Brilliant Human

18 May 2026

My hubby has been diligently working on our entryway toilette room since April. It has not been easy. The houses in Germany are fortified with blocks and bricks through strong masonry. The internal walls are not easily removable like sheet rock like in the U.S. The fortifide foundation is a characteristic that I admire about these homes.

I don’t understand why in the U.S. homes are simply built with plywood. So many homes and foundations could have been saved through fire hazards and tornados. When my father built his house in Texas, he went against code and laid the foundation of his Texan home. Knowing that floods are common in Houston due to the sea level it stands on, my father created a platform of block and cement about 4 feet above the ground. Then the rest of the 3-story house was laid to rest for decades to come without incident through all the major floods and major hurricanes that plowed through the north side of Houston.

With that strong sense of stability and security I felt right at home when we found our dream house. It was simple, spacious and of course made of block. The 3 story house has gorgeous views of the hills, the forest and the village. Our home was built in the early 1970´s in accordance with what the previous owner wanted. He was a known historian and author of books related to the French wars and WW2 in the region. We live near the French border where many kingdom´s and territories extended into both countries and regions throughout the past centuries. History lives here.

I was not fond of the tile and mosaic tiles of the toilette room. It was a light green with grids and small porous white tiles with dark grouting. It was hideous to look at in my opinion but it must have been gorgeous to the original owner in 1970 who chose these options for his toilette room. I can see options of that decade were likely limited and with it´s own flair. Of course, my husband and I are on a budget and have been remodeling our home for years. It’s been about a year since we finished our kids bathroom. Originally it had a double sink, and it was all pink tile!

One day I started talking to my hubby about Feng Shui, and how each room and direction of a home represents a family member´s inner and outer world. My hubby is German and of course he does not believe in metaphysics. But he noticed how much of a difference color and rearrangement of objects in a room alter the mind, and silently, the subconscious. So, when I told him that the Northwest corner was a representation of him, that seemed to have triggered him. First, it was not a pleasant room because this is where individuals release their digestive system. And on top of this, it was old. Everything remained the same after we moved into this house. No way is my hubby that old! But he is known in our village as the reliable one. Everyone vented to him. Everyone released their inner waste onto to him. Since his mother passed away 2 years ago, he has slowly removed himself from being “that” person. He does keep reliving his old youth memories that my kids and I cannot relate to. German childhoods are so different from American ones. The culture and nurturing of the parents are rigid. Germans had to be. Their history sadly has built them this way. This toilette was a time capsule that did not represent at all what the patriarch of this current house is. According to Marie Diamond, a Feng Shui Master from Belgium, the elements and objects in a room reflect the designated family member´s conscious and subconscious mind. How it is viewed and received is how the individual´s life is represented.  

He scheduled an appointment with our previous bathroom seller in Pirmasens. Browsing and shopping for bathroom material and furniture is not quick and easy like shopping at Home Depot or Lowes. It takes time to obtain certain items and supplies. And it is not as cheap either unless you purchase a whole package of items. So that is what we did. The color scheme was important for me as it is for him. According to Feng Shi, the Northwest corner represents the metal element, so linking colors and items or materials of this element was important to me. Maybe not important to the hubby now but later, he will acknowledge the frequencies he is emitting and presenting to the world. Of course, gray would be the easiest color to select but in a tiny room with a small window, that color would be too dark. I never imagined seeing different shades of gray and the difference it makes. It can be cold or warm in reception. I wanted the bathroom to have a warm welcoming feeling, just like the patriarch of this house. He was forged to be strong and reliable. So as Pookie always does, he let me select the colors for the bathroom tile walls and flooring. I let him choose the toilette, as it is his throne, the sink, mirror and the door.

And so, since April, we tore down the tiles on the floor and walls and took the door and frame out. When he took the door frame off, he noticed a gap above it filled with crumpled old newspapers with plaster. It was cool to see what the news flashes of that time were. Soccer, the U.S. military presence, local events and advertisements for space heaters were important then and continue now. It was quite a messy job to remove plaster and clear it up. Then during the weekends and holidays my hubby started patching and smoothing the walls with cement, primer and then plaster. He is not a professional, but he learns rather quickly and obtains advice from his father and his friends who are professionals in certain fields.

I am proud of my husband and very lucky to have him in my life. We have come so far with our home, and this bathroom will be the highlight of our remodeling journey as it is the first room that guests would view once they enter our home. And his personal transformation. Subconciously and internally.

Currently he must paint the walls and add wallpaper, place the door frame, install the toilette and sink and then the toilette room is done. He has a sense of humor, so he is currently looking for images to have custom made wallpaper to add to the walls. It is up in the air of which images he will choose. He loves his childhood movies, Monty Python´s Life of Brian, Winnetou and Bud Spencer. At one point Star Wars was a thought, but I quickly squashed that is it does not reflect the hubby. Pookie is not fighting nor will fight any battles. He is happy here and I think “dry” humor is his embodiment, laughing my ass out loud. He is German. Germans find funny things differently to what Americans think are funny. And I accepted and admired him for being a silly human.

Once the bathroom with wallpaper is complete, I’ll post follow up pictures. If you are interested in reading about feng shui and remodeling or changing your home space to match your reality and reflect who you are, I recommend, Your Home is a Vision Board, from Marie Diamond. She is also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mariediamondofficial and posts advice on things to do to activate or change certain specific aspects of your life in your house. Your home is a power grid. Arrange it to provide the comforts and outcomes you would like to see in your subconscious and waking life. My affiliate link is below. Her book is also available for Kindle.