How to Manage the Feng Shui of a Bed Placed Against a Wall (2024)

Your bedroom is one of the most important areas of your home from a feng shui perspective because it is the most personal part of your home and it represents you. It’s especially helpful to look at how your bed itself is positioned in the room, for a couple of reasons. First, you spend a huge chunk of time over the course of your life in bed, so it’s a good idea to make sure that the energy in this part of your home is supportive. Second, the position of your bed can influence how you sleep on a subtle, subconscious level. This affects how rested you feel, which makes a big difference in how you approach your life and how productive you are during the day.

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to your bed position. Here are some feng shui tips to choose an optimal location for your bed, including what it means if your bed is against a wall and what to do about it.

Command Position Is Best

The ideal location for your bed is in the commanding position. When your bed is in command, it’s positioned so that you can see the entrance to your bedroom while you are in bed, without being directly in line with the entrance. This allows you to see what is coming towards you, both literally and metaphorically, so that you can take advantage of any opportunities that might arise. It also makes you feel in control and at ease. Being in command means that you are able to tackle life’s problems more easily.

What It Means If Your Bed Is Placed Against a Wall

First of all, you do want the headboard of your bed against a wall. In feng shui, the headboard is best when securely placed up to a wall. However, it is not desirable to have the three other sides of the bed (left, right, and the foot of the bed) against a wall. For instance, if your bed is set up so that one side is right up against a wall, it makes that side harder to access.

When you have the left or right side of your bed placed against a wall, it creates difficult feng shui. Having open space on both left and right sides of the bed allows qi (energy) to flow evenly around you. If there is a wall on one side of your bed, your qi isn’t being nurtured from both sides. This means you may be closing off one side of your energy. We each have a yin side and a yang side that should be in harmony with one another, meaning you don’t want to have too much yin or too much yang. It’s important to nourish and express both sides of ourselves.

A bed up against a wall can be especially challenging if you are looking for a partner. When your prospective partner can’t get to their side of the bed, this sends the energetic message that you don’t have space in your life for another person. This position also doesn’t set you up for a balanced and equitable relationship. If you do have a partner, then one of you has to crawl over the other to get to their side, which can signify an imbalance. Instead, it’s best if each partner can easily get in on their side of the bed.

When a Bed Against a Wall Isn’t a Problem

Generally, a guest bed or a child's bed that is placed against the wall is not a cause for concern. In fact, it’s actually best for a child’s bed or a crib to be against a wall because this position adds support and protection. You still want to make sure their bed is in the command position, so that they’re able to see the door from bed

How to Adjust a Bed Against the Wall

If possible, move the bed to allow space on both sides. If you have a smaller bedroom and can’t move it very far, that’s okay. Even a few inches counts! It’s also best to move your bed into the command position if it isn’t there already.

Sometimes, there just isn’t space to move the bed away from the wall. If you live in a small home and aren’t able to move your bed, you can lift the qi in other ways.

One way to do this is to work with uplifting, energizing wood element. Wood is one of the five elements we work with in feng shui, and the energy of wood can be very supportive in this situation. You can add wood to your space by decorating with green, blue, or teal, or adding houseplants. If you do add plants, make sure you choose varieties that are well-suited for your space. Look for plants that will thrive in the light, temperature, and humidity conditions of your bedroom, and then remember to take care of them!

Another way to work with a small bedroom where you can’t move your bed away from the wall is to add a mirror. Try placing the mirror on the wall that the bed is up against to visually and energetically expand the space.