Not every bedroom has an ensuite adjacent bathroom.  And if that lay-out exists, there is usually a bathroom door to completely separate the sleeping energies from the elimination energies.  However, there was a popular design in the 1970’s and 1980’s where a master bedroom would have a large opening to a bathroom, in what I call “Hotel Suite” style.

Even beyond the 1980’s construction era, I still see newer homes, where there is an open concept between the bedroom and bathroom.  Sometimes we even see a free-standing tub right in the bedroom, or a larger shower visible from the bed.  This is what I call the “James Bond” bedroom, where everyone has an enviable physique and no one has inhibitions or the need for privacy.

For the ordinary bedroom, with a doorless bathroom, nine times out of ten the actual toilet is hidden in its own “water closet” or behind a privacy wall.  Most of the time, the toilet has not been positioned in direct, viewable alignment with the opening. However, there is still a Qi flow consideration, where the alignment from one room to the next can be draining to the person sleeping in that alignment.  We lose most of our body heat through the top of the head and the feet; this is just one reason why Feng Shui philosophy has so many notions about how one sleeps, in alignment with doors and windows.

In the photo provided, there is not only a doorless bathroom connected to the bedroom, but there is also a bathroom window aligned with the bed in the bedroom. This creates a funnel of Qi flow, which could cause sleep disturbances.  Long term, it can cause health problems.  There is nothing mystical about that. Everyone knows that when you perpetually do not get sound sleep that it can increase cortisol levels and lead to metabolic syndrome.

In the photo provided, a lightweight, opaque curtain has been installed to create a barrier between the bathroom and bedroom, as well as a barrier between the bed and the window.

This option, just short of installing an actual bathroom door, is easy and affordable, especially for a renter who has no ability to make structural changes. Get a high-tension shower curtain rod if you cannot install regular curtain rods onto the wall. A light-weight curtain and the rod combined can cost less than $40 and take about 5 minutes to install.

This solution can include little curtain tie-backs, so that the curtains can be open during the day, allow more light into the rooms and provide easy access through the rooms. It is really only when sleeping, that the curtains need to be closed across the opening.  As well, having the line of curtains flush with the opening also makes the corners on each side disappear.  These corners are like mini-poison arrows which are softened when the fabric goes right up next to them, or even in front of them.

Many Feng Shui remedies are in fact, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects. These are also opportunities to be innovative and creative.  In the high stress times we live in, where people often have schedules and lifestyles which undermine solid sleep and rest, we offer solutions in Feng Shui to correct whatever you have control over.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Architecture and Design Blog Series