The bathroom is more than just a place where the toilet resides. When arranged and decorated appropriately, a feng shui bathroom provides a space for purification (releasing unwanted qi) and renewal (absorbing positive qi). Bathrooms can exude vitality, serenity, and freshness. In fact, the bathroom is one of three spaces (bedroom and kitchen are the other two) that benefits from a powerful energy that relates to your well-being when feng shui potential is maximized. Here are some tips for incorporating feng shui guidelines into a modern bathroom.



FENG SHUI BATHROOM LOCATIONS

If you already own your home, there’s probably not much you can do about the location of the bathroom(s) in the home. However, if you’re considering remodeling or building altogether, you will want to consider the following feng shui guidelines about bathroom location.

A fen gshui bathroom should not face or be very close to the front door or the kitchen.

To walk into a home and be met with the sight of a bathroom is bad feng shui; it is not restful or peaceful or relaxing. If your bathroom happens to be situated in this location, consider keeping the door closed at all times, or add a screen somewhere between the front door and the bathroom door to maintain a visual barrier.

A feng shui bathroom should not be in the center of the home.

While bathrooms are wonderful places of rejuvenation and renewal, they are certainly not the heart of the home. (The center of the home in feng shui is called the yin-yang point.) When placed in the center of the home, they tend to emit poor qi (via sight, sound, and smell) into all the spaces surrounding them, filling the entire floor with unwanted energy. If your bathroom is in the center of your home, incorporate large pieces against the exterior bathroom walls to block the flow of this energy. Keep the door closed at all times.

A feng shui bathroom will be accessible but veiled.

There are certain guidelines for bathroom location in the bagua (feng shui’s energy map of the home), but ultimately the bathroom should be situated in a place that doesn’t detract from the positive energy of surrounding spaces. Bedroom-bathroom connections aren’t ideal in feng shui, although the modern bathroom is often an en suite to the bedroom. Curtains, screens, or other visual blocks help to keep the positive energy flowing appropriately within their respective rooms.

FENG SHUI BATHROOM TIPS

No matter where the bathroom is situated in the home, or how it is laid out, there are still things you can do to foster its feng shui aura and reap the benefits. Basically, feng shui has the capacity to improve any space, no matter its quirks, which makes it a fantastic designing and decorating tool. Here are some ways to incorporate feng shui into any bathroom in ways that make sense and are practical.

Clean the bathroom regularly.

While this is probably common sense for any bathroom, feng shui or no, it is particularly vital in a feng shui bathroom, which thrives on renewal and purification. It’s hard to accomplish either of those things in a bathroom that is unclean. Positive energy will thrive in even the tiniest and most awkward of bathrooms if they are clean.

Keep the bathroom fresh with well-ventilated air.

This goes without saying, probably, but a bathroom that has good air flow and movement will ultimately feel fresher and more appealing than one where the air is stale and stagnant. If the bathroom has a window, open it frequently (if not all the time). Use the bathroom fan regularly to encourage air circulation.

Purify the air with plant life.

Many of us may not immediately think of adding plant life to the bathroom space for one reason or another, but it is a concept encouraged by feng shui in this space. Plants add a natural element to the bathroom, which is heavy on sterile-feeling surfaces, and aid in air purification and spiritual rejuvenation.

Keep the toilet lid down.

This is probably the easiest and most able-to-do-immediately feng shui tip for bathrooms, so embrace it and use it. Open drains are seen as bad feng shui, because they pull positive energy (flush) down and out. The toilet is no different. To combat this and to keep the qi full of vitality and purification, simply keep the toilet lid closed.

Maintain a well-lit bathroom.

No one wants to enter a bathroom that is dark and/or dingy. Good feng shui encourages plentiful quality light in the bathroom. This lays the fresh foundation of vitality and also serves a practical purpose – good lighting generally means better grooming capacity. Feng shui does accomplish much on an emotional and perhaps subconscious level, but it also facilitates practical application.

Use healthy colors in the bathroom.

Blues, greens, and whites are beautiful feng shui bathroom colors, as they signify life and serenity and calm and focus. They also represent renewal and purification, which are (as you probably know by now) the keys to a great feng shui bathroom. Use these colors on walls, textiles (e.g., towels, rugs, curtains), or in bathroom accessories if the primary colors of your space are unchangeable.

Because blue represents water, it is a cleansing and purifying color.

As the color of many growing things, green represents new beginnings, growth, and life,

White symbolizes cleanliness and purity, which makes it an obvious and excellent color choice for a feng shui bathroom.

Keep the bathroom free of clutter.

This is a guideline for feng shui in general, as clutter inhibits the flow of air and qi throughout a space. The modern bathroom is particularly vulnerable to clutter, however, so it’s important to remember. Put as many toiletries and grooming objects out-of-sight as you reasonably can. Yes, even though you’ll use the same things tomorrow. Use beautiful storage boxes or containers when necessary to keep the space feeling uncluttered. In feng shui, the bathroom is a sacred place for purification and renewal, so it must be treated that way.

Use beautiful things in the bathroom.

While feng shui doesn’t condone throwing a bunch of knick-knacks and tchotchkes on the bathroom countertops (remember what we’ve talked about with clutter), it does recommend making the bathroom a beautiful space. Accomplish this with accessories or objects that you need anyway but that could make such a difference in the beauty of the bathroom – a lovely soap dispenser, for example, or a beautiful shower curtain, or a plush rug.

Incorporate wood and/or earth elements to balance the water.

Bathrooms tend to be heavy on water, both symbolically and in actuality. Running water, of course, but also mirrors represent water’s flow and reflection. To combat this potential imbalance, incorporate wood and/or elements into your contemporary bathroom to create a more harmonious and balanced space. Wooden bowls or a wood vanity work well, or adding gold or taupe onto the walls or textiles would provide lovely balance, too.

Hang art in the bathroom.

Who says artwork is just for the living room? (Hopefully, no one says that.) In creating a harmonious space for renewal, you can use feng shui guidance to hang an inspiring or soothing piece of artwork in your bathroom as well. Feng shui recommends avoiding using photos of yourself or other people you know in the bathroom, along with anything career-related, because it would be like you’re flushing those things down the drain. Instead, use metaphorically renewing images, such as trees, flowers, meadow landscapes, lakes, etc.

Separate the bathroom from the bedroom

If the bedroom and bathroom spaces are connected (which is highly convenient and a popular modern-day layout), consider using a screen or barn door or curtain to separate the two spaces. You certainly don’t want bathroom qi leaking out into your bedroom, even if your bathroom is a beautiful feng shui space. The two rooms serve two entirely different purposes, so they should be kept visually separate.