How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom

What Is Feng Shui?

The Chinese tradition of Feng Shui is the belief that building interiors can be arranged to conduct and attract positive energy. The term translates literally to "wind-water," referencing a passage that describes the energy in every living thing, and its ability to flow throughout the earth. To apply Feng Shui to a home or other building, people will shift the position of furniture and other belongings in a room, on the basis that it will generate positive energy in the space and that person's life. The basic principle is based on the idea that the five earthly elements (fire, earth, metal, water and wood) are constantly interacting in various ways across the universe. This concept is similar to that of yin and yang, where the main properties are continuously interacting. Feng Shui believes that by moving your belongings to specific points of the room, you are achieving the optimal interaction of all the elements, and finding spiritual balance through design.
As the practice of Feng Shui has integrated into Western culture, it has lost some of its deeper meaning, but it still maintains the concept that rearranging your furniture is a way to refresh the mind, free the spirit and perhaps allow you to live a better life. Even if the positive energy isn't believed to be based on an external force like the elements, it may be from a state of mind that comes with a clean, fresh environment.
To bring the ancient practice of Feng Shui into your home, you can streamline your space to make it more relaxing and comfortable. Who knows? Maybe you'll even notice improvements in your health, wealth, energy and luck.

Feng Shui Bedroom Placement

While many people view Feng Shui as simply moving furniture around, there are actual furniture and even room locations that are more likely to prove invigorating. For example, your bedroom should be located as far away from the main door of your home as possible. When isolated from the entrance and exit of your home, your bedroom will more likely remain a place of peace and relaxation, because it is separated from the outside world. This is a good example of traditional Feng Shui beliefs making as much practical sense as spiritual sense.


Also, avoid having your bedroom too close to a room that is full of activity, such as the kitchen or laundry room. Much how the outside world can detract from your peace, bustling activity in rooms next to, above or below your bedroom will likely interfere with your rest and relaxation. If you cannot avoid putting your bedroom around these busy areas, then you can follow an old Feng Shui tradition. Install mirrors along the ceilings and walls of the high-activity room. They are believed to reflect and contain energy, so that it does not escape the space and enter the bedroom. As an added benefit, mirrors open up a room, making it feel more free and spacious.

Feng Shui Bedroom Design Tips & Rules

• Your bed is the centerpiece of your room, and the biggest symbol of your rest. According to the rules of Feng Shui, your bed should be placed in the corner furthest from the door, keeping you from being too close to outside activity. Also, it should not be located under a window, as this can disturb your sleep with both excess light and, according to philosophy, active energy flowing in and out of the room.
• When you sleep, your feet should not face toward the door. In Feng Shui, this is called the coffin position, as it puts you, theoretically, in the main traffic area of the room. To avoid this, you can either sleep facing another direction, or you can install a footboard on your bed to create a barrier. A table along the foot of your bed could serve a similar purpose. The entire concept is to separate yourself from high activity areas while you are resting.
• Also, Feng Shui suggests that you should not place your bed under a structural support system or fan, as this can disrupt the balance of energy in a room. When two people are sharing a bed, there should be equal space all around them so that both people can comfortably enter and exit the sleeping area. In other words, the head or the foot of the bed can be against a wall, but not one of the sides, as this blocks a major entryway for one of the sleepers.
• Mirrors should be used minimally, if at all, in a bedroom. They are thought to create unfavorable environments by containing energy within a room, so according to philosophy, mirrors can cause nightmares. If you do have a mirror in your bedroom, Feng Shui suggests that you cover it with a drape or cloth while you sleep, to help prevent this captured negative energy.

Feng Shui Furniture & Décor

According to Feng Shui philosophy, the general arrangement of furniture in the bedroom is meant to work toward fostering stronger romance and relationships. To succeed at this subliminal task, you should place your décor in pairs. For example, you should select cupboards with two doors, keep pillows in sets of two on your bed, and have two nightstands in your room, one on each side of the bed, and each with a similar lamp atop them.
Your bedroom should also be streamlined and neat, with clutter completely removed from all floors, countertops, drawers, closets, etc. If you do need some clutter, then contain it within drawers or cabinets, so that it is not readily visible. Also, be sure to change your bed sheets regularly, as your bed's cleanliness represents a healthy life.

Feng Shui Colors & Lighting For The Bedroom

Feng Shui also influences light and color choices in your room. To begin, you should choose a few vibrant colors for your space that are all harmonious and complementary. Color groups are, according to Feng Shui, associated with the five elements. Fire is associated with high-energy colors such as yellow and red. Earth is associated with nourishing shades, such as green and brown, while metal is associated with clarity, as found in grays and whites. Any colors between blue and black are associated with the water element.
Light is the most powerful source of energy in your space. Feng Shui practice believes that light is a person's most important nutrient, and that it can dramatically influence a person's quality of life. For this reason, it is important to include as much natural light in your space as possible. In spaces with less natural light, artificial lighting works as well. The more vibrant the feel of the lighting, the more successful it will be at rising spirits in the home. With an even balance of lighting and colors, you can easily create a personalized and relaxing atmosphere.