How to Place Your Bed for Good Feng Shui

Commanding Position

In feng shui, we place the bed using the principle of the commanding position. You want your bed located so that when you’re lying in bed, you can see the door to the bedroom. However, you don’t want to be directly in line with the door either. A good rule of thumb for bedroom feng shui, is to place the bed diagonal from the door.

See the diagrams above, which show the most ideal locations.

It’s understandable that there are many cases in which this is not possible. There’s still hope! If you can’t be in the commanding position, you can correct the bed by using a mirror. Place a mirror so that when you’re in bed you can see the reflection of the door.

Placing the Bed in Relationship to Doors

Besides the commanding position, there are other guidelines to look out for when placing your bed in relation to the doors in the bedroom. 

You also want to avoid any doors opening up directly onto any part of the bed. Avoid having your feet point straight out the door. This is often referred to as the “coffin position”.

If the only place for your bed is in line with a door, it can be corrected. You can hang a faceted feng shui crystal ball halfway between the door and the bed.

Headboard Against a Solid Wall

The head of your bed should be sitting securely against a solid wall. This means that you are supported from the back. I know it may seem like common sense, but I’ve seen people place the beds with the headboard in the middle of the room, or even the whole bed floating in the middle of the room. Always remember, you want the support of a wall behind you.

Second, avoid windows behind the head of the bed if possible. This is especially important if you’re on the ground floor or have eye issues. Better to have a solid wall behind you.

Locating the Bed Away From a Toilet Wall

Avoid sharing your headboard with the wall of the toilet. This means you want to rule out placing your bed on a wall that has the toilet on the other side of it. You don’t want to have a toilet on the other side of the wall from your head.

If it’s not possible, you can place a mirror on the wall above and behind the bed to expand the view of the bedroom beyond. This will energetically erase the toilet.

Space on Both Sides of the Bed

For adults, it’s best to have open space on the left and right sides of the bed. I suggest you have at least 18 inches on each side. It’s not ideal to place your bed with one side up against a wall. 

The space on both sides allows a balance of your yin and yang, as well as space for each partner (or future partner). If this is not possible, do the best you can to have space on the wall side. You can also place a mirror on the wall that the bed is up next to. This can expand the view of energetically. 

For children, it’s okay to have a bed against the wall as it can give them some support.

Beams, Soffits, and Sloped Ceilings

For the best feng shui placement, you want the area above your bed free of beams, soffits or sloped ceilings. These architectural features above the bed can create unnecessary pressure.

If it’s unavoidable, a correction is to drape fabric to conceal the ceiling feature. If it’s not a large beam or soffit, it may be possible to simply blend the feature into the ceiling by painting it the same color. This makes the dropped ceiling areas less oppressive.

Feng Shui Bed Placement Checklist

Here’s a quick overview on what you can look out for when placing your bed for good feng shui: