Do you love taking baths? Then the energy of this water feature is probably almost as important to you as the bedroom or kitchen, or all the rooms in the house combined! I understand, my bath is in the area where the chi is, for me, the most favourable in the house. I’m lucky enough to have a nice area, so I can take advantage of this space.
Are you unsure about the colour of the tiles or the furniture, do you not know if you can put a wooden floor on the ground, or where to put the dirty laundry bag?
I give you today 10 tips to decorate a feng shui bathroom: layout, colours according to the elements, mirrors … I tell you everything!
#1 - No bathroom directly in the bedroom
In feng shui, we don’t really like non-exclusive rooms. By this I mean a room in the house that has multiple uses. So when you plan to put a shower or bathtub area in the corner of the room, it is far from ideal. The optimal configuration is the classic master suite, where the bathroom is a room in its own right and is accessed via the bedroom. If you want to do things right, you should avoid placing the headboard against the wall adjoining the shower room.
#2 - The toilet, if possible, outside the bathroom
Similarly, it is not desirable to have the toilet in the same room as the shower or bath. Apart from the obvious lack of privacy (this is not the kind of privacy that a couple is looking for), this arrangement lowers the energy level of the room. The toilet is not a living space (even though some people spend hours there with their phones!) and is indeed considered the lowest energy space.
#3 - La décoration et les couleurs en fonction des éléments
Remember the sectorization of the house with Bagua: the colour of the walls, the materials chosen for the floor, the choice of tiles… all this will depend on the sector in which the bathroom is located. For it to be feng shui, then the characteristics of the 5 Chinese elements must be respected.
The North, whose element is water, is the most favourable sector to plan a bathroom. There is no need to overdo it with the colour blue or black. Metal, which nourishes water, should be chosen (white, grey, etc.).
In the West and North-West, the metal element is needed, so grey or white colours, even gold or silver. You can feed it with earth (ceramic, sand, earthenware…).
If your shower room is to the east and south-east, you can put in as many green plants as possible, as these areas must be fed with the wood element.
In the North-East and South-East, the earth element is king. Why not decorate a bathroom with terracotta!
Finally, the South sector is a little more complicated to manage because Fire is the element that naturally conflicts with Water. Therefore, choose the most yin colours (mauve, powder pink) and not a flamboyant red. And take your baths by candlelight!
#4 - How to choose the mirror in a feng shui bathroom?
When it comes to the Chinese elements, as you know, we don’t stop at material and colour: the shape is also important. So, I advise you to choose a mirror shape adapted to the element whose energies you wish to nourish: round for metal, square for earth, rectangle for wood, triangle for fire… For a bathroom in the North, as the water element is already present, prefer the round mirror because metal nourishes water. For a bathroom in the South, there are triangular mirrors with rounded corners (for more softness).
The mirror should be large enough for you to reflect at least up to the waist and if possible incorporate lighting either above or integrated (the top).
#5 - No bathtub in the centre of the room
In the same way that it is not advisable in a kitchen to place the hob in a central island, it is not a good idea to arrange a bathroom with the bathtub in the centre of the room. I know, you see a lot of this in magazines, or in sanitaryware and furniture catalogues… Have you read Sun Tzu’s Art of War? You have to think like this: when you are in the middle, you are exposed on all sides. This is not a Zen situation at all. We prefer to put the bathtub against a solid wall in order to be “protected” at least on that side.
#6 – Beware of water leaks
In feng shui, water represents the energy of money. There are two rooms where it is important to constantly check for water leaks: the bathroom and the kitchen. Even a slight drip is not recommended. It is often said that the bathroom is a room where the chi is degraded. This was probably the case “before” but I believe that we must live with the times: the bathroom is now a room that can be synonymous with serenity, present time and especially time for oneself. Let’s stop stigmatising it.
#7 – The quality of chi in the bathroom
Generally speaking, feng shui teaches us that for chi to be of good quality, one must really take care of one’s interior. To this end, as we have said, it is advisable to regularly check the taps, but also to oil squeaky doors, repair cracks in the wall, replace a cracked mirror, a wobbly piece of furniture, etc.
Avoid leaving dirty laundry in a heap for everyone to see and use a basket with a lid.
Finally, to avoid shar chi, watch out for damp and mould! It is particularly important to react immediately when traces of damp appear on the walls or ceiling: find the cause and repair it quickly. Check your ventilation system regularly.
#8 – The design should include storage space
Low, stagnant energy can also be caused by clutter and mess. So when you are designing a bathroom layout (for a new project), take the opportunity to think about adequate storage. When the area is small and there is a lack of space, my advice is to make the most of the walls to place furniture high up, even above the door. It is best to choose closed cabinets. Please, forget the collection of old empty perfume bottles… unless you polish them every week, which is rarely the case, they are just dust nests and it’s no use…. anything! I’m a bit harsh but de-cluttering starts here too. If you really want to keep the first bottle given to you by your darling or your mother, keep only this one, for the beautiful symbolism it contains.
#9 – Managing room lighting
Ideally, the bathroom should have a window, so that natural light (and ventilation) can be used very effectively for ambient lighting. But this is not enough. Always provide additional lighting for the mirror(s). I’ll let you reread my article on how to create a luminous atmosphere, where you’ll find plenty of advice on how to bathe your shower room in a beautiful light.
Lighting is not neutral in a room where you take care of yourself. A dull light is enough to change the way we look at ourselves and make us lose confidence: we feel pale, dull, ugly! Moreover, lighting that is not suitable for applying make-up can create surprises once you go out in the daylight 🙂
#10 – Safety first
Finally, the last piece of advice for designing a feng shui bathroom: think about safety.
First of all, make sure that the electricity is up to standard. Use socket covers if you have young children. To avoid slipping, choose non-slip mats in front of the bathroom and possibly suction mats in the bath or shower. It is also ideal not to have any steps in this room where you are usually barefoot: if you can, opt for a walk-in shower!
