In a previous article, Missing Sectors Vs. Partially Missing Sectors, I covered how a missing portion of a floor plan may be good or bad, depending on various other features and layers. This article explores two more aspects to this circumstance: 1) When can outdoor living space be considered part of the floor plan? 2) Is this as good as structurally filling in a missing space?
With photo examples provided in this post, we can consider outdoor living space as part of the floor plan when it is truly an area of the house used on a frequent basis, for lounging, eating, or dwelling. You can almost tell by how the outdoor space is furnished in order to know how frequently the space is used. With a lot of thought, beauty, and comfort added to the outside décor, it becomes obvious how important the outdoor space really is.
In Southern California, I’ve seen homes that did not even have an indoor dining room and occupants ate outside in beautiful gardens because the weather can support it. Some outdoor areas have such great views, that they pull the occupants outside on a daily basis and the area becomes a big part of the living experience on the property as a whole.
Does this mean that every patio or balcony with a chair should be included in the floor plan gridding? No. The answer is that it needs to be more obvious that the outdoor living space is an integral part of the home and living experience. If the patio is covered (like a roof), that is a more substantial indication that the outdoor space can be embraced by the house. With one photo provided here, we have an atrium in the middle of a house, which has been designed and decorated as if it were just another room in the house. With the rest of the interiors surrounding this central courtyard, we can also include this as part of the house, covered or not.
Basic criteria for the creation of a flying star chart is the enclosure of space by a roof. If there is a roofless part of the floor plan, it needs to be an indispensable part of the home in order to bypass this basic criteria. There are other special circumstances where outdoor space can have its own flying star chart.
Next question is whether a covered patio is as good as an actual structural addition to a home, to fill in the missing space. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that the flying stars which were never contained in that missing space, are not then captured or activated after the fact, except perhaps as a weak holographic layer. Yes, to the principle that by filling in that space, other deficits have been handled.
For example, a missing northeast sector can indicate that the youngest child may be weak or troubled. It could indicate that any occupants could have bone or muscle problems. That is all based on the northeast direction. Filling it in can make that area more fortified and robust. However, what flying stars may have existed in that home will not “grow” back in that area. These are design phase issues which I go over with clients as they can make a big difference.
In contrast, if an actual structure is added to the missing area, the original qi of the house will re-configure itself and fill into that newly added interior space. This can recapture a missing flying star pairing and it may also change the boundaries slightly to significantly for all the eight basic directions.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Architecture and Design Blog Series
