Q&A Sunday: Extra Mirrors in the Bathroom

Anjie Cho March 22, 2020

I have been listening to your podcast and throughly enjoy it!! You have done some great episodes on the bedroom and office, so wondering if you will touch on the bathroom? If so, I look forward to that! However I have one specific, and very current question as we make a decision with our bathroom remodel.

We currently have a tub/shower, and would like to convert it to a walk-in-shower. My struggle is that the current tub/shower has the sliding doors, and one of them is glass and one is a mirror...which I love! If we convert to the shower only, we will have to do a new sliding glass door, and I have found that it's very standard for those to be available in glass only. I'm considering doing a custom door, in order to again have a mirror. However, I'm curious about how feng shui applies to having that additional large mirror in the bathroom.

Carly M., Oshkosh, WI

Hi Carly

I’m so happy to hear you like the podcast! And also thanks for writing in with your question.

First, I will definitely do a bathroom episode, just for you! Keep your eyes open for it. In the meantime, we have some blog posts on bathroom feng shui here, here and here. Hopefully that will help!

Q&A Sunday - Extra Mirrors in the Bathroom - Floor Plan.jpg

Second, your question regarding a new sliding glass door for your shower - you wanted to know if there are any feng shui concerns regarding having an additional large mirror in the bathroom. Or if there’s a feng shui reason to opt for clear glass over mirror for a shower glass enclosure.

This is actually more a mundane or practical issue and not a feng shui concern. Mirrors are used in many feng shui adjustments, because they can reflect, expand and have many other auspicious uses. In this case, with your floor plan, I don’t see any reason why a mirrored shower enclosure would have any negative impact. And it might instead be positive, because you love having a mirror there so much. So, I will encourage you to go for the custom option.

One occasion where there may be an issue with the mirrored shower door would be if perhaps the bathroom mirror were in line with the bed and the bathroom door was kept open. Your bathroom location is not like this. But in that case there is another reader who has this situation, please read our other post where we discuss how mirrors facing the bed directly may be at your disadvantage.

In most situations, having a full-length mirror in your bathroom is actually a positive move, especially if it brings in additional light or includes plant-life nearby to encourage better qi flow from water to earth to wood. I think it's especially positive in your case, since you seem to love the mirror so much! Hopefully this helps and our bathroom posts will tide you over until the podcast feature!

by Anjie Cho

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The Benefits of Natural Sunlight: Health, Happiness and Beauty

Anjie Cho March 4, 2020

The sun is a star fixed at the center of our solar system — everything revolves around it. In many ways, the sun sits at the center of our lives, too. We orient our homes to capture its warmth. We keep time by its passage. It produces the heat and light that keeps us alive.

These are obvious ways that we depend on the sun. But science tells us that we benefit from sunlight in surprising ways too. Did you know that sunlight can:

• Make you happy?

• Help you to sleep better?

• Boost your immune system?

• Reduce your risk of cancer?

• Lower your cholesterol and blood pressure?

Research shows that a few minutes of sunlight each day can produce so many significant benefits. Health care professionals may not agree about how much sun we need, but they do agree that we suffer without it.

The Science of Sunlight

The rising and setting of the sun has a lot to do with our body’s natural rhythm, known as our Circadian Rhythm. Our body’s hormones actually respond to sunlight. At night, our bodies produce melatonin to make us drowsy. Come morning, our bodies respond to sunlight by producing serotonin, a “feel good” hormone that stimulates our brains, influences our moods, controls our appetite, and fights stress. Without sunlight, our body can fall out of its natural rhythm.

In response to direct sunlight, our body produces vitamin D – crucial for healthy immune systems and skin, brain activity, and bone growth. Vitamin D has also been proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, fight disease, and to encourage better sleep.

Disruptions (or lack of sunlight) can trigger a domino effect that leads to poor sleep, depression, and compromised immune systems – an obviously unhealthy cycle. Kind of makes you a little eager to get out in that sunshine, huh? It should. We have a long history (and healthy relationship) with the sun and that’s not going to change any time soon.

So how can you add more natural light to a dark space?

• Add some shine

The more shiny surfaces you have in a room, the brighter it will appear. Add brass doorknobs and lighting fixtures, mirrors, silver frames, or acrylic furniture.

• Treat the windows

For maximum sunlight, keep your windows unobstructed. Choose sheer fabrics, or cover only the outer edges of the window to create a larger appearance without blocking any light.

• Go light and glossy

Lighter paint colors on the walls and ceiling – especially the glossier finishes – will reflect the most light back into the room.

by Anjie Cho

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How To Use Mirrors To Create Good Feng Shui

Anjie Cho January 22, 2020

featured on The Spruce

Activate the Mouth of Qi

Mirrors are used in many feng shui applications. It’s often described as the "aspirin" of feng shui. "Put up two mirrors, and call me in the morning!"

The feng shui practice of adding a small object, like a mirror, to shift and improve the qi of a space is called the "method of minor additions" or Xie Zi Fa in Chinese. One of the key factors of the method of minor additions is that you also use your intention with the addition of an object to overcome the obstacle. Whenever you use a mirror, or anything to adjust the qi of your home, be sure to do so with a clear intention. This is key.

Mirrors themselves embody the element of water. The water element cultivates wisdom and introspection. The feeling of water is cooling. Water is formless and takes the shape of whatever container it’s in. Because of this yielding quality, mirrors are used in feng shui, for they can reflect without judgment or obscurations. They can expand your view as well as focus energies.

Mirrors can invite energy into a space. A strategically placed mirror can reflect the view of an element that is seen through a window into a room. For example, place a mirror so that you can see the reflection of a river (water element) and trees (wood element) into your office. This invites more water for wealth and wood for expansion into your career and work life. And again, mirrors are placed with intention, which makes them more effective feng shui adjustments.

…read full article

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.