Vaastu Checklist: The Residential Edit
Whilst we would have loved to be globe trotting at the moment, if not for the pandemic, (we’re sure a lot of you resonate with this thought) we’ve had to settle for the occasional daydream, drifting off to our favourite places in between the hustle. It’s been hectic back at the office, lengthy desk hours have kept us engaged. Conceptualising new projects, trying to usher it to life, working on detailed drawings, and juggling a gazillion other things!
However, it’s been long overdue, so we’re taking some time out to write this next post on Vastu. We’re sure many of you might already be familiar with the concept of it. Nonetheless, for those who are not, we’ll brief you a little about it and highlight its importance in design.
Vāstu śāstra – literally means ‘science of architecture’ which is a traditional Indian system of planning. The fundamentals of it aim to establish harmony by using the five basic elements - earth, water, fire, air and space.
As designers our aim is to create a space that reflects an appealing interior style. Whether it’s chic and ultra-elegant or functional and effortless. The primary purpose is to provide a space that has a sense of zeal and renders an infectious positive aura on its users. We definitely think the science of Vastu aids this intention.
We’re going to walk you through certain spaces of a home, listing out vital principles that we try and follow for our projects:
The Main Door Entrance
The position of the main door is to face the north, north-east or the east ( which correlates to the rising sun).
The main door should be larger than the other doors of the house.
A well-lit entrance renders a positive effect.
A washroom/powder room near a main door is not preferable.
The Kitchen
The prime place to set up any kitchen is the south-east direction of a home, if not, then the north-west works too.
Preferentially one is to face east while cooking.
Ideally the hob should not be placed next to the sink. Locate the kitchen sink along the north or north-east direction if possible.
The Puja Room
The most favourable quadrant is the north-east corner of your house. If that is not feasible, it can be set up in the east and north corners or even the west side of the house.
The person praying should face north or east.
It is also essential that the Puja does not share a wall with a washroom.
The Master Bedroom
The master bedroom should always be in the south-west corner of the home. It should be larger than the other bedrooms in the house, if possible.
If it is workable, avoid placing the bedroom in the north-east or south-east zones.
While sleeping ones head should preferably be towards the south; east or west works too. Although, one’s head in the North is a big no!
Bed alignment to any corner is unsuitable.
The ideal location for heavy wardrobes/shelves are in the south-west corner.
The Bathrooms
The most appropriate position for the bathroom is the north-west part of a home, however the south-east is an alternative option.
The EWC should be aligned to the north-south axis; the user should not face east or west.
The placement of the EWC inside a bathroom can be toward the west or north-west.
Strive to avoid placing washrooms along the north-east or eastern side of a home.
General Vaastu Tips
Mirrors facing each other ? - Give it a miss!
A mirror should not be placed in front of the bed in any bedroom.
If there’s a beautiful view outside the window, then it would be advisable to place a mirror right opposite. (Well lucky for us this works aesthetically too!)
If possible, steer clear of beams or girders running across the living area.
In the dining area, sitting under a beam while eating is certainly not the perfect thing to do.
Avoid placing the bed below beams in any bedroom.
Facing east or north while studying facilitates it. .
Rooms should be airy, bright and well lit.
Keep spaces clean and clutter free. (We’re going to go do that right away!)
This has been a factual post, and hopefully will be one, for a some of us, to turn to time and again. The websites that were sifted through to put this together are listed below:
https://www.beautifulhomes.com/design/feature/vastu-shastra-for-home.html
https://www.urbancompany.com/blog/interiors/kitchen-vastu-tips/
https://www.architecturaldigest.in/
https://www.vastushastraguru.com/bedroom-vastu-shastra-tips/
Our brain is only thinking about cardinal directions now but we’ve got to get back to the direction of our desks! Well, keeping up with the tone of this post taken off a traditional leaf, Namaste from our team... until it’s blog post time again!