Layout question · answered by the rules engine

Which wall should the bed go on?

Put the bed against the solid wall from which you can see the bedroom door at an angle, with the bed out of the doorway’s straight line and no window behind your head. In most rectangular bedrooms that’s the wall diagonally across from the door, which feng shui calls the “command position”.

Short answer

Go through the walls in this order: rule out the wall with the door (you can’t see it from bed), rule out any wall that puts your feet straight at the door, rule out walls with a window behind the headboard. Of what’s left, pick the one with room to walk around both sides of the bed.

Take the 30-second check ↓

✕ Under the window, facing the door · Harmony 64
Queen bedNightstandNightstandIN3.60 m · 11.8 ft4.00 m · 13.1 ft
Bed centred under the window: no solid wall behind, and the foot lines up with the doorway.
✓ The engine’s best wall · Harmony 82
Queen bedNightstandNightstandIN3.60 m · 11.8 ft4.00 m · 13.1 ft
The wall our optimiser scores highest: solid behind, door in view, out of its line.

Both plans are scored live by the same rules engine we use on your own room. “Harmony” is a 0–100 layout score.

The four questions for each wall

  1. Can you see the door from the pillow? If the headboard is on the door wall, no. Rule it out if you can.
  2. Would your feet point straight at the door? That’s the placement feng shui calls the “coffin position”. Rule it out, or slide the bed along until it’s clear.
  3. Is there a window or a door behind the headboard? A solid wall gives the support feng shui calls the “mountain”.
  4. Can you walk around both sides? About 45 cm (18 in) on each side is enough.

Our free check runs exactly these tests, and about 20 more, on a plan of your own room.

When no wall passes everything

Small rooms often force a trade-off. In order of importance: keep your feet out of the door’s line, then see the door, then avoid the window behind your head, then free both sides. A tall solid headboard covers a weak wall, and a bench at the foot of the bed softens a door line.

Does compass direction matter?

In Compass School feng shui your personal Kua number gives good directions for your head while you sleep. It’s a refinement on top of the layout rules, not a replacement. See the Kua number guides.

30-second check

Is your bed on the right wall?

1. From your pillow, can you see the door?
2. Do your feet point straight at the door?
3. What’s behind your headboard?
4. Can you get in from both sides?

Upload your room for the exact check Free score and your #1 fix in about a minute. Photos are never stored on our servers. No photos? Draw your bedroom instead.

Questions people ask

Should the bed be against the longest wall?

Only if that wall also lets you see the door and keeps you out of its line. Length helps fit nightstands, but the door decides.

Is it OK for the bed to face a window?

Yes. A window in front of you or to the side is fine; it’s a window behind your head that feng shui avoids. See bed facing a window.

Can the bed go in the middle of the room?

Only with a solid, tall headboard, since a bed that floats has nothing behind your head. Against a wall is better.

Want the exact answer for your room?

Upload two or three photos or a floor plan. We rebuild your room in 3D, score it against 22 layout principles and show the single biggest fix, free.

Scan my room

No photos? Draw your bedroom on a plan and get your score in about 30 seconds.