Feng Shui for the bathroom - using your senses!
September 11th 2009 05:20
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Something for you to think about, smell about, see about, feel about, touch about and sense about.
From: examiner.com
Soaking in the tub, taking a nice hot shower or just rinsing your face off with water helps to repair your health and invigorate and rejuvenate your emotions. Water replenishes your peace of mind and represents success in Feng Shui. This space should be stylized to match with your personality and design tastes, not to what you think your guests may expect to see. There are different types of bathrooms that you may have in your home, master baths, children’s bathrooms and powder rooms. Each of these will have a different type of decor and you will want a different type of feel. Some will be more formal and elegant and others will be fun, uplifting or designed as a spa retreat. The design of your bathroom should incorporate function, comfort and luxury. A lot of homeowner’s overlook the design of the powder room, which is also referred to as a guest bathroom. The powder room has become an essential part of a home’s overall appeal. If you do not have a powder room and budget and space allows, you can always consider remodeling. Feng Shui practices can be incorporated into your bathroom design to increase your health and wealth in many different ways.
1. Keep your bathroom clean and clutter free to keep the chi circulating throughout the space.
2. Keep the toilet seat lid closed, leaving the lid up is symbolic of wealth being drained down the water pipes, keeping it closed minimizes the loss of chi and wealth. If it is possible, the toilet should have its own separate area, such as a water closet, which can help to further offset the draining effect. The toilet should be as far away from the door as possible so energy cannot escape. If space allows, create a partition next to the toilet to hide it, such as a pony wall (a wall that is not full height). Other ideas include a wall that is made from tempered glass (Venicio architectural art glass) or glass block, or even resin (Veritas ResinArt). These types of walls will require you to consult with either an Interior Designer or a contractor for installation. Simple ways to hide the toilet which does not require construction includes a piece of furniture such as a chest with a blooming plant or a large floor plant, a hanging beaded or silk curtain.
3. The bathroom door should be kept closed so that the chi does not escape out into other living spaces of your home since the bathroom evokes energy and wealth that should be kept contained in this space.
4. Mirrors. These are a must to hang on your wall for shaving, applying makeup and beautifying yourself. They also help to increase and distribute energy throughout the space so they should be a decorative element in all of the bathrooms of your home. Be sure that any mirrors that are hung in your bathroom do not have a view of the front of the toilet; they can be hung on the wall behind the toilet which keeps the toilet energy inside the bathroom. It would be great if the mirrors were more decorative in nature to add additional color and texture to your space.
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5. Decorate your space. Bathrooms can be designed in so many different styles. A growing trend is homeowners’ wanting their master baths to feel more like a retreat, a spa oasis that is relaxing and soothing and can help melt away the stresses of the day. To help Feng Shui your master bath and uplift your energy, try hanging tranquil pictures depicting water scenes, landscapes and flowers. www.zgallerie.com. The use of scented candles, preferably ones that are non-toxic such as soy or beeswax, reed diffusers, bottles of clear containers of bubble bath and fresh or silk plants can be displayed on the counter tops, wall shelves, storage towers, curio cabinets or on the bathtub surround. Beautifully colored soaps displayed in dishes, can be placed on the counter top or on the bathtub surround. A small water fountains should be displayed on the bathroom counter or on a small table, unless you have space to incorporate one on your wall as a backdrop to your bathtub. Ottomans and comfortable chairs can be used to lounge in the bathroom if you have a large enough space. The use of heated towel rails can be used to evoke a spa-like feel and give you the feeling of warmth and security after you step out of the bath or shower. Be sure to balance the yin and the yang in this space. Incorporating materials such as tile, slate, stone, pebbles, marble, granite, glass, stainless steel and chrome provokes the yang energy. To create an equal balance, integrate yin elements into this space with soft fabrics such as bath mats, shower curtains, window treatments and plush linens. Minimal decor needs to be in the powder room. A silk plant such as an orchid would be beautiful, some decorative soap, hand towels, some fragrance and an elegant wall hanging depending on the mood you are trying conspire.
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5. Lighting. Bathroom fixtures help to stimulate and evoke energy. For master baths and children’s bathrooms be sure to have adequate lighting so that it is bright enough to see yourself but not glaring. Power rooms need only mood lighting such as wall sconces and torchiers and for higher ceilings you could use a pendant or chandelier. Smaller baths can get away with lighting above or to the side of a mirror; larger baths will need an additional light fixture to provide enough light. Lighting selections include vanity lights (to go above your mirror) mirrors with lights, wall sconces and wall torchiers (to situate on the sides of your mirror), bath bars (above the mirror or turn sideways next to the mirror), flush mount or semi-flush mount ceiling light, recessed lighting and pendants and chandeliers for higher bathroom ceilings. Be sure to bring in as much sunlight as possible to this space. Skylights would be a good addition to the bathroom if you do not already have them incorporated. Windows should have shades and blinds open during the day and drapery held back with tie backs or hold backs to let in fresh sunlight. Windows should be open if possible to let in fresh air and let out the humid air that bathrooms produce from baths and showers. If there are no windows in your bathroom, a good idea would be to have a lamp that emits a lot of light to intensify energy in the space. Really Long Link
6. Wall treatments. Fabulous color selections for the bathroom wall include variations of blues, greens, lavender, yellows and cream. Other colors such as black, brown, purple, red and magenta are very dark and will make a smaller space such as the bathroom seem smaller. Sometimes in a more dramatic bathroom such as the powder room which is reserved for limited use and for guests, these types of colors can be very striking. Blues are very calming and is a good color choice to reflect the hues of the ocean. Greens are cheerful and soothing and are symbolic of nature and healing. Lavender invokes feelings of nostalgia or romance. Yellows are warm, cheerful and help you to feel alert. Cream is more of a neutral color and is very calming and relaxing. Darker colors can be used as accent colors found in pictures, decor, artwork and linens. Some good color selections from Benjamin Moore include Waterbury Cream #HC-31, Marblehead Gold #HC-11, Hazy Blue #2040-50, Kennebunkport Green #HC-123 and Waterbury Green HC-136.
Since this is a humid space, be sure to use a semi-gloss sheen and a low VOC or no VOC paint such as Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec, Natura and Aura bath & spa (provides vibrant and rich hues and is durable and easy to clean). www.benjaminmoore.com
7. Location. The best areas of the home to have a bathroom are (standing at the door of your home facing in) the front right, front left, middle right and middle left. Locating the bathroom in these areas is less harmful to your prosperity, relationships and health. If your bathroom is not located in any of these areas there are things you can do to help mitigate the auspiciousness and negative chi. To help negate this bad energy, you could place a fresh or silk plant at a level higher than the toilet on a counter or a shelf near but not directly above the toilet. You can also put a night light in the bathroom and leave it on all the time to bring positive energy into the space. Any bathroom in your home should not be located at the entrance, center of the home, or at the end of a hallway, nor should the toilet share the same wall as a bed. A bathroom should not be in your bedroom, as the toilet energy can deplete your energy while you sleep and cause health problems. Unfortunately, most master baths are located in the master bedroom. If this is the case, keep your bathroom door closed and if there is no door, you can hang a silk or beaded drapery curtain in the doorway that you can tie back when you want to take a bath or shower to let the humidity escape. Another solution if you like to see into your bathroom is to have a glass or tempered glass door or even a panel of glass encased in the frame. You should also have a night light on all the time and have a plant on the counter tops on a wall shelf or hanging from a basket near the toilet.
No matter where the location of the bath, adding vibrant decor and beautiful smelling fragrances will help to awaken your senses and rejuvenate your soul!
I feel sure a lot of you will really like hearing about these senses for the bathroom.
Thanks to Lori Smith
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Don't eat in the bathroom--bad chi. Don't use your cell in the bathroom, creepy.
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Our toilet bowl is literally right at the entrance into the bathroom next to the door
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Your home sounds nice, even though I have never seen it and it just goes to show talking of relatively simple things with a young teenager ( not the easiest of times) can be effective.