Is a Toilet in the Middle of the House Bad Feng Shui?
Most practitioners say yes, and treat it as one of the more serious flaws. The centre of a home is its heart, and a toilet there is said to flush away the health and luck of the household. A kitchen in the centre is treated as a problem too, because the fire of the stove sits at the heart of the home. A toilet door facing the front door is a related rule, and this guide covers both.
They are the fourth and fifth of the six layout checks behind the feng shui friendly label on Dudils, explained in the guide to feng shui house plans. Schools of feng shui differ on many of these rules, so treat this as a layout check, not a full reading by a practitioner.
Why does feng shui keep the centre of the home clear?
Because the centre ties the rest of the home together. Many schools lay a grid of nine equal squares over the floor plan, and the middle square is the heart of the home, which practitioners want open and calm. A toilet there brings water and waste into the heart of the home, and a kitchen brings the fire of the stove. Both are said to unsettle the whole house.
Why is a toilet door facing the front door bad feng shui?
Because the energy coming in the front door is said to meet the toilet first and be flushed away. The plain reading matches most people's first reaction: the first thing a visitor sees on arrival is the toilet door, or the toilet itself when the door is open.
What does an architect see in a toilet in the middle of the house?
A room with no window. A room in the middle of a plan has no outside wall, so a toilet there relies on an exhaust fan to clear the air and the moisture. Its pipes have the longest run to the sewer, and its sounds carry into the rooms around it. A kitchen in the middle has the same problem with the range hood and with daylight.
Putting the toilets and the kitchen on an outside wall gives them a window, fresh air and daylight, which is what the feng shui rule asks for too.
How are the toilet checks read on a floor plan?
The centre check fails when a toilet, or a kitchen's cooktop and benches, sits in the middle square of the house, away from the outside walls. The toilet door check fails when a toilet door faces the front door with a clear line between them. Each passes when the room sits elsewhere or a wall breaks the line, so a toilet door around a corner from the entry passes.
How do you fix a toilet in the middle of the house or facing the door?
Keep the toilet door closed and the lid down, which is the first thing practitioners suggest. A solid door rather than a louvred one helps, and so does a plant or a piece of art in the entry to draw the eye. For a toilet facing the front door, a screen or a short wall between them breaks the line.
A toilet in the centre needs a good exhaust fan ducted to the outside. At the design stage, moving the toilet to an outside wall is a variation a builder can price before you sign.
Common questions
What counts as the middle of the house?
Practitioners usually lay a grid of nine equal squares over the floor plan and look at the middle one. A toilet or a kitchen in that square fails the check.
Is an ensuite in the middle of the house a problem?
Yes, for this check. Any toilet counts, whether it is in a powder room, a bathroom or an ensuite.
Does a kitchen in the middle of an open plan room fail?
Only if it sits in the centre of the whole house. A kitchen in the middle of a living area along the north side is not in the centre of the home.