Feng Shui in the bedroom
The bed stands with its headboard against a solid wall, not with your feet towards the door, and lying down you can see door and window.
Feng Shui in the bathroom
In Feng Shui, bathrooms and toilets are rooms for disposal, where Qi drains away. They therefore belong away from the centre of the house, not opposite the front door and not directly beside the bed. The head of the bed should never share a wall with the toilet or shower, and I do not consider an open bathroom in the bedroom a good idea. Colours and materials balance the Water element to which bathrooms and toilets belong.
- PositionAt the edgenever in the centre of the house
- Toilet lidClosedand the bathroom door too
- ElementWaterWood and Earth balance it
What the bathroom means in Feng Shui
In Feng Shui, bathrooms and toilets are rooms for “disposing of Qi”. In Imperial Feng Shui, bathrooms, toilets, swimming pools and laundry rooms are building uses associated with the Water element.
Here, water drains away; we wash off the day and let go. This also gives the bathroom its spiritual meaning of cleansing and renewal. Baths and good water have always been part of building culture, as the spa architecture of Bad Kissingen shows.
Where should the bathroom sit in the floor plan?
At the edge of the house, away from the centre
The centre of the house, the Tai Qi, should stay empty, bright and tidy. So the bathroom does not belong there. Nor should it be directly opposite the front door, at the end of a long hallway in line with the entrance, or upstairs above a bed or hob.
In classical Feng Shui, the bathroom may occupy a place where calculations show unfavourable energy, because what drains away there causes less disturbance. The Flying Stars calculation identifies those areas. The page on bathrooms and toilets in the floor plan explains how other rooms fit around them.
Planning bathrooms and toilets in a new build
When building a home, decide where the wet rooms go before the architect begins planning, just as with the entrance and bedroom. Their position is very difficult to change later. Putting mistakes right afterwards can cost much more than planning with Feng Shui from the outset. Read how I help with planning wet rooms in a new build.
Separate bathroom and bedroom
A bathroom involves too much disposal of Qi for the head of the bed. So the head should not share a wall with a toilet or shower. A hand basin or bath that nobody uses at night is still tolerable.
I do not consider an open bathroom in the bedroom a good idea. “Sleeping and disposing of bodily energy are two entirely different things.” If there is a bathroom within the bedroom, a door should separate it, and that door stays closed at night. The bedroom guide explains where else the head of the bed should not go.
Getting to the bathroom at night
Keep the route to the bathroom clear at night, without edges in the way, and use dimmed light. A hotel room shows how it should not be done. You do not need to know Feng Shui to see how poorly this table is designed and positioned. Bruised thighs are all but guaranteed on a night-time trip to the toilet.
What do you see as you enter your home?
If the toilet is the first thing you see on entering, it draws energy away. “A wall causes a blockage; a toilet drains energy away,” as my Front Door and Entrance checklist (in German) puts it. Keep the bathroom door closed during the day too.
The entrance guide explains what else the view as you enter should show.
Toilet lid, door and drains
Close the toilet lid after flushing. Keep drains clear and clean, and nothing faulty, including dripping taps.
Only what is meant to go should drain away here.
Which colours suit a bathroom?
A bathroom already has plenty of Water. The colours of the other elements absorb it, contain it or give it clarity.
Wood
Green
Wood absorbs Water, because Water nourishes Wood.
Earth
Sand, cream, terracotta
Warm earth tones contain Water.
Metal
White and grey
These feel clear, but need warm light.
Water
Dark blue and black
Water colours strengthen it, so use them only as accents.
The precise colour comes from the compass direction and the Flying Stars. The colour guide gives an overview of colours by element.
Gold in the toilet?
Not a good idea for a toilet. A Feng Shui disaster, you might say. I saw this in a well-known shopping centre in Frankfurt: urinals in front of a wall of gold bars.
In Feng Shui, gold bars stand for success and prosperity. In a toilet, that symbol is figuratively flushed away.
Mirrors in the bathroom
Hang a bathroom mirror so you can see your whole head. Mirror tiles that break up the reflection are unsuitable, and the mirror should not face the bathroom door either.
The mirror guide covers all the places for bathroom mirrors and mirrors elsewhere at home.
Which plants suit a bathroom?
Plants belong to Wood and balance the abundant Water in a bathroom. Plants with soft, rounded leaves that like humidity are good, provided there is daylight. Pointed or prickly plants do not belong here, nor do unhealthy ones.
See the plant guide for suitable round-leaved plants.
A small bathroom without a window
A windowless bathroom needs good ventilation. Use warm light in several places rather than one cold ceiling light, choose light colours and keep few things out on display. Plants should be real and have a grow light, or be left out altogether.
A guest toilet with style
The guest toilet at the 9 Fate Design restaurant shows how warm light and good materials make a toilet feel homely. “Even the bathroom has style.”
Further reading
Room layout with Feng Shui
In classical Feng Shui, each compass direction should support the room’s function, with the bedroom in the quiet north and the kitchen in the east.
Feng Shui in the hall and entrance
In Feng Shui, the front door is the mouth of the house, through which Qi enters and spreads throughout the home.
The 5 elements in Feng Shui
The five elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are more accurately called phases of change, because they describe a dynamic process.
Remodelling your bathroom?
The position of bathrooms and toilets can rarely be changed. For renovations and new builds, I plan them beforehand; in existing homes, colour, materials and design help. I visit you in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. More about consultations for bathrooms and homes.