If interior design is not properly approached, bathrooms can be very stuffy, unclean, and store unwanted negative energy. Since there is an overwhelming amount of water from tubs, sinks, toilets, and showers, the balanced state of the elements can easily be thrown off, resulting in poor feng shui.
Water represents wealth, cash flow, career, and the ability to adapt to your surroundings, but when there is an overbearing amount of this element, you might as well flush your prosperity down the drain. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate this imbalance and bring your bathroom into proper harmony. If you are curious to learn more about feng shui and how to create a personal spa that exudes positivity and tranquility with this ancient Chinese art, read these tips from our interior design pros.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng shui an ancient Chinese art and science that involves arranging spaces to promote healthy flow of energy, also known as ‘chi’ or ‘qi.’ This 3000 years old practice is still used by most interior designers to create beautiful and nurturing interior environments. By understanding how energy moves throughout a space, you can neutralize any negativity.
The following feng shui tips can help create a more comforting aura in your bathroom, and many of these suggestions can be applied throughout your whole home to nourish your mind, body, and spirit.
1. Declutter Products Frequently
Keeping a bathroom clean is obviously a basic practice of hygiene that you should implement into your weekly routine, but many people push off going through and clearing out old products. Most toiletries, cosmetics, and remedies have a shelf life, so ensure you are regularly tossing any expired or no longer required products. Removing unnecessary clutter can give your bathroom space to breathe and purge stagnant, stale energy.
2. Provide Proper Ventilation
Bathrooms can get very stuffy thanks to high levels of moisture in the air and a small area for airflow. Stagnant and stale air should be avoided at all costs in feng shui. If you have a window in your bathroom, open it as often as possible to let fresh air and sunshine pour into the space, counteracting the yin energy of water with the elements of air and fire.
If you don’t have a window in your bathroom, turn on the fan to boost the air circulation. A high-quality air freshener made of essential oils will provide a soothing aromatic experience while purifying the air.
3. Keep the Air Clean with Plants
Utilizing plants in any space can help improve the room’s feng shui. Practitioners of feng shui believe plants bring purification and spiritual rejuvenation. Lucky bamboo stalks are a great choice for your bathroom since they require little light and bring good luck and abundance. Position plants higher than the toilet in order to lift the energy in the space. Make sure to keep plants healthy and to choose plants according to your lighting.
4. Maintain Quality Lighting
Since we mentioned lighting, you should incorporate high-quality lighting into your bathroom space. Feng shui philosophy suggests both natural light and artificial light in the bathroom, so if you have a window in this space, you are already one step ahead. Use bright pendant and overhead lights to create a joyful ambiance of vitality. If you love to take candle-lit bubble baths, consider adding a dimmer switch.
Are you unsure of how to improve your bathroom lighting? Our designers are here to help. Contact our team today to bring balance into your space.
5. Invest in Quality Mirrors
Mirrors are popular for increasing the feng shui of a space since they can increase the amount of light and chi circulation in a room. As long as what is being reflected is positive energy, a well-positioned mirror can create a dramatic effect in any environment. However, this is why it is important not to hang a mirror across from the toilet.
6. Select Balancing Paint Colors
Since the bathroom is already water-heavy, it is best to avoid blues and blacks as well as any artwork or images of oceans, lakes, or bodies of water. Greens and whites, which are symbolic of earth and air, can both calm the senses and balance the element of water.
Whites and warm skin tone shades are also great shades to incorporate into your bathroom space, as they are body-positive shades and represent purification and revitalization.
7. Incorporate Wood and Earth Materials
Incorporating accessories, furniture, and décor made out of wood or stone can combat the imbalance created by excessive water. Vanities, bowls, shelves, and trays made out of earthy materials can help balance a space.
8. Keep Your Bathroom Clutter-Free
The more minimal your space and the fewer decorations you incorporate, the better your feng shui will be. This is why it is very important to have organized storage solutions to prevent an overflow of toiletry clutter on countertops.
9. Create an Oasis with Beautiful Items
The items that you do choose to display in your bathroom should inspire tranquility and beauty. Imagine your favorite resort or spa and take note of their décor. Hang a soothing piece of artwork, light quality-scented candles, organize with a beautiful towel rack, and cover the floor with a plush bathroom rug. This is your space for self-love and self-care, so show it the love you deserve yourself!
The space where you adorn your body deserves to be adorned itself. Select beautiful items that inspire joy and peace when designing your bathroom.
10. Separate Your Bathroom and Bedroom
Although there is undeniable convenience in having a bathroom connected to your bedroom, it is crucial that you visually separate the two to enjoy thriving feng shui. Using a curtain or screen can help create visual separation from the sinks, but always keep the door to the toilet closed.
11. Place Fixtures Accordingly
Feng shui philosophy emphasizes the importance of direction and location of each room within a greater space. If you have the chance to renovate your bathroom or are currently constructing a new custom home, be mindful of the directions your various fixtures face. A bathtub should ideally be on the south-western side while the toilet should be on the south side of a room. While washing hands, a person should be able to see the bathroom door.
The direction and location of your bathroom and its various fixtures can dramatically impact the feng shui of the space within your home.
12. Consider the Location within Your Home
Feng shui strongly discourages constructing a bathroom in the center of the house, as this negatively offsets the yin-yang point of your home. You also should avoid a bathroom door that faces the kitchen.
If you are already living in a property with a bathroom improperly placed according to feng shui guidelines, there may not be much you can do about the bathroom’s position. Fortunately, if you follow the above tips, you can offset a lot of this imbalance. If you plan on undergoing a bathroom renovation, home reconstruction, or a move anytime soon, keep feng shui in mind.
Promote Balance and Flow with Interlux Interiors
A bathroom is so much more than a place for a monotonous daily hygiene routine. This room provides a safe space to deeply indulge in the art of self-care and stress release. When decorated and designed according to feng shui philosophy, it can be a space that absorbs negative energy and promotes positive flow and abundance.
Our world-class designers at Interlux Interiors understand the importance of free-flowing chi in constructing balance in a space. Whether creating effortless luxury in a bathroom or throughout a whole home, we can help you achieve the positive energy you desire in your living environment.
If you feel inspired to flow with your home, contact our design team today!