Think about feng shui bedroom ideas to ensure your sleeping area is just right for you. Use his principles to design a bedroom that improves your quality of life.
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice but has become popular in western interior design over the last few decades, and something we should definitely keep in mind when deciding on the best bedroom ideas for our home.
The word “feng” is Chinese for wind and the word “shui” is Chinese for water. Together these symbolize the flow of life one should strive for in one’s home.
Bedroom feng shui
For bedroom feng shui, the design you choose is one of the most important areas of your property. More than any other room in the house, your bedroom is the one place you want to feel completely relaxed, comfortable, and rested.
Here we’ve rounded up the best bedroom ideas so you can apply feng shui principles in your space, along with advice from designers who follow his philosophy in their projects.
1. Find the right bedroom layout
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti)
Bedroom layout ideas are an essential part of any feng shui bedroom design. When designing a bedroom layout, the most important decision is where to position the bed – since it’s the largest piece of furniture in the room, it has a huge impact on how the room functions, looks and feels.
Make sure your bed is in a commanding position. This means that when you are lying in bed you are facing the door but are not directly in line with the door. You don’t want doors opening right next to the bed. According to feng shui principles, you want to avoid the dreaded “coffin position” where your feet point toward the door.
2. Invest in a solid headboard
(Image credit: Nicola Harding)
Feng Shui philosophy suggests that the headboard represents stability, support and security in your life and especially in your romantic relationships.
A headboard is an important element of a bedroom for a number of reasons. From a functional point of view, you need a headboard to cushion your head and back when sitting up in bed and protect your head from the wall. The best headboard ideas are solid, with no perforations.
Headboards are also essential for aesthetic reasons. They provide a focal point, can add color, pattern and texture, and help correct and enhance a room’s proportions and visual impact.
3. Use a feng shui color palette
(Image credit: Mark Bolton)
In feng shui, certain feng shui bedroom colors are believed to promote calm, sensuality and serenity in the bedroom – and improve sleep. As a general rule of thumb, it is best to decorate with the muted tones found in nature. Think bright blues, yellows, greens and subtle neutrals.
Blue is the palette of choice for everyone from home decorators to interior designers because it’s incredibly easy to work with and perfect for layering, believes Patrick O’Donnell of Farrow & Ball (opens in new tab). “In both color psychology and feng shui, blue bedroom ideas have positive qualities such as sympathy, encouragement, spirituality, loyalty and thoughtfulness.”
Another fantastic choice for a feng shui bedroom is green. Green is a calming and relaxing bedroom color idea. As a feng shui bedroom color that represents nature, it is a color that makes us feel good and positive. “The poet and philosopher Goethe described green as a useful colour, a good color to always have with you,” explains Francesca Wezel, founder of Francesca’s Paints (opens in new tab).
4. Double down with pairs – and symmetry
(Image credit: Tom Morris)
Symmetry is an interior design trick used to create chic-looking spaces – and it’s perfect for the bedroom. In feng shui, couples are believed to promote harmonious energy, so equip your bedroom for two even if you’re not currently in a romantic relationship.
“Symmetry creates balance within the feng shui bedroom and often starts with the focal point, be it a statement bed, headboard or piece of furniture,” says Liv Wallers of British design studio Yellow London (opens in new tab). “It brings a sense of comfort and rhythm to a space that is an integral part of the feng shui design process. It can be used down to the smallest details of the room, from pillows on the bed to lamps on a bedside table.’
5. Clean up under the bed
(Image credit: Barlow and Barlow)
Organizing a bedroom is one of the best things you can do for a good night’s sleep. When it comes to positive chi in the bedroom, there’s more at stake than just a clean and tidy space. According to experts, clutter can trigger stress hormones that affect our sleep patterns, which in turn affects our overall happiness and well-being.
Take a good look at what you have tucked away under your bed. Objects stored under the bed affect you while sleeping in a passive “yin” state and could create subconscious blocks in your life.
If possible, Feng Shui recommends not having any shelves under the bed at all. Then the chi (a life force that powers all living organisms) can flow freely throughout the room – rejuvenating you while you sleep.
It’s not just clutter that can negatively impact your state of mind. Appliances, desks, and anything work-related should also be banished from the room—they can create an association of alertness rather than relaxation, which isn’t ideal in a space meant for relaxation.
6. Move books to another room
(Image credit: Salvesen Graham / Simon Brown)
We love to read before bed, but if you’re having trouble falling asleep, it could be due to an accumulation of books in the bedroom. Books are active energy (yang) and are meant to stimulate our mind. For an undisturbed sleep, try taking the books to a dedicated library room at home instead.
Order is a transformative tool for enhancing positive chi in your home and something that is widely taught in feng shui principles. A neat feng shui bedroom sets the stage for clutter-free thinking, so take the time to get rid of the non-essentials in your sleeping area.
7. Invite regenerating energy with fresh foliage
(Image credit: Gunter & Co)
As we strive to reconnect with nature and the environment, decorating with plants indoors has grown tremendously in popularity. Known for promoting growth, independence, and therapeutic energy when placed in a bedroom, houseplants have always been an integral part of feng shui, and with good reason.
“Houseplants have never been so accessible: a quick visit to your local garden center or nursery and you can find a whole jungle of green plants that will instantly bring life to a drab bedroom corner,” says interior designer Martin Brudnizki. “Cover all kinds of containers with bulbs, or if that’s not for you, just treat yourself to seasonal fresh flowers in a pretty vase or jug.”
8. Focus on functional lighting
(Image credit: Nune Design Studio)
Good bedroom lighting ideas can turn a sleeping area into a sanctuary.
“Lighting is one of the most important elements in feng shui, especially in a bedroom,” says Sheena Murphy, partner at Nune. “A small bedroom can be incredibly inviting, and thoughtful lighting can transform a space from feeling bare and bony to one that’s cute and cozy. Our number one rule is to put dimmers on all light switches so you can adjust the mood and it is preferred to have a decorative light overhead (no recessed lights) and two bedside lamps – space permitting – so you can again increase or decrease the atmosphere depending on how you feel.’
Eva Sonaike, Creative Director, Eva Sonaike agrees: “The bedroom is my favorite room in my home. I recommend combining three types of lighting: a bright overhead light when organizing your clothes; Bedside reading lights for reading in bed and mood lighting to create a cozy atmosphere.’
9. Use room dividers
(Image credit: Future)
While the principles of feng shui suggest that you should not use your bedroom for work, dressing, or anything that might stimulate your mind, this is not always practical, especially if you live in a small home or your home has multiple occupants share .
If your master bedroom doubles as a multifunctional space, use creative room divider ideas to separate the space. With room dividers, you can create a variety of clever and inspiring ways to take advantage of your bedroom. Think screens, partitions and even the intelligent use of large furniture.
A large bedroom can be closed off with curtains or sheer curtains to divide the space. They don’t have to be dragged across a room to fully divide it, but they can create a beautiful break by adding color, texture, or dimension.
10. Pay attention to the placement of the mirror
(Image credit: Future)
Bedroom mirror ideas can bring so much into a room. Aside from their obvious utility, mirrors are known for brightening up a room and offering a fresh look at the room. However, a feng shui bedroom should not have one. According to experts, mirrors reflect light and make our bedroom energies too active, or “yang.” This is said to cause insomnia, sleep disturbances, and restlessness.
Another consequence of bedroom mirrors is that depending on the year of birth, they are considered to negatively affect your relationships and prevent them from progressing.
If you simply must have a mirror in the bedroom, make sure it doesn’t face the bed. That’s because placing a mirror directly across from your bed is said to induce nightmares.
How should I arrange my bedroom for good energy?
When it comes to furnishing your bedroom for good energy, the key to a successful design is balancing practicality and style, and luckily there are many ideas that combine the two.
We’ve compiled a list of bedroom feng shui tips to ensure good energy is flowing in the right direction:
- Position your bed centrally (not directly across from the door)
- Put a bedside table on either side of the bed
- Avoid mirrors in direct line of sight to the bed
- Decorate with colors from nature
- Make sure your bed is accessible from every side
- Restrict Electronic Devices
- Invest in a solid headboard
- Store books in another room
- Clear under bed clutter
- Introduce houseplants (not too many)