For those who know about Feng Shui or have been following my posts, this is the most contentious room in the living space of a house or apartment. It is all about the Water element and we need to recall that Chinese toilets were less than desirable. Fast forward to now and we treat bathrooms like spas for relaxing in and spending time there.
You will recall that where the bathroom is placed in the Bagua map, tells you the colours and elements to manage. The bathroom has the most water and drains in a living place, other than the kitchen. It is all about the Water element and how to reduce Chi energy from draining out. See other bathroom posts about closing or covering drains, no water themes or shells and placing mirrors under the main drain pipes.
Don’t Put Buddha in the Bathroom
A Buddhist friend asked, would we put a cross or Jesus in the bathroom – the answer was a resounding no. By all means put this statue in the Inner Knowledge area or an area needing spirituality, peace and calm but not in an area of cleansing as Feng Shui practice sees it. Bathrooms are seen as having too much water and your goal is to ground and absorb the water as it is seen as draining away positive energy. There are various ways to do this and the key cures are to add ceramics, stone, wood and plants.
Feng Shui First
Other posts on the blog provide detailed information but the key point is that the bathroom is seen to be draining the energy and, in particular, abundance is seen to go down the drain. Some key Feng Shui tips include:
- Keep it spotless and tidy;
- Make sure drains work and are covered;
- Put small mirrors shiny side in to the room, by each drain pipe and state that ‘this mirror keeps all positive in this room’;
- If the pipes are old like ours, constantly use a mix of white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to clean;
- Depending on what Bagua sector it is in, the general rule is to add stone and earth colours to ‘absorb the water energy’;
- Avoid water and sea decorations; and finally
- Keep the toilet seat down and the door closed.
Find out where your bathroom is on the Bagua Map and match the colours and balance the Water element by placing as many stone and earth tones that the space can take. Go for calm and elegance rather than over-decorated. Also, ditch the sea theme, Miami look and anything blue as blue represents the Water element in Feng Shui, something we are trying to avoid in this room.
Travel & Helpful People – a good area as this has Metal as the element which is seen to polish the Water element. Use greys, black and white stone. Our bathroom is in this sector and we have floor to ceiling white and grey marbled slabs. The floor is dove grey and it is chic and calm. To counteract the potential coldness, soft furnishings, art work in metal frames and a plant, have been added.
Inner Knowledge – the Element here is Earth and the colours of blue and green can be used, combined with brown stone tiles.
Family & Health – the element is Wood but it’s best to still focus on the Earth element and soft shades of beige tiles. This is not a perfect area as it is said to possibly affect health but there are always remedies.
Wealth & Prosperity/Fame – not a great area as your money will be seen as going down the drain! If you really can’t avoid this area for a bathroom, put lots of stone, earth and a touch of fire with red towels. All about drying up the Water element.
Relationship – also not a great place but we have had a bathroom in this area. Lots of pairs of birds, matching towels and decor saying that there is a partnership and relationships in this area. It has the Earth element here which is fine for a bathroom and shades of caffe latte and beige are ideal to ‘soak’ up the Water element.
How to Upgrade Without Renovating
Not easy to do especially if you are renting. Step back and see what you can live with and what you can’t; what can be painted or changed without major work needed. There are stick on tiles now that can add decoration and change the look and feel of the bathroom. If renting, ask your owner if you can put up some pictures if you have normal walls. Obviously, drilling in to tiles is not a good idea! Add soft towels, ornaments, decor and even product bottles to give a sense of colour and theme.
If You Are Going to Renovate
For renovation, you have to know that it is likely this is a high price refit. The best advice given for real estate was to really consider buying a place if the bathroom and kitchen need renovating, as they are the most expensive rooms to upgrade and often present hidden issues with plumbing and electricity. For us, it was a 1980s peach and green tile mix and even the renovator said, “Oh wow!”, when he looked in. Pipes were just this side of legal, the toilet pipe went behind the main sink cabinet and into a small closet to the actual toilet. We ended up over our budget as the toilet was put in to the bathroom to fix the plumbing problem and a wall was created to hide the toilet and create a shower alcove but it was worth it. A mix of high-end fixtures, an IKEA mirror and Zara towels managed to create a wonderful, calm space in shades of grey, white and silver. A different wow now!
