How to Create a Feng Shui Map for Your Bedroom

New to Feng Shui? Start with our Feng Shui bedroom guide, then place the Bagua map over your plan and try a few small shifts. In this guide you will learn how to map the room, read each area, and choose design cures that look good and live well.

What is a Bagua map

The Bagua is a nine-area grid used in Feng Shui to understand how different parts of a space relate to energy, intention, and daily life. Applied to a bedroom, it helps you place the bed, storage, art, and lighting so the room supports rest, relationships, and health.

The nine areas, read left to right, bottom to top:

Health sits in the center. You do not need to decorate with symbols. You can express each area with color, material, lighting, art, and clutter discipline.

Two ways to map a bedroom

1) Door-aligned method
Place a 3×3 grid over the room with the entry wall along the bottom of the grid. This is simple and works well for apartments and rooms where you want a fast decision.

2) Compass method
Use a phone compass. Rotate the 3×3 grid so North lines up with the actual North of the room. This is more precise and helpful if you love the details.

Either method is valid. Choose one and stay consistent across your home.

Step-by-step mapping

Tools
A copy of the room plan or a quick sketch, a ruler, painter’s tape, and a compass app if you choose the compass method.

Steps

1. Draw the outline of the bedroom including door, windows, built-ins, and the bathroom door if it opens directly from the room.
2. Choose the method and place a 3×3 grid over the plan. Each rectangle is one ninth of the room.
3. Label the areas from the table above.
4. Mark fixed elements inside each area: door swing, windows, radiator, beams, closets.
5. Note your current furniture and how it intersects the map. This shows where small changes can have big impact.

Pro tip: put painter’s tape on the floor to mark the grid while you test layouts. It turns the map into something you can feel, not just see.

How to apply the map

• Health (center)
  Keep clear and grounded. A soft rug, low plant, and warm dimmable lighting calm the eye.
• Love and Relationships (top right)
  Pairs matter. Balanced nightstands and lamps, art in pairs, gentle textures, and a color pull that feels warm. Avoid solo portraits in this area.
• Wealth (top left)
  Healthy plants, a tidy dresser, and a small dish for daily valuables. Choose a rich yet calm accent such as deep green, plum, or a warm wood tone.
• Fame and Recognition (top center)
  Good light and a clean wall with one confident piece of art. Warm whites or a subtle red accent read well here.
• Family (middle left)
  Display heritage pieces or travel photos. A wooden frame or a woven texture supports this area.
• Creativity and Children (middle right)
  A sketch pinboard, a journal on the nightstand, a soft blanket with pattern. Pale metals or light wood keep it playful.
• Knowledge and Self-cultivation (bottom left)
  A small reading chair and lamp or a shelf of books. Calm blues, sand tones, or matte ceramic work well.
• Career and Life Path (bottom center)
  This sits at the entry. Keep the door area clear. A floor mat, a tray for keys, and a dimmer at the switch set the tone.
• Helpful People and Travel (bottom right)
  A small tray for thank-you notes, a framed map, or neutral metallic accents. Keep luggage stored neatly.

Bed placement Feng Shui

• Command position
  Place the bed so you can see the door from the pillow without lining up directly with it. A solid wall behind the head and a supportive headboard are ideal.
• Breathing room
  Leave space on both sides for two nightstands and simple lamps. This signals balance, even if you sleep solo.
• Avoid
  Under-bed storage packed with heavy items, a bed directly under a large beam, a mirror facing the bed, and sharp corners pointing at the pillow. If the bed must sit under a beam, soften with fabric or a simple canopy rail.
• Windows behind the bed
  Use a full-height headboard, lined curtains, and secure the bed frame. Treat the window like a wall visually.

Colors and materials by Bagua area

Use this as a palette prompt, not a rule sheet.

Fix tricky bedrooms

Irregular shape or a missing corner
Define the missing area with light, a plant stand, or a small rug that visually “completes” the corner. Keep it tidy and well lit.

Bathroom door in Love or Wealth
Close the door, add a quiet art piece across from it, and use a soft bath mat and good ventilation so the area feels fresh.

Sloped ceilings or heavy beams
Paint ceilings light, center the bed under the highest point, and use a padded headboard. Sheer canopy rails can soften without feeling fussy.

Five-minute renter map

1. Use the door-aligned method and tape a 3×3 grid on the floor for five minutes.
2. Swap the bed so you can see the door. Add a headboard if you do not have one.
3. Balance both sides of the bed with similar weight: lamps, tables, or stools.
4. Choose one area to nurture this month. Add one plant, one light source, and remove three items of clutter.
5. Open the window each morning, then close blinds and curtains calmly at night.

FAQs

Which mapping method should I use
If you want quick clarity, use the door-aligned method. If you enjoy precision and have a compass, use the compass method. Both can work well if you stay consistent.

What if my room is not a rectangle
Map the smallest rectangle that contains the room, then treat niches as extensions. Light and plants can “complete” a missing corner visually.

Does North-South bed direction matter
Comfort and command position matter more. If you can also align the head toward a direction that feels grounded for you, treat that as a bonus.

Can I have a desk in the bedroom
Yes if it does not crowd the bed. Place it in Knowledge or Creativity and close the laptop at night. A small folding screen can define it after hours.

How long until I feel a change
Most people feel the difference immediately because of better order, light, and airflow. Emotional shifts often follow when new habits stick.