Home Design & Decorating Feng Shui

How to Pick the Best Bedroom Colors for Good Feng Shui

calming, neutral bedroom

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The bedroom is the ideal place to begin incorporating feng shui into your home and life if you aren't already. It's a room where just a few adjustments can be very impactful. If you’re new to (or not so new to) feng shui, try making a couple of changes in your bedroom, and then pay attention to how you feel, and if anything shifts. 

One deeply impactful way that you can activate feng shui in your bedroom is through color. Humans are visual creatures, and we’re very affected by the visual cues in our environments. Color is light, and different wavelengths of light are what create the different colors that we see. In such an important area of your home as your bedroom, it can be helpful to pay attention to the colors you are bringing in, and how those colors affect your qi (life force energy).

Why the Bedroom Is Important

The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your home from a feng shui perspective. It’s the room that’s most private and closest to you. In feng shui, we’re not just looking at the function of each room; we're also looking at what each part of the home represents metaphorically. Your bedroom, for example, represents you. It is the part of your home that is most private and most energetically connected to you. This means that feng shui adjustments in the bedroom can have a really powerful effect on your personal energy.

On a mundane level, this is the place in your home where you rest and recharge. You want the bedroom to encourage rest. Having good feng shui in your bedroom will support you so that you have the energy and vitality to show up in the world. You spend a lot of time in your bedroom in a receptive and passive “yin” state. This means that while you are sleeping or resting, you are more open to absorbing the energy around you. Because of this, it’s worth taking some time to make sure that the energy surrounding you in the bedroom is supportive and nurturing. 

Bagua

The Bagua is the feng shui energy map. It helps evaluate the energy field of your environment. The Bagua has eight symbols corresponding to different aspects of life—like love, career, and spirituality, among others. You can lay the map over a floor plan or room and put corresponding colors in each area.

Ways to Bring Color Into Your Bedroom

There are so many fun and creative ways to introduce color to your bedroom. Painting your walls, of course, is a great way to add a new color. If you don’t want to paint your walls, or aren’t able to because you’re renting, you can always bring in color through decor and accessories. For example, you could try some fresh new bed linens in a color that resonates with you. Because you spend so many passive hours in bed, the color of your bedding can really affect you.

You can also add throw pillows or a vase of fresh flowers for a pop of color. This can be an especially great way to change things up seasonally, based on what colors you are drawn to at the moment. Artwork is another great way to incorporate different colors into your decor. You can even choose your pajamas based on what color you’d like to invite into your life.

Light and spacious bedroom with white wall and eco DIY wooden furniture. Cozy bright bedroom in rustic style.

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How to Choose Your Best Feng Shui Bedroom Colors

While there is no perfect color for a bedroom (or any room for that matter), here are some guidelines on how to select the best feng shui colors for your bedroom. 

What Colors Do You Love?

First, pay attention to what color you are attracted to. What colors do you love? We each have different associations with certain colors based on our culture and past experiences, so it’s important to listen to your intuition. We are often drawn to the colors that will best support us.

What Is Your Intention?

Connect to the energy you want to create for your life. As you look through our color guide below, take note of what kind of qi you could benefit from or wish to cultivate.

Tip

Be sure to consider the environment and others as you choose which colors to add. Take into consideration what works with the rest of your home, and what you already have in your bedroom. If you share the bedroom with your partner, check in with them, too!

Green, Teal, and Blue for Wellness and Vitality

Blue, green, and teal are great colors for bedrooms. They connected to the wood element in feng shui, which represents growth, vitality, and new beginnings. These are also colors that we see often in nature, plants, the ocean, and the sky, so they can be very soothing. Pale pastel shades of green and blue are especially calming and restful. 

serene bedroom with blue wall

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Purple for Prosperity

Purple is made up of cooling, soothing blue and fiery, passionate red. This makes it a very balanced color, which can be helpful in a bedroom. Purple is also connected to the Xun (Wealth) area of the feng shui bagua map, related to prosperity and financial abundance as well as self-worth. Try adding soothing shades of lavender to your bedroom for more balance or with the intention of increasing feelings of worthiness. Colors to complement purple include blue and gray.

Rustic bed with pink and lavender linen sheets

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Pink and Peach to Attract a Partner

Pink is nurturing, soft, and feminine. It’s connected to the Kun, or Relationships, area of the feng shui bagua map. In addition to partnerships and romance, Kun is about receptivity. If your intention is to become more comfortable receiving, to create softness in an existing relationship, or to invite a new partner into your life, pink is a great color to work with.

Peach in particular is known to be a helpful color for attracting a partner. One word of caution, though: Once you’ve attracted the partner, you may want to change up the colors in your bedroom, or at least change the intention for those colors (unless you want to attract more partners!). Try balancing out the hue with green for calming energy.

bedroom with pink pillows and wood accents

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White for Simplicity

White is often a go-to in home interiors, walls in particular. While we don’t encourage going with colors just because they are the default option, white can be a lovely color when chosen with intention. White represents purity, simplicity, and blank slates. However, white can be harsh when used in large quantities, so it’s best to combine it with other softer colors. Off-whites and ivories can be a more gentle and soothing way to incorporate white if it’s a color that you love. If you like white bed linens, you may want to try ivory for something a little less stark.  You can also bring in balance by pairing it with black hues.

white bedroom with wood furniture

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Earthy Yellow, Brown, and Orange for Balance

Yellow, brown, and orange are colors that are connected to the earth element in feng shui, which is associated with grounding, stability, and nourishment. This makes them great colors for a bedroom, especially if you are feeling ungrounded. Try a pale yellow for a grounding, cheerful touch or a warm terra cotta to create a stable, nurturing environment. Pairing yellow and red in feng shui is said to promote happiness, joy, and vitality in the home.

bedroom with earthy color scheme

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Dark Blue and Navy for Spirituality

Dark blue and navy are colors that are connected to the Gen area, also called the Knowledge area, of the Bagua. Deep blue is calming and meditative—think of the night sky or a deep pool of water. Dark blue can be a great addition to a bedroom, especially if your intention is to release tension or work on self-cultivation. Indigo and purple best complement this hue.

Navy blue and gray bedroom

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Gray for Support

In feng shui, gray is connected to the Qian area of the bagua, related to helpful people and travel. It’s a combination of black (yin) and white (yang), so it has a balancing and serene effect. As a neutral, it’s especially versatile and can complement so many other colors. You can also combine gray with another color in your bedroom to support the intention of the other color.  Earth tones and deeper shades like blue especially benefit from complementary gray hues.

gray and white bedroom with a wood nightstand

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Black for Wisdom

Black is a color with a lot of depth, and is the most yin, and connected to the water element. Since your bedroom is also a very yin room, it makes sense that you might want to incorporate some black here. Too much black, however, is generally not the most supportive choice for home interiors. Rather than painting your bedroom walls black, try it as an accent in the form of a picture frame or throw pillow. Or, you can try placing a piece of black tourmaline under each corner of your bed to help create a grid of protection and absorb any negative energy. Black and white are a classic color combination to promote balance.

modern bedroom with black accents

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Red for Passion

Red—connected to the fire element—is the color of passion, fame, and reputation. It's commonly used in the living room, as fire relates to how we are seen in the world. So, make sure to use the hue in moderation when it comes to the bedroom, as too much red can stimulate aggression. When you find the right balance by incorporating red in accent pieces, the color is said to bring excitement. Pair the hue with yellow to promote further joy and vitality.

bedroom with red walls, red and white pattern ceiling, white fluffy blanket

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