Feng Shui uses interior design to achieve balance and happiness in your space, and in this philosophy the bedroom holds paramount significance as the cornerstone of the home.
If you want to combat negative energy and bring joy to your sanctuary, join us as we share our expert tips that will guide you in creating a blissful Feng Shui bedroom for better Zzzs.
There are many levels of Feng Shui expertise, as it takes years of study to master. Here are some basic Feng Shui fundamentals you can implement right away:
Feng Shui is a philosophy based on the ancient Chinese system of natural laws, which are supposed to govern the spatial arrangement orientation of your furniture and décor in relation to the flow of energy (Chi). The word ‘feng’ is Chinese for wind, and the word ‘shui’ is Chinese for water. Together, these symbolise the flow of life that one should aspire to have in one’s home.
Contemporary Feng Shui developed in Western society in the 1970s. It is based on the psychology of how to achieve goals through a targeted focus on the different aspects of life as well as the classical form of Feng Shui principles, which included Chi flow and the manifestations of Yin and Yang.
We’ve compiled a list of Feng Shui tips to ensure your energy flows in the right direction and help you achieve a good night sleep:
Let’s explore each tip in more detail…
A Feng Shui fundamental is the concept of the “commanding position”, which refers to placing objects facing the entry door but not in line with it. In bedroom Feng Shui, your bed should be placed in the commanding position as it is the most important item in that room and where you will spend most of your time. The best place to position your bed is diagonally from the door, so it is in your sight, but you do not look directly out of it.
Feng Shui is all about the interaction of humans and the environments in which they spend their time. As a big portion of that is where we sleep, it’s safe to assume that incorporating Feng Shui into our bedroom is a good way to achieve a more balanced life. Super king beds are ideal if you have a room that’s big enough. That’s because they give us the maximum space in which to relax and turn off from the distractions of the modern world.
While mirrors are great for making a small room look bigger, mirror placement can be difficult when implementing bedroom Feng Shui. It is most important is to ensure your mirrors aren’t in line with the bed as this will likely bring more distracting elements into your sightline. This doesn’t mean mirrors are a no-go for a high-Chi bedroom. Try to make sure that you can’t see yourself from bed and the mirror does not face out of the door – try a higher mirror for a good sense of balance.
A good idea is to place them opposite a window, this will help maximise light in your room without distracting you when trying to relax from your bed.
Nature is a key component of a Feng Shui bedroom, and an easy way to incorporate the natural world is to ensure maximum airflow. This will not only keep your bedroom fresh and clean but will help aid in better sleep.
A study published in the journal Indoor Air found that sleeping in well-ventilated rooms, whether through an open window or open door, led to enhanced sleep quality, reduced nighttime awakenings, and lower carbon dioxide levels. As the levels of carbon dioxide decreased, individuals experienced deeper and more uninterrupted sleep.
Blue light is one of the worst offenders when it comes to preventing sleep. But when it comes to creating the right levels of yin and yang in your bedroom, it goes beyond simply the fact that technology disrupts our circadian rhythms. As Feng Shui centres around the natural world, anything technological or man-made can reduce the level of Chi in our environment and therefore start to disrupt our sleep and relaxation.
Balance is extremely important in bedroom Feng Shui, and an easy way to create symmetry and balance is through bedside tables. Place one on either side of your bed, and your bedroom will start to feel harmonious and achieve a greater level of Chi. Place a bedroom plant on each side unit, and you’ll maximise the natural essence of your bedroom Feng Shui too.
Another way to incorporate natural elements into your bedroom is through the use of natural bedding. Look for natural mattresses that use bamboo or cotton to help reduce the amount of synthetic material in your sleeping space. These aren’t just great for improving the levels of Feng Shui in your master suite but are also ideal for temperature regulation as natural materials wick moisture better than their non-natural counterparts.
Get more advice on what to wear to bed for a good night’s sleep.
Sleep relaxation is best achieved when there’s nothing in the bedroom design that stands out or draws too much attention. To achieve this sense of balance, which is also a key part of Feng Shui, choose colours and patterns which are muted and soothing. Pastel tones are great here. Soothing blues, pinks and greens work well to create a harmonious, distraction-free boudoir.
Go one step further than a muted colour scheme with the use of low-light bulbs and mood lighting. This will help create a relaxing ambiance in your bedroom and provide that sense of calm and quiet that’s so important to a great night’s sleep. It’ll also help create a sense of balance within your room, once again improving the all-important levels of Chi throughout.
To achieve a bedroom with good Feng Shui, it’s important to limit all distractions. Ensuring you keep drawers and wardrobe doors closed will help limit distractions when you’re trying to sleep or relax before bed. So, even if, after a long day, you jump straight into bed and realise your wardrobe is slightly open, it’s best to get out and close it before you try to nod off. Trust us, you’ll fall asleep faster – even if your brain is telling you you’re ready for bed and too comfortable to move.
A solid headboard will help increase symmetry and balance in your bedroom. But it will also make it much more comfortable to sit up in bed and read a book while you soak up your essential oils for sleep. Remember to choose one that doesn’t disrupt the balance of your existing decor, and you’ll be nodding off in no time at all.
Perhaps difficult for bookworms and literary enthusiasts, but books are just another form of distraction when trying to sleep. They’re also friends for collecting dust and disrupting the balance in your bedroom, so try to keep them in a study or spare room and only keep the one you’re reading at the time in reaching distance.
Expanding on the previous point, it’s best to keep only the book you’re reading in your bedroom. This will help to minimise disruption as you try to sleep. We’ve all been at that point in a book where we think we might swap it for another, but this won’t help your mind turn off while you’re getting ready for bed. Best to continue with the one you’ve started or at least leave the change until the next day.
Feng Shui master consultant Alan Stirling says:
‘You can sleep under a window as long as there is some wall, and you can draw the curtains behind you. This then simulates a solid wall. However, you should never sleep against a floor to ceiling window.
In addition to the ‘command’ location of your bed, you also need something taller on the left-hand side when lying in bed, and something smaller on the right. This emulates the way that energy flows around the body; as well as the movement of Sun and Moon on our planet, when standing or sleeping with our back to the magnetic fields (north pole).
Mirrors are a big problem as you should never be able to see yourself when lying in bed. Your subconscious is aware of the reflection which will only produce a fitful sleep at best. Just move or cover the mirrors at night with fabric or a curtain.
By far the best way of getting a good night’s rest is to sleep in a favourable direction and I have seen many life’s transformed from just realigning the bed.
My Feng Shui site has the formula that helps you find your best direction for either prosperity, sleep, health family harmony or long life. You can also add favourable colours and our site tells you how to do this too.’
When it comes to creating a harmonious and balanced Feng Shui bedroom, as previously mentioned, there are certain things that you should steer clear of…
For your bedroom walls and art, use soothing natural colours such as ‘skin colours’ – these vary from pale white to rich chocolate brown.
Below is a helpful colour wheel that demonstrates the Feng Shui relationship between colour and mood.
In Feng Shui, when a practitioner refers to a colour chart, they generally are referring to the colours associated with each life area of the Bagua, or Pakua. In addition to the specific life areas and colours, each of the nine sections of the Pakua also has a corresponding element and direction.
Looking more specifically at art, you should aim to decorate with positive art emphasising life and nature.
With just a few minor adjustments to your new Feng Shui bedroom, you can invite a wave of positive energy into your sleep sanctuary, helping you nurture a space that promotes your well-being and supports a restful night’s slumber. So, why not give some of our tips a chance to work their magic today?
