then creates further shards as if cutting further into the bed.
While the idea of living in the attic is a cool idea, the reality is that if the space doesn’t fit, living in there would create further depressing issues and neglect for the room in the end. Always think of the practical aspects of a room before the accents of the room.
“Be simple but not simplistic” www.fswmag.com MARCH / APRIL 2012 | F ENGSHUIWORLD 65