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How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom: Dos and Don'ts

These design tips will creative positive energy in your space

If you're looking to improve the feng shui in your home, start with the bedroom. The ancient Chinese art of arranging objects is a practice that some believe can positively affect your relationships, comfort, health, and well-being. 

According to feng shui principles, the bedroom is the most important room in your home. Feng shui practitioners believe that making simple adjustments like positioning mirrors correctly and facing your bed in the right direction can create peaceful, balanced energy throughout the space.  

Read on for tips on how to create feng shui in your bedroom, as well as ways to help you avoid bringing negative energy into your sanctuary.

Feng Shui for Your Bedroom

The Spruce / Michela Buttignol

What is the best direction for the bed to face?

Arrange your bed using the principle of the commanding position. What that means is that you want your bed located so that when you’re lying in bed, you can see the door to the bedroom without being directly in line with it. A good rule of thumb for bedroom feng shui is to place the bed diagonal from the door.

If this isn't possible, place a mirror so that you can see the reflection of the door when you're in bed.

What should you have in your bedroom for good feng shui?

When it comes to feng shui in your bedroom, adopt a less-is-more approach. Besides a comfortable bed with feel-good linens, a solid headboard, and a grounding rug, eliminate whatever else you can. That means no clutter, no electronics, and no wayward socks that didn't make it into your hamper.

What direction should you sleep in?

Feng shui guidance indicates that it's best that you lie down with your head pointed southward. The size of your bedroom, as well as the placement of windows and doors will likely determine whether that's possible.

Feng Shui Bedroom Principles

  • 01 of 15

    Position Your Bed

    A bright white bedroom with green and white curtains.

    @afrobohemianliving / Instagram

    Your first step in creating good feng shui in your bedroom is to properly position your bed, where you spend upwards of a third of your life.

    • Arrange your bed in a commanding position. This means that when you are in your bed, you’re facing the door, but you should not be directly in line with the door.
    • You don’t want any doors to open up directly in line with the bed. Especially avoid the “coffin position” where your feet point out the door.
    • Place your headboard against a solid wall. Avoid, whenever possible, arranging your bed under a window.
  • 02 of 15

    Get a Headboard

    Reclaimed wood headboard in brightly-lit bedroom with matching furniture

    The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

    In feng shui, a headboard represents stability and support in your life, especially in your romantic relationships. The best headboards are solid, without any perforations. Opt for soft edges whenever possible and ensure your headboard is securely attached so you can literally feel its support and strength.

  • 03 of 15

    Declutter Beneath the Bed

    clean open room with bed
    imaginima / Getty Images

    If possible, completely clear the space under your bed so that the qi (life force energy) can flow freely and evenly around the energy fields of your bed as you snooze, rejuvenating you overnight.

    If you can't keep the area completely clutter-free, be conscious of what you put under there. Love letters from your ex aren't a good idea, and neither are shoes, which can subconsciously make you feel like you're moving instead of resting. The same goes for luggage—keeping your carry-on under your bed projects a feeling of being on the go, never feeling quite at home.

    Storing soft, sleep-related items, like linens, blankets, and pillows, is a better option. A small number of books is also acceptable, as long as their titles and content are positive. Leave the war novels and sad memoirs to another room.

  • 04 of 15

    Reduce Electronics

    Laptop on bed

    Karolina Grabowska / Getty Images

    Whenever possible, remove electronics such as televisions, computer, and cell phones from your bedroom. The presence of devices that emit the largest amounts of electric and magnetic fields could disturb your immune system and sleep.

    Consider keeping your phone in another room, relying on a traditional alarm clock and reading a book—not scrolling endlessly on your phone—before bed to wind down instead.

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  • 05 of 15

    Create Symmetry

    bedroom shelving ideas floating nightstand

    tyler karu

    Use symmetry to create balanced energy in your bedroom. If possible, leave equal room on both sides of the bed that allows for two nightstands and table lamps.

    The nightstands don't have to match, but rather they should be complementary and balanced to create equal space for two partners, allowing for more harmony in a relationship.

  • 06 of 15

    Incorporate Neutral Colors

    Three quarter view of a gray and neutral decorated bedroom

    The Spruce / Alyssa Vela

    The best feng shui bedroom colors are neutral, non-stimulating hues. Opt for beiges, creams, or earthy tones, which promote relaxation. If you’re looking for rejuvenation and vitality, try cool blues and pale greens.

    For small doses of color, decorate with accessories associated with partnership energy: pinks, reds, and whites. Those dashes of color can be included through candles, crystals, artwork, or bed linens.

  • 07 of 15

    Be Selective About Your Art

    Modern bedroom with neutral-colored decor and white brick painted walls

    The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

    If you want to feng shui your bedroom to encourage love and romance, put photos of your family in other rooms in the house. (Sorry, grandma and grandpa.)

    If you’re single and looking for a partnership, avoid images of single people or objects. Instead, focus on bedroom artwork that depicts couples, or two items in the image, or choose artwork that comes in pairs.

  • 08 of 15

    Move the Books Out

    best bedroom ideas- traditional bedroom with bookshelf headboard

    Design: Katie Martinez

    Books contain active energy, stimulating the mind. Tall, looming pieces of furniture, like bookshelves, can give off constrictive energy.

    For a more restful night’s sleep, try moving the books (and entire bookshelf, if applicable) out of your bedroom. The book you're currently reading can live on your nightstand.

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  • 09 of 15

    Banish Exercise Equipment

    A sleek bedroom with a chevron wooden bed and a matching chevron wooden barn door

    Michelle Berwick Design

    Workout gear is very "yang," meaning it is a source of active energy. While this can be ideal in other areas of your home, it’s not very helpful for winding down to sleep.

    You want the bedroom to be more "yin" to help you rest and sleep, so it’s best to keep exercise equipment in another area of your home.

  • 10 of 15

    Separate Your Bed and Desk

    warm bedroom with desk

    KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

    Having your desk and work materials right next to your bed can make it harder to turn off your emails and meetings-focused brain in the evening, and can also make it harder to stay focused and alert during the day.

    If you don’t have the space elsewhere in your home to create a dedicated office, adjust the bedroom's layout to create separation between your bed and work space. Consider hanging a curtain or setting up a folding screen, or try covering your desk at the end of each day with a piece of cloth.

  • 11 of 15

    Consider Your Bed Size

    Bedroom with white paneled walls, tufted headboard on bed, and white bedding

    Cavan Images / Getty Images

    If your space and budget allows, invest in the biggest bed your bedroom can accommodate. Any bed that's smaller than a full-sized one won't allows the chi to circulate smoothly. Plus, if you’re hoping to invite a partner into your life, you'll want to make sure there is space for both of you.

    There can be such a thing as too big of a bed, though. King-sized beds generally require a box spring that comes in two separate pieces, which disrupts the connection and harmony between two partners. Look for a bed that doesn't need a split box spring or opt for a platform bed.

  • 12 of 15

    Add Just Enough Plants

    plants used in feng shui in the bedroom

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 

    Feng shui experts are divided about the use of plants in the bedroom. Some consider living green plants good feng shui for the bedroom because they bring vibrant life energy, while other experts say they add too much energy to allow for restful sleep.

    The best course of action is to avoid making your bedroom into a jungle of plants. One or two plants are perfect; more than that may invite too much energy into your space and disrupt your sleep.

    Choose the Right Plant

    Choose a plant that will thrive in your bedroom's specific lighting, heat, and humidity conditions. If you lack a green thumb, try a hard-to-kill plant, like a pothos, to ensure that any greenery in your bedroom doesn't look sickly if you forget to water it.

    Continue to 13 of 15 below
  • 13 of 15

    Be Selective About Linens

    Neutral bedroom with queen size bed and area rug underneath

    The Spruce / Jason Donnelly

    Choose the color of your bed linens based on what you would like to invite into your life. Soothing neutrals are always a good choice, as they promote relaxation.

  • 14 of 15

    Bring in Fresh Flowers

    bedroom with wood furniture and fresh white tulips in a vase

    Annie Spratt / Unsplash

    Fresh-cut flowers can feel especially luxurious in your bedroom. Choose blooms that you are attracted to, or select them by looking up the meanings of certain flowers.

    To maintain good feng shui, always keep the water fresh and dispose of the flowers as soon as they have wilted.

  • 15 of 15

    Cleanse Your Bedroom

    diffuser
    belchonock / Getty Images

    Take time to clear your bedroom regularly. Smudge the bedroom or diffuse the space with sweet orange oil to uplift your bedroom's feng shui and energy.

Feng Shui Don'ts for Bedrooms

As explained above, there's much you can do to promote good feng shui in your bedroom. Beware though: there's just as much that's considered bad feng shui.

Here are additional tips for feng shui that do not belong in the bedroom and more important points on how to position a bed:

  • Don't put your bed where it will face a mirror, as the reflection could disturb your sleep.
  • Don't place your headboard against a wall that has a toilet on the other side or your good fortune could be flushed away. If you have a primary bathroom connected to your bedroom, also avoid placing your bed in direct alignment with the bathroom door.
  • Don’t place your bed under any low beams, soffits, or sloped ceilings or you will feel pressure.
  • Don't place water fountains, water features, or images of water in your bedroom, as that could encourage good fortune and love could wash away. While water elements (like fountains and artwork depicting oceans) can promote good feng shui in the home, they should also be kept outside of the bedroom since they give off too much energetic yang energy.
  • Don't push the side of your bed up against a wall. Make sure your bed is positioned on a wall where you have space available on three sides of the bed (left, right, and foot) so that energy is not trapped.
  • Don't hang a chandelier over your bed because it may cause harsh light and feelings of unease if something is dangling above you at night.