How To Get The Best Sleep Using Feng Shui

31st Aug 2022

Posted by Alice Ewens on 31st Aug 2022

Many of us are constantly trying to master how to get the best sleep. But we often overlook the space we're trying to fall asleep in. The Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui can help create a calming atmosphere and harness 'good energy' to help us drift off effortlessly. We take a look at the how and the why.

What is Feng Shui & How Can It Help Us Sleep?

"Feng Shui" is a Chinese practice of arranging buildings or furniture to create harmony and balance with the natural world. It has its roots in ancient Taoism and the belief in 'chi', or the life force, that inhabits everything - including your furniture and the materials it's all made of - which have either yin or yang elements. Yin and yang are opposite but complementary forces. Feng Shui balances yin and yang energies plus the natural elements of air, water, fire, earth and metal to create harmony. Interiors experts today still use the principles to create room layouts.

Feng Shui can help us create the perfect calm, healing bedroom space right down to selecting the best materials to include and where to place them to harness that balanced chi. It can be hard to incorporate every single 'rule' for a Feng Shui bedroom. But, you can include a few elements to improve the energy flow and help you get a good night's sleep. Let's take a look at how.

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The Rule of Balance and Pairs in Feng Shui Bedrooms

One of the easiest ways to balance the chi in your bedroom is to design using pairs. Two or four pillows on the bed, two bedside tables, one on either side of the bed. Two lamps. Two chairs. A Feng Shui bedroom is perfectly balanced!

Feng Shui bedroom layout for how to get the best sleep, featuring white pine modern scnadi bed and 2 matching besdie tables with tapered legs, 2 tripod lamps. In white and neutral shades. — **Our Azure Modern White Solid Pine Bed with two Alma White Scandi Bedside Tables**

Declutter & Keep Things Tidy To Get The Best Sleep

Feng Shui is a minimalist principle, so it's time for a clear-out. You want to be able to see as much of the floor as possible, to ground the energy of the room. This means strategic storage: bedside tables on legs, storage boxes, drawers, trunks etc. to keep things off the floor and out of sight. Try not to store anything under the bed bit if you must, keep it to soft fabric items, like bedding, pillows or soft clothes).

simple modern beige cream upholstered statement bed with tall headbaord and simple wings. on sturdy brown black metal legs in pale room with pot plant to left of bed. — The **Denver cream upholstered wooden frame statement bed** gives plenty of minimalist Feng Shui energy with lots of clear floor space, thanks to the elevated legs.

modern minimalist Scandi-inspired bedside table with 2 drawers and tapered legs. In white, with 2 gold bar handles. modern lamp, 2 books and a small succulent are placed on bedside tabletop. — Our **Taylor modern 2-drawer bedside table with tapered legs** creates balance and flow. Get a matching set, one for either side of the bed for a Feng Shui layout.

Things to Avoid in A Feng Shui Bedroom for Better Sleep

Mirrors Are A No-Go

modern bedroom featuring a bed with tall button-tufted headboard, placed at 90 degress to a partition wall, where a round wall mirror is hung. The mirror cannot be seen from the bed. — Our **round Emma round mirror in the copper-coloured frame** placed here so it isn't facing the **Vienna Upholstered Chesterfield Style Bed** shows a solution to the no mirrors Feng Shui bedroom rule. A pretty tapestry hung opposite the mirror that could be viewed from this bed would also help!

Mirrors are actually considered a bit of a no-go in a Feng Shui bedroom. This is because mirrors are said to add another uninvited person into your space or relationship! If you do need a mirror, consider placing it inside a wardrobe door or at least angled so you can see the door from your bed. Definitely avoid placing a mirror directly opposite or above a bed!

Too Many Plants

Too many plants in the bedroom can unbalance the earth and water elements in the room. Plants are heavy on the yang or expansive growth energy, which can disrupt sleep. If you're going to go for plants in the bedroom, go for two small matching small pot plants on either side of the bed.

Avoid Heavy Things Over The Bed

Avoid placing anything heavy, such as artwork, mirrors or a bookshelf above the bed. You should also avoid having a heavy chandelier or pendant light directly above the bed. This is a heavy threatening energy, and imagining something falling on us in the night certainly makes us feel a bit uneasy. Instead, opt for a light, flowing tapestry if you want to hang anything over the bed.

grey crushed velvet roll-top king size bed with pair of grey bedside tables. 2 lamps and 2 small potplants in mirror image positions on bedside table top. Grey velvet wall hanging above bed. — Our **Kingston crushed velvet roll top bed** with a pair of **grey Alma wooden bedside tables**, mirrored lamps and pot plants and a soft fabric wall hanging captures the balance, fabrics, and elements that makes for good Feng Shui.

Japandi bedroom featuring curved bedsdie tables either ide of futon, with tatami rattan mats and black sliding doors — image: Canva Pro

No Sharp Corners

Rounded edges soften the energy in the room, making it calmer. When a sharp edge points diagonally at the bed it's known as a 'poison arrow' in Feng Shui! You can soften by placing bedside tables either side of the bed (to make the bed space wider and deflect the pointy energy) or place a rug runner or bench at the foot of the bed (to absorb the energy). Fabrics and upholstered headboards can also help round off edges.

Check out our range of upholstered beds!

Avoid Tall Imposing Furniture

If you can, try to avoid wardrobes in your room (or go for a built-in or cupboard wardrobe that seamlessly blends into the wall). Tall furniture can bring oppressive yang energy into the room. If you need bookshelves to be placed above bed height, lay your books flat to add more gentle yin energy.

modern grey scandinaian inspired chests of drawers in a bright bedroom. — Here, our **Alma chests of drawers**
in large or medium offer alternatives to tall wardrobes, to keep the energy flowing in your room!

No Multi-Tasking!

No desk, no TV or laptop. Try to avoid lots of electronics. Avoid work-out spaces or gym equipment, or sitting on the bed to work. If you do need these things in your bedroom, it's better Feng Shui to hide them behind a screen or curtain. A folding desk that can flatten against a wall or a slender wooden desk that you can slide a stool under would work.

modern scandi minimamilst desk in white wood with dark wood central drawer and wooden tpered legs with gold accents. A laptop, angle poise lamp and some accessories decorate the desk top. — Our **Colby wooden desk** is slender but with room to slot a stool underneath to maintain a clean and tidy look.

modern white high gloss rotating desk that is positioned with both desk and zig-zag shaped shelving flat against the wall. — The **Siena White High Gloss Rotating Desk** can be folded flat against a wall to minimise the floorspace it takes up.

bright airy bedroom with double bed that has large wooden headboard which extends either side of bed behind 2 wooden bedside tables. There is a wooden folding sceen to the right of the image. The bed linens are white and cream. A wicker rattan light fixing hangs off centre, to the left of the photo. — Image: Canva Pro
This layout shows some of the fundamental Feng Shui principles: the balanced pair of bedside tables, 4 pillows, the dominating wooden headboard, and the light fixture not being directly above the bed. It also shows how a folding screen can be used to block off other areas of the bedroom to keep those separate from this tranquil sleeping space.

Feng Shui Materials & Colours To Ensure The Best Sleep

statement bed with tall headboard against wooden small partition wall, in a bright and airy Japandi-style room with black window frames. Bed is pale green velvet, with stone coloured linen and yellow cushion. — Our gorgeous **Cairo Velvet contemporary statement bed frame and headboard in Olive**.

Wood is a great material to incorporate into your bedroom as it's considered stable and safe. A bed with a wooden headboard is thought to provide a supported and protected sleep.

Greens and blues with neutral tones will tap into 'earth' yang energy to ground the room, creating a relaxing space. Don't go too bold or bright with your greens and blues, as this leans too far into yang socialising energy. Save those for your living spaces rather than sleep spaces.

A wooden bed frame upholstered in soft, light-coloured velvets will invite restful yin energy, and soften those harsh corners. Other furnishings and accessories in fluffy, soft fabrics will also work well. But remember not to go too overboard into 'cluttered' territory. Match cushions in pairs!

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Feng Shui Bed Position For Good Sleep

In Feng Shui, your bed should be the dominant thing in your room (if it struggles to stand out, a mirror opposite can actually help here! It's the one time a mirror can work to improve the chi of a room!). Opt for a wooden-framed bed with a headboard as this provides stable and safe energy. Place your bed with its headboard against a wall, not a window. Between windows is good, though. Avoid placing the headboard against a wall shared with a bathroom (which can bring in too much water energy). Your bed should be placed so you can see the door but not directly in front, to help you feel more secure in your space.

pale blue fabric uphostered statement bed with tall heaboard. Chesterfield style button tufting to the headboards, room is white with pale bed linens. Bed is positioned between 2 windows and at an angle to the door. A macrame wall hanging is hung above the bed. — The stunning **Athens upholstered bed in 'Ocean'** is a beautifully calming blue with rounded edges, soft padded Chesterfield buttoning and here, positioned between two windows, adjacent to the door to create good Feng Shui.

Feng Shui Bedroom Layouts To Get The Best Sleep

Taking everything we've discussed above, we've created a couple of example room layouts that work on Feng Shui principles. The first is an 'ideal' and the second is about offsetting some of the negative 'chi' flows that can pop up when needing a bedroom that needs to be more functional in a modern home.

feng shui room layour from above using black simple outlines to denote furniture. Notes in text describe locations of objects.

An Ideal Feng Shui Layout

1 - The bed is the dominant feature in the room, positioned with the headboard against a wall between two windows.

2 - Matching low-level bedside tables with lamps and 2 small pot plants.

3 - A chest of drawers or desk. It's wider than the bed, so the negative energy flow created by sharp corners and diagonal lines (4) is neutralised.

5 - The door can be seen from the bed but is not opposite the bed.

6 - A mirror can be hung here, as it has a neutral reflection of the window and the view can be seen from the bed.

7 - Nothing heavy hung over the bed, but a soft tapestry can add interest without bad Chi.

another feng shui room layout from above using black simple outlines to denote furniture. Notes in text describe locations of objects.

Incorporating Feng Shui Elements & Trying to Neutralise Bad Chi

1 - Again, the bed is dominant in the room (if other objects seem to take more attention, hang a mirror opposite the bed).

2 - The door is still visible from the bed, but not directly opposite.

3 - Chests of drawers (avoid anything too tall if you can) offer storage space.

4 - The diagonal energy flow from the sharp corners is absorbed by rug runners (5) that extend out past the end of the bed.

6 - The desk is positioned so it doesn't overlap with the bed. Two small pot plants on either end of the desk help neutralise the sharp corners.

7 - The diagonal energy from the chest of drawers is neutralised by the pot plant on the desk.

8 - The diagonal energy from the desk toward the bed is neutralised by the rug runner (5).

What Next?

We'd love to see how you style your next bedroom renovation, so make sure you follow us on Insta and tag us in your Furniturebox product pics for a chance to be featured in a future blog. We've got heaps more inspiration over on our Pinterest too!

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