Where to Put Your Bed in a Room With Windows
Author: Rick Worst | Editor: Omar Alonso
Review & Research: Jen Worst & Chris Miller
Are you getting enough rest from your sleep? If you wake up tired, it might have something to do with how you positioned your bed in the room. Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that harmonizes people with their living environment. And this has a lot of guidance for where to put your bed in a room with windows.
While it might sound like woo-woo, there's plenty of proof Feng Shu principles add value to people's lives. How you plan your living space determines how you feel about yourself and your environment when you're in your home. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
We spend around eight hours a night and more time during the day in the bedroom. So, ensuring you properly plan this living space improves the energy flow in your life. Where to put bed in rooms with windows is a common question from Feng Shui practitioners.
Since we all spend so much time in our beds, placing it in the right position in the bedroom ensures you get the ultimate harmonic frequency from the room and a more therapeutic and relaxing experience from your time between the sheets.
Where to Put Your Bed in a Room with Windows – Do's & Don'ts
Most bedrooms in homes in the United States have windows. Here's a list of bedroom Feng Shui do's and don'ts for planning this space and positioning the bed around the window.
Place the Bed in the Center of the Room
The ideal position for the bed is in the center of the room. You should place the bed in the center of the longest wall in the room. This approach emphasizes the bed as the most important piece of furniture in the room. A center positioning puts the spotlight on the bed, making it the focal point while creating a sense of balance in the room design.
If you have a bed with a headboard, you can place it in the direct center of the room. This position creates space to move around behind the bed. This positioning is ideal if you have a large bedroom with plenty of space.
Place the Bed Next to a Windowless Wall
The next best position for the bed is against a windowless wall. To improve comfort and energy flow, give the bedframe a solid headboard and keep the bed as far away from the wall as possible. Don't align the bed with the door to the bathroom or the main entrance. Positioning the bed in alignment with the doorways creates negative energy in the space.
Don't Place the Bed Next to the Window
The primary rule in Feng Shui is to avoid placing the bed next to a window, even if you dress the window with curtains. While you can leave the window open to get fresh air in while you sleep, it's not a good idea. Placing the bed next to the window might give you a better view of the garden or surroundings of your property, but it will disrupt your sleep.
The early morning light will wake you up early, and you'll need to fit blackout curtains to stop the light from getting in. It's the same principle as placing the bed facing directly in front of the window, allowing sunlight to wake you in the morning, even if you're still tired and need to sleep longer.
If you need to position the bed near the window, try to keep it at least three feet away from the windowsill, and perhaps further if the window is lower than the standard window height from the floor.
Don't Place the Bed Under a Window with Direct Sunlight
Having the bed in a position facing the window is even worse than sleeping right under it. The sunlight enters the room, waking you up. Our circadian rhythm governs our sleeping cycle, and we naturally wake when the light improves in the room. So, if you're sleeping in front or below the window, you'll rise each morning with the sun.
Getting up with the sun might be great for some people, but most will find it annoying, especially if you're a night owl. If you have no option but to position the bed in front of the window, ensure you fit blackout curtains to block the sun's rays completely.
Placing the Bed Under the Window is Bad Feng Shui
Placing the bed under the window is not a good Feng Shui practice. According to the rules of geomancy, positioning the bed under the window creates negative chi, dampening your life force.
Along with Feng Shui principles saying you should avoid sleeping under a window, placing the bed this way has the following drawbacks:
- Noise pollution from outside can disturb your sleep.
- Drafts can enter through open windows, making you sick.
- Too much light enters the room and wakes you up.
- Strong sunlight may enter through the window, casting on the bed where the heat makes you uncomfortable.
So where to put your bed in a room with windows, then? If you must position the bed under the window, ensure the bed frame has a solid headboard. In Feng Shui, the headboard acts as a shelter for the bed, taking on the energy of the mountain towering above you while you sleep and rest.
The headboard should feature a design with upholstery or solid wood and shouldn't be disproportionately tall for the bed. The headboard should attach to the bedframe and feature rounded edges.
Placing the Bed Opposite the Door Creates Negative Energy
Feng Shui rules say positioning the bed opposite the door creates negative chi energy. Chi is the life force that flows through our body. When it becomes negatively influenced, we experience blockages in the chakras, leading to physical manifestations of unwellness and dysfunction in the body.
Place the bed across from the door in a diagonal position if you have no choice. While you don't want to be directly opposite it, you do want a view of the doorway when lying in bed. This provides a psychological sense of security, because you'll have an advantageous viewpoint.
Positioning the Bed Directionally – Bad Feng Shui
How you position the bed directionally, in terms of north, east, south, and west-facing positions, also plays a significant role in Feng Shui. Here are the directional positions to avoid.
Facing the bed to the north can lead to the development of sleeping disorders like insomnia. It's often called the "death" position for young people. Ironically, placing the bed in the north-facing position if you're a senior might be beneficial in terms of Feng Shui practices.
Don't position the bed to the south as it increases surrounding energy. As a result, you're likely to have arguments with your partner.
Don't position the bed to the northeast if you're an anxious person. This positioning can evoke nightmares and make you feel paranoid.
Positioning the Bed Directionally – Good Feng Shui
To get the most out of your time in bed, place it in the following directions, according to Feng Shui's best practices.
A west-facing bed creates the best sleeping position. Facing the West improves contentment in your life. However, it can also increase feelings of laziness or demotivate you. So, it's only a good choice for people with aspirations of success and plenty of self-motivation.
Positioning the best to the east refreshes the mind and helps you get a good mental reset each day, giving you hope. It helps promote good sleep in young people and is the best position for ambitious people.
Positioning the bed in a southeast direction is ideal for creative people or those that have issues communicating with others.
A southwest position is ideal for people with restless minds. This sleeping position calms your mind and gives you inner peace. It's the best choice for people who want stability and those who don't like change.
FAQs for Where to Put Your Bed in a Room With Windows
Whenever this bedroom furniture arranging question arises, plenty of other related questions arise. Let’s cover those now.
What is the Command Position in Feng Shui?
The "Command Position" in Feng Shui means positioning the bed in a way that lets you see the entrance to the room. However, the bed should not be directly in line with the door. Ideally, you want to position the bed diagonally from the door.
Why Do Interior Designers Place Beds in Front of Windows?
Windows usually disturb the symmetry of the room. Placing the bed opposite the window creates an additional focal point in the room and a more balanced space.
Should the Bed Face the Door or the Window in Feng Shui?
Feng Shui principles suggest facing the door in the command position is the best choice. Placing the bed in front of the window allows you to absorb the energy coming in through the window, leading to restless sleep.
Key Takeaways for Bed Placement in Bedrooms With Windows
- According to Feng Shui principles, you should not position a bed in front of a window or beneath it.
- The bed should be positioned with a view of the door but not aligned with the entrance. A diagonal positioning away from the door is the best choice for bed positioning.
- Sleeping with the bed in front or below the window creates negative energy in the room, leading to restless sleep.
- Avoid positioning the bed in a north, south, or southeast sleeping position.
That’s Where to Put Your Bed in a Room With Windows
Follow the guidelines provided above for where to put your bed in a room with windows and you’ll find that you’re more at ease, more restful during the day, and that you’re far more satisfied with these tried and true decoration principles.