Short answer: As per Vastu, the locker or tijori sits in the south-west of the home, with its back to the south or west wall and its door opening towards the north, the side of Kubera. If the door can only open east, that is the second choice. Keep it off the north-east and never let it open towards the south. Cash you use every week can live in a drawer in the north; savings, gold and papers belong in the south-west.
Most people know this rule from a parent. The trouble starts when the south-west of a Bangalore flat turns out to be a bathroom. Below is how I handle it in real homes.
Why the south-west, and why the door faces north
Vastu treats the south-west as the earth corner: heavy, closed and steady. Whatever you want to hold on to goes there. The north is the opposite: light and open, and the old texts give it to Kubera, the keeper of wealth. So the weight of your savings rests in the corner that holds, and the door opens towards the side that brings money in.
In practice I want three things. The locker stands against the south wall, so its door turns to the north, or against the west wall, so it turns to the east. It does not sit flush in the exact corner; a gap of two or three inches from both walls is fine. And it rests on a stand or a wooden base rather than straight on wet tiles. If you want to see where the south-west starts and ends on your plan, my page on the 16 Vastu zones gives the degree spans.
Two money zones: north for flow, south-west for savings
The north is about money moving: salary, payments, orders. The south-west is about money staying: deposits, gold, property papers. The complaint I hear tells me which one is weak. “We earn well but nothing is left at month end” points me to the south-west. “Savings are fine but income has gone flat” sends me to the north.
| What you keep | Where it goes | Which way it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Main locker, tijori, gold and jewellery | South-west room, south or west wall | North, or east as second choice |
| Steel almirah with clothes and documents | South or west wall of the master bedroom | North or east |
| Household cash for the week | A drawer in the north of the living area | Pull it out towards you while facing north |
| Office or shop cash drawer | Counter in the north or south-west, as the plan allows | North |
| Nothing valuable | North-east, centre of the home, under the stairs | Not applicable |
When the south-west of your flat is a bathroom or a balcony
This is the question I get most from apartment owners, and the answer is not to start breaking tiles. Builders here often put a toilet or utility balcony in the south-west because the plumbing shaft runs there. You cannot keep a locker in a bathroom, so we work one level down.
- Use the south-west of the bedroom, not of the flat. Every room has its own south-west corner. In the master bedroom, that corner usually takes the locker well.
- Try the south or the west wall. The south zone and the west zone are both heavy, closed sides. A locker on either wall, opening north or east, is a sound second option.
- Keep it away from the shared wall of the toilet. If the bathroom is behind the bedroom wall, move the locker a little along that wall so it does not back onto the wet side.
- Make the balcony feel heavier. A south-west balcony can take tall, heavy planters and a solid railing screen. It is not a place for the locker itself.
Flats with a south-west entrance need a little more thought, and I cover that layout in south-west facing house Vastu. For other flat layouts, see the seven mistakes I see in apartments.
Inside the locker, and around it
What goes in matters as much as where the box stands. I tell families to treat it as a place for things of value only.
- Keep in: gold and silver, cash savings, property and insurance papers, a small red or yellow cloth on the shelf if your family follows that custom.
- Keep out: old bills, expired cards, broken jewellery waiting for repair for years, medicines, perfume bottles and anything damp.
- Mirrors: many steel almirahs come with a mirror on the inside of the door. If it faces north or east when open, leave it. If it reflects the bed or faces south, cover it or have it taken out. More on reflections is on my mirror Vastu page.
- Colours: cream, light yellow and earthy brown suit the south-west. Avoid dark blue or black on the locker and the wall behind it. My room by room colour guide has the wider picture.
- Keys: do not leave the key in the lock or hanging on a nail beside it. Keep it in a small pouch in a drawer in the same room, and replace a key that keeps sticking.
Office and shop cash counters
At work the main safe follows the home rule: south-west, opening north. The daily counter is a different matter, because cash comes in and goes out all day. I have talked about the shop counter on the AlignAura YouTube channel, and the short version is this. The person handling cash sits facing north or east, the drawer slides out towards the north, and the counter stays out of the north-east corner. For seating and the owner’s cabin, read Vastu for office. Godowns and restaurants have their own pages on warehouse Vastu and restaurant Vastu.
Mistakes I keep finding in Bangalore homes
- A built-in wardrobe with a hidden locker, fitted by the interior team wherever the carpenter had space, often in the north-east bedroom.
- The tijori placed under the staircase in a duplex or villa, because it looked tidy there.
- A locker door that opens towards the south, so the person opening it faces south every time.
- Jewellery boxes in the dressing table drawer, sitting next to the bathroom door.
Simple fixes, no demolition
Almost every locker problem is solved by moving furniture. A steel almirah can be shifted to the south wall in an afternoon. If a built-in unit has the locker in the wrong place, I ask you to stop using that compartment for valuables and buy a small floor safe for the right corner instead. Turning a loose, movable box so its door opens north is often all it takes. And if the north is piled with shoes or cartons, clear it first.
The Astro-Vastu view: 2nd house, 11th house and your zones
In your kundli the 2nd house shows savings, family wealth and what you hold on to. The 11th house shows gains and income. When I read a chart alongside the floor plan, I match the two. A weak 2nd house tells me to be strict about the south-west, where Vastu places Rahu and the earth element. Trouble around the 11th house sends me to the north, the zone of Mercury and Kubera, and to how open it is. This is why two families with the same flat get slightly different advice from me. The detail of how I do this is on the Astro-Vastu consultation page.
Get your locker and money zones checked
Send me your floor plan, mark north on it, and add two photos of the room where the locker stands. A home Vastu review is ₹1,499 for 45 minutes and covers one floor or one flat, online or at my studio in Begur. You get written remedies within 48 hours. Call or WhatsApp +91 74838 52618 between 9 AM and 8 PM, any day. You can book a consultation directly, read about my Vastu consultation in Bangalore, or see all fees on the pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I keep the locker if the south-west of my flat is a toilet?
Use the south-west corner of the master bedroom instead, or the south or west wall of that room, with the door opening north or east. Keep the locker off any wall it shares with the toilet.
Can I keep jewellery in the bedroom almirah?
Yes, if the almirah stands on the south or west wall and opens north or east. Keep the jewellery in a closed box on an upper shelf, not loose in a drawer near the bathroom door.
Should the locker stand directly on the floor?
I prefer a low wooden base or stand of an inch or two. It keeps the box away from mopping water and gives it a firm, level seat, which also helps the door close properly.
Is a mirror inside the locker door bad as per Vastu?
Not by itself. If the open door makes the mirror face north or east, keep it. If it faces south or reflects the bed, cover it with a cloth or ask the dealer to remove it.
Where do I keep the locker key?
In a small pouch inside a drawer in the same room, not in the lock and not on a hook beside the locker. A key that sticks or a lock that jams should be repaired soon.
