The ancient Chinese system of Feng Shui has had an up-and-down ride in the western world. Some of the basic practices can be traced back to Neolithic China - around 3,500 years ago - but much of it was added over time to create what we see today.
First introduced to western society in the 1970s, Feng Shui gained widespread popularity in cultures where spiritual and religious practices had been on the wane for years, but it has fallen out of vogue in recent years.
Feng Shui is much more than simply how you should arrange your furniture and is a much wider attempt to balance the various energies we have within us and in our homes. In Chinese, Feng translates as ‘wind,’ while Shui means ‘water,’ and the two together are said to represent the successful flow in life that we all can achieve, but often struggle to.
1. Place the bed centrally
One of the key principles of Feng Shui is the idea of a ‘commanding position,’ which, for a bed, means placing it in the centre of the room, with a view of the door, but not directly in line with it.
Considering the bed is usually the most important piece of furniture in your bedroom, placing it centrally gives it the added importance it deserves. Your bed’s relationship with the door is a little more complex. If we can’t see the door, we can sometimes subconsciously feel a little nervous, while if we are directly in front of it, it can dominate our thinking to the point we expect somebody to come through it.
2. Two by Two
In Feng Shui, pairs are thought to promote love and harmony, so if that’s what you’re looking for, then try and double up on everything.
No that doesn’t mean two beds, but it does mean two pillows, two bedside tables, and two lamps if you can. This might sound completely ridiculous if you’re living alone, but the Chinese have long considered pairs as a vital aspect of any healthy life.
3. Think Colours
While it might be tempting to lather your walls in bright colours that burst with vibrancy, your bedroom should ideally provide that relaxed calming feel that neither stands out too much nor draws too much attention to different aspects.
Feng Shui suggests using muted tones when painting your bedroom, with pastel colours; pink, green, and blue being some of the most popular.
4. Plants
Nature is a major part of Feng Shui, but incorporating it into a bedroom can sometimes be difficult. Adding plants to your sleeping area not only adds some much-needed life and colour, wood and natural textures are said to be the perfect counterbalance to the colder metal we often have around our homes.
It’s not just the Feng Shui experts who push plants in the bedroom and there is now plenty of scientific evidence that suggests plants can help us sleep, improve productivity and even boost recovery times after an illness.
5. Air Flow
Another way to incorporate the natural world into our bedroom is to make sure we have healthy airflow moving through the room - especially when we are using it. Feng Shui suggests that maintaining good air circulation around your bedroom is an excellent way to allow natural energy to move freely.
Again, there is also plenty of evidence that appears to back up this ancient directive. One study has suggested that sleeping in a well-ventilated bedroom can improve overall sleep, while also decreasing the number of times on average we wake up during the night.
6. Reduce your lighting
Lighting is often something we don’t give much thought to. If the light has a bulb and works fine, then why give it any other thought?
In fact, lightning, and in particular low lighting, can have a dramatic effect on our bedroom and completely transform the overall effect. A bright light has a habit of dominating a room without creating those comfortable shadows and textures that humans innately feel comfortable in.
If possible, try and have the main light in the centre of the room so that it dispenses light evenly, while also having smaller lights, such as bedside lamps, to use when it gets nearer to bedtime and your want to create that warm, cosy ambience.
7. Comfort
Our last point steps a little outside the realms of Feng Shui but still uses the same guiding principle of creating a comfortable, relaxing space for you to inhabit.
Much of Feng Shui is about comfort, but not necessarily in a physical sense. It’s about creating an environment that you feel comfortable in consciously and subconsciously, whether that’s through the right colours, natural elements, or the placement of your furniture.
Yet no amount of shifting, painting, or gusts of winds surging through your bedroom can help if you’re spending night after night sleeping in a bed that is well past its best. A good night’s sleep starts with your bed and if you're in the market for something a little different that can completely revolutionise your sleeping, look no further than FlexiSpot’s Adjustable Bed Base. With a head adjustment range between 0 and 60 degrees that is powered by a nearly silent internal motor, this is the bed that is changing how we sleep.
If it had been around for 3,500 years, we’re sure the Feng Shui masters would have approved. Just remember to place it directly in the middle of your room.
