A reader asked the question, “Why is it bad to have your bed up against a wall?”
My answer:
There are MANY reasons to not have your bed up against a wall. First off, “chi” or, for lack of lengthy definition, “energy” can’t circulate around the bed if its smooshed up against a wall. We are electrical organisms. Our bodies are electrically charged. We need free-flowing energy around us to “rejeuvenate” properly.
Also, from the standpoint of survival, if you were attacked (symbolically or actually) in a bed smooshed up against a wall, you have nowhere to go. You are, in essence, defenseless.
This bed configuiration also pulls the point of gravity in a room to a strange place where the room can be lopsided, which is very bad imagery for a balanced life. If one side of the room is heavily furnished and the other is empty, it can be physically unsettling to be in the room. I would recommend very cautiously starting a relationship with someone whose bedroom is set up in this way. And, please let me point out that I am talking about an extreme, not the typical bedroom with a bed and nightstands.
Plus, if you are looking for a relationship, you are leaving no room for another with the bed pushed up against a wall. It’s not supportive of “space” for two people. One person will always feel “trapped” and may have difficulty entering in the first place. And those are just a few of the reasons. I could practically write a book about it- (a long and boring book!- but I hope this gets the question cleared up!
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If you have a feng shui question that you’d like answered, please join me on Facebook or Tumblr to join the forums of question-askers! I do my best to answer every general (and sometimes specific) question I receive!
And, if you are ready to design your dream life, you can always work with me one-on-one online or in-person to make the big moves!
Always, I love hearing from you! xoxo Dana
Whoa, didn’t think this was a nono. Well since we managed to fix the damp walls and other cracks, mind aswell get a stand at the top of it, like in the first picture.
We’ve managed to equaly distribute furniture around so it’s ballanced. Thank you for the tips once again (i will be thanking you till all your tips have been fixed, so look forward to a lot more love from us 2 :)) )
🙂 love hearing this Jane! xoxo
I’ve really been wondering about that, since you’ve repeated this often since you started the tumblr. I moved one year ago, and in my other flat, I used to have it positioned with one side on the wall, actually in a corner.
In my new bedroom, I remembered what you keep writing and put the head of the bed on the wall across from the one with the door, it’s standing free now. And has two nightstands 🙂
But I really don’t sleep better now, worse actually, whereas I always feel very cozy when I’m in a bed with one side on the wall.
I found that for me, the freestanding bed actually leads to a feeling of being more exposed and less safe. Apparently my subconscious doesn’t care whre I could flee to, but where I could be attacked from. When there’s a wall, nothing can come at me from that side. I doesn’t make me feel trapped, it makes me feel safe, because I only need to (subconsciously) worry about being exposed on one side of the bed, not both sides, or actually three.
Even though the feng shui says how I *should* feel, I feel the opposite way. I’m really considering putting the bed in corner again and check if I sleep better that way. Apparently, I was born to sleep in a cave 😉
Part of this also has to do with what you are creating and desiring in your life. For relationships to flourish more easily, two entrances to a bed help tremendously. We all process environments differently though some standards hold for the masses. I would say to try caddy-corner of your bed to see if you can still have access on both sides but not feel too “exposed” since you will still be in the corner. And, of course, with the two nightstands on either side…! Let me know how it goes if you try. And make sure you have a good solid headboard. xx Dana
I moved my bed five times, since november (it’s now march) and I feel one hundred percent better about where my bed is now – it’s not up against the wall. I now open the door and walk into it – i’m fortunate to have a layout that defines an entry way into the room – a sort of spatial pause before space. I have two large (single pane, eeesh!) windows on one side, and when my headboard was between them, I felt so vulnerable. The first way I had my bed was against a wall and in the corner, with headboard against one of the windows and it was a recipe for disaster – i’m a believer in feng shui and especially the psychology of space – works so well, when things are in the places that help you (as an energetic creature) feel deeply good in your soul <3
Great article Dana! To Judith I would say to dig deep inside to see what has happened in her love relationships and how that is connecting to her feelings of vulnerability. She may be needing some time to heal first before she opens herself up to “standing on her own” so to speak. She definitely should have a solid headboard to feel that she is “supported” and energetically “got her back” and she may also want to use a footboard as a transition. This will keep the Chi from coming straight for her. Another question would be “when she has her bed “out in the open” is there a door straight in line with it as this could also be making her feel unsafe. Don’t you love feng shui and how easily we can use our interiors to transition through even our toughest issues!! Hugs! Carolyn
Hello,
Please can you help? I have no choice but to have my office in my bedroom how should i plan my room? thank you Lewis
Blogging this!!! xx
I have a small bedroom and have a long wall close on the right side of my bed. My bed is aligned with my bathroom door and my window is on the side of my bed. So my bedroom door os 3 feet on the same de as my bathroom. I’ve had my bed facing my bathroom and toilet for 8 years and i began having health problems sisnce last June and had 3 surgeries. So i moved my bed under the window and now it faces my closet doors. I really need HELP PLEASE¡
bed under window facing closets is not bad… make sure you have a headboard & solid curtains for the window behind the bed & keep that window (and area) super clean!
Hi. I have been trying to bring peace to my living space for over two months now. Everywhere I look there is another project within a project. I have a bedroom/office that is 10′ x 10′. It seems impossible to make it work. The South wall has the doorway on the West corner, but facing South. The West wall is not really much of a wall at all. Thereis approximately 28″ of wall, then 6′ of a double sliding glass door that opens on the South end. Then there is another little piece of wall about 28″ again. On the North wall there is 4′ of a wall then a large window that is about 6′ wide, and is about 3′ heigh off the floor to about two feet from the ceiling, then there is a foot of wall. On the East side of the room there is a solid wall for the entire space of approx 10′. I built my bed to be elevated 4′ off the floor. once the mattress is on the bed platform I am about 4.5′ off the floor. I just recently took of the swinging door and put a sliding door outside of the room. I moved the bed so that it is in the NE corner of the room. The crown of my head if facing NE which is my best health direction. I can see the Pacific Ocean from this position 🙂 There is a small space between the homes and I can now see the Ocean from my bed, I wanted that badly, but due to all the other mess around me, I have no peace. My chandelier, light, etc, for the room is now above my knees when I am in bed. I tried switching the type of fixture, but have not settled on one I like yet. I have storage under my bed, a cabinet with my hats and some pieces of Ikea furniture, literally the pieces, to finish projects! Always more projects, and I have no help, even though I have two guy roommates… not good at anything I need help with. So, yes, my desk… it is presently at the foot of my bed and I am feeling like I am squooshed. I just bought two large wardrobes to hold all my clothes, bc I don’t really have a closet. Those are now on the East wall next to my bed and I still am not sold on how they will work out. I have a cat walk type space that leads to my room from the stairs that go down to the living room. You can come out of my room and see down into the living room. The ceiling is the roof when you are looking up from the living room. It is a cool space, but it has no space to put anything. I love that it is open, but I want it empty. Garage sale? I don’t know what to do. I also have a huge outdoor roofdeck up on the top floor where my room is and that is filled with all my gym equipment to train clients, etc. I just feel like everywhere I look is clutter and stuff and there is no where to put annything! My jobs are always scattered too. My schedule is constantly changing, and I just want an peacful work area to organize all the different things I have going on for work (acting, fitness, bartending, writing). Can you please help ??? I hope so. Thank you for reading my submission. I look forward to hearing your response.
Sincerely,
Eve
time to get rid of lots of things…. and do you train clients on your patio? i think its time o rethink all of this so you have space to live and work… and that may mean simplifing the rest of your life! xxoo Dana
Hi Dana,
I have a question about where to put a bed when the room has two doors. This is a very old house. If my room was a square, the entrance of the bedroom is at the botton, right side, right next to a wall. When I entered the room a closet is at my right, next to the door. 7 feet away from the bedroom entrance, on the right wall, there is also another door that leads to the attic upstairs and kitchen downstairs. On the left side, at the corner facing the door, there are two windows, one on the left wall, and one on the wall facing the entrance, on the left side too. I have a queen size bed and the room is tiny. Where should I put the bed?
This room is tricky, and I recently learned about fengshui. I would love to turn my bedroom fengshui oriented. Any advice would be more than welcomed. Thanks.
Can you draw and email me a picture that is close to scale? That would be awesome!!!
“I would recommend very cautiously starting a relationship with someone whose bedroom is set up in this way”
This is absolutely ridiculous; I can’t believe that somebody could be so persnickety and fastidious that they’d recommend exercising “caution” over a bed being against a wall. It’s a bloody room arrangement it isn’t a severed head in the ice cooler; A word of advice to the author and to the ladies reading these bogus tips: Drop the hypergamous attitude and quit being hyper-judgmental over such trivial things such as bed placement, the type of alcoholic beverage one drinks, and if or if not a man scratches his nuts with his left or right hand in the morning.
appreciate the feedback viktor. if you send me a sketch of your room I’d be happy to do a post for you not to prove anything but rather to show you how this may or may not relate to your life! xx Dana
What about this? Is it ok or not? “Put your bed against a solid wall for the best placement. This will provide strong sturdy support and prevent any sense of movement behind you.”
Hi Dana! LOVE LOVE LOVE your website. I found you two days go, looking for a feng shui solution for my bed position. Did I mention I LOVE your website? 🙂
SO, here’s my “pickle”… I moved in with my boyfriend about a month ago and our Brooklyn apartment is veeery tiny. We have tried many positions for the bed, but THE ONLY way it fits with space for a much needed dresser, is shoved in a corner adjacent to the door. But here’s the other kicker… With the bed in this position, the bedroom door doesn’t open all the way and hits the bed when it is about 3/4 of the way open– I know, a huge feng shui no-no.
The headboard wall is the hallway of the building, not lots of traffic, it’s a small building, but the stairway is right there, behind our heads when we are sleeping.
To get in bed I have to climb in from the foot of the bed and crawl in. I get the wall side and my boyfriend gets the door side. Oh, and there’s something else, (oh God! lol), I almost forgot, there’s a small window high up on the wall that is right next to me.
I haven’t had one single restful night of sleep since I moved in. I wake up tired every morning and even on weekends I don’t feel invited to stay in bed after I’m awake.
Please help me find feng shui solutions for this room !!?!!
The apartment is a rental and we have no options of moving out for at least another year or so. Thanks so much in advance, Dana, for any input.
Recap: bed shoved in corner, left side is a wall with small high window, on right side door doesn’t open all the way, headboard is outside/hallway wall.
much love to you, xoxo
can you get a murphy bed? or a fouton, japanese style? there has to be a better way. if you want to send pictures I can try to blog this one because it sounds like its barely a bedroom… and there MUST be a solution…!
Hi Dana,
I am glad I finally found a website who answers feng shui questions. I am a believer of feng shui and I tried to apply them as much as possible. My problem is we have 2 separate mattresses in one bed frame with a headboard . I have read that 2 separate mattresses in one bed is not good feng shui, so I have put a “mattress bridge” – a soft polyurethane foam you put between mattresses. However, due to husband’s dislike for it, I decided to put one thin mattress pad to cover both mattresses and on top of it a cotton mattress cover also covering both mattresses. Is this enough to avoid bad feng shui or should I insist on the mattress bridge (I did it before and we ended up arguing). Please help. Thanks.
Eden
It sounds like you came up with a good solution!!! Well done! xoxo
We don’t have a headboard and would like bed to be freestanding for flow between our bathroom door on left side and sunroom door on the right. Pillows fall off bed without something. Thank u. Suggestions?
I don;t recommend free-floating beds. If you feel it, go for it… but its not my preference!
I share an appartment with a bunch of messy people and lately its been getting worse. I keep my bedroom neat and organized but have limited room. My Helpful People & Travel corner is empty but I need to place something there either an armoire or cabinet where I can store my landry in it. Should I use metal or wood? What shape would be best? Please help me.
Wood is always better in bedrooms and in this case I would look for usefulness over specific shape. Most will be rectagles anyway 🙂
Hello Dana,
The entrance to my room double white door. Than on right side is a wall. Opposite side bathroom and window next to bathroom. Opposite entrance to the left is window and to right is closet. Please help to lay out Fengshui. The room paint light yellow color and please help me pick best color comforter for wall and wood floor brown.
Thanks!
Annie
You may want to download my feng shui guide for this one: https://www.fengshuidana.com/core_20161207-181903/core_20161207-181903/feng-shui-101-how-to-transform-the-place-where-you-live-into-a-home-that-you-love/
If you think of the the universe which ways up and which is down, whats inside and whats out. my chi goes right through that wall loops back around it also loops down under the ground and above my head.