Getting back on track after a poor night’s sleep can be challenging. While fresh sheets, the right room temperature, and a calming color palette can make your bedtime routine more relaxing, there’s one major factor you might not know could be impacting your sleep quality. The layout of a bedroom can have a major affect on your slumber. But here’s the good news: no matter the current state of your bedroom, you can make some simple tweaks to foster higher quality sleep.
To help you find the right bedroom layout, Laura Cerrano, CEO and Founder of Feng Shui Manhattan, is sharing her best tips on where to start. Ahead, she outlines the biggest bedroom layout mistakes you might be making, along with easy solutions to fix them.
1. A Poorly Positioned Bed
If your bed faces the wrong way (depending on the lineage of Feng Shui you follow), you may be disrupting your sleep unknowingly. “In general, a common modern-day Feng Shui recommendation is to arrange your bed in the commanding position—which gives you a clear vantage point of the bedroom entrance, with a solid wall behind your bed that offers support literally and metaphorically,” Cerrano says. She explains that in biophilic design, this concept is related to having a sense of refuge. If this practice resonates with you, try analyzing your current bed position and adjusting for better Feng Shui.
Bonus tips: Always arrange your bed with at least two feet of clearance on each side for easy access. Don’t position a bed directly under a window (to prevent drafts and glare at night), and ensure it doesn’t block any doorways.
2. Using Mirrors
Once you’ve fixed your bed position, assess any mirrors in your space. Since Feng Shui typically recommends against hanging mirrors in the bedroom altogether, Cerrano says you may want to consider relocating your mirrors into another space. “Mirrors are seen as pieces that activate the energy of a space,” which can disrupt that idyllic bedroom theme of rest and rejuvenation, she says.
Can’t do without a mirror in your space? Cerrano shares some tips to make it work. To start, she says to avoid placing your mirror(s) directly across from your bed, bathroom and bedroom doorway. Instead, strategically reposition your mirror in a spot that faces another wall with peaceful artwork or in a closet, especially if it’s full length. But, “if you place a mirror inside your closet, you need to make sure the closet is organized,” she warns, as this can also detract from a space’s zen factor. And while there may be exceptions to this Feng Shui principle, Cerrano explains these guidelines serve as a solid base to work from.
Julie Soefer
3. Not Investing in Curtains
While it’s ideal to allow natural light to filter into your bedroom during the day, Cerrano suggests black out curtains at night to help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm and cultivate an ideal sleeping environment. Fine-tuning your artificial interior lighting plays a role too, so “[opt for] low-light bulbs that offer a soothing, relaxing feeling,” she says. Typically bulbs with a temperature of 2,700-3,000K can be sufficiently bright and mellow. Next up: Check your shades or blinds. Cerrano suggests designs that point the light in a downward direction. “This is a subtle way of signaling to your brain, its time to relax and unwind,” she says.
For more customization, try smart, bluetooth enabled lighting, like Philips Hue White bulbs which lets you set your shades of color from warm-to-cool white light (and can even mimic a candle flickering).
4. Hanging Off-Putting Artwork or Photos
Tapping into another Feng Shui method, Cerrano encourages selecting artwork that visually depicts the type of healthy relationship you envision for yourself. So avoid visuals of individual people, things, places, or themes that promote anger, or anything that has an overarching disruptive feel.
Cerrano also notes that images of family, children, or deceased loved ones can have a similar effect—shifting the focus to familial or past relationships, and disrupting the calm and romantic atmosphere a bedroom is meant to foster. “It’s important to honor yourself and your partner (if in a relationship), and intentionally establish a place you can retreat to after a long day, allowing your conscious and subconscious minds to rest,” she says.
5. Not Letting Go of Clutter
Clutter can have the tendency to suck the life out of a space and many philosophies, including Feng Shui agree. “What ever you don’t need, use, or love—let it go,” Cerrano says. “This act not only refreshes your home and self, it also becomes a ritual to symbolize new beginnings.”
Annie Schlechter
6. Choosing the Wrong Colors
For a restorative space, go easy with color in your bedroom. “Try not to choose overly strong colors within your bedroom,” Cerrano says. Since the bedroom is a place for rest, choose your color scheme carefully. A very bold palette can create a chaotic environment for sleep while earth tones or soft, muted hues will naturally calm you. “Your bedroom is a space to support romance, relaxation and peaceful rest,” Cerrano says, so picking the right colors is key if you want your space to live up to its relaxation potential.
7. Adding Too Much Tech
When finalizing your bedroom layout, be sure to always separate work from sleep. Since hybrid and work-from-home schedules are still popular, a bedroom may quickly become a makeshift home office (especially if you’re limited on space or privacy). Still, “if you work within your bedroom, be sure to create a clear visual boundary to what area of your bedroom is reserved for work vs. sleep,” Cerrano says.
And on a working note—which often isn’t possible without a screen—Cerrano also encourages un-plugging from technology at least an hour before bed. Since blue light from digital items can interfere with your circadian rhythm, “if you do keep electronics within your bedroom, at least keep them as far away from your bed as you can,” she adds.
8. Sticking to An Unbalanced Setup
Balance in materials and layout can yield an optimal bedroom layout. “In modern-day Feng Shui, for example, using two side tables is a metaphor of balance,” Cerrano says. But if you don’t have the space to arrange two side tables, try to aim for a layout that looks and feels harmonious, she suggests.
“In Feng Shui, it’s also important to balance the principles of YinYang within the bedroom. Yin relates to soft textures and yang relates to hard textures. Soft textures could include your bed comforter, a plush area rug, and pillows,” Cerrano says “Hard textures are usually the bedroom walls and floors. Seeing and feeling softer textures along the bottom of your feet and wrapped around your body as you snuggle in for bed promotes a feeling of rest and comfort, which is a great and easy way to support better sleep.”
9. Storing Things Under the Bed
Since objects have the power to activate emotional memories, Cerrano recommends being selective about what you store in the bedroom. “If you do have storage beneath your bed, its a best to take inventory of what’s there and remove any triggering items,” she says. “Exceptions to this principle include the storage of linens and clothing, as they are usually neutral emotional items.”
